WRITERS MEETING FOR 14TH October 09

Present at the writers’ meeting were: Terry, David, Jo, Cath, Helene, Melissa, Mary, and we welcomed Leonie who has recently moved into the area. We hope Leone will come back and join us.

Since nobody had any brags, Dale handed around some information about a crime writing workshop being held on October 24 from 10-4 at the Shoalhaven City Arts Centre in Nowra. Cost is $25. Further contact details from Barbara Simmons info@fawnswhoalhaven.org.au

Word of the Day
Terry avatar - as we often see on the internet is actually an old word meaning an incarnation- the descent of a god -Vishnu to earth in human form.
David frenemy - a one time friend who has become an enemy
Retort - the crucible in which you heat elements or a sharp reply
Jo ructation - belching or burping
Cath feckless – indifferent, insipid, vain, uncaring
Helene détente – a relaxing, as of international tension
Leonie transference - to do with psychoanalysis, where feelings shift from one person to the other eg. A person may refer to their analyst as father.
Mary avuncular of or relating to an uncle especially in kindness or geniality
Dale nescient lacking knowledge, ignorant

Word Count
Jo produced an interesting piece about the way publishers work out word counts- not the same way that computer spell-check does. Terry is going to photocopy it for everyone.

Homework
David, Jo, Cath, Helene and Melissa produced an interesting array of stories and poems that dealt with a bet between two men, being trapped then rescued after an explosion, a mother and her two sons’ questions and answers, a gambler and a poem about Davy Jones’ Locker. It was as always interesting to see how each person tackled the homework topic so differently.

Broadband
David gave us some important information about Broadband and kilobytes and kilobits and what causes some computers to be slow downloading.

Abbreviations
David then produced a whole range of initials to see if the rest of the group could guess or remember what they stood for. Eg LSD is pounds, shillings and pence - the original Latin being Librae solidi denarai. GMT, LCD, GC, MVP were among the others. He gave the history behind abbreviations such as eg exempli gracia,
i.e. it est. and many others. Many of these originated from Latin.
He also explained how to do Suduko for those interested.

Terry posed a grammar question about the correct use of colons and semi colons.
A colon is used before giving a list. A semi colon which should be used d sparingly is a longer pause than a comma but not as long as a period. However often the long sentence involving a colon can be broken into two shorter sentences. We learned excessive us of the semi colons spells amateur to editors.

Jo also queried the use of that and which. That is usually an inanimate object which can be more do with a person. That does not have a comma before it. Whish needs the comma before it. Often that can be left out of a sentence without losing anything.

Clichés
Jo also produced a list of clichés and well worn phrases. Something for us all to be wary of using.

Childhood Games
We also had an interesting discussion about childhood games and rhymes and the difference some of us knew in them.

Quick Write
The quick write was based on I remember and produced some funny, some sad and some poignant pieces of writing.

Nobody read from any current projects.

David read the Henry Lawson poem provided by Robyn for next week’s homework. The aim is to write a story, or a poem if you like about the character in Lawson’s poem.

The Future

Terry asked about future ideas for Quick Write ideas and what to include in the group and ways to develop characters better. Predicably different people had different ideas about what they enjoyed and what they didn’t.

Melissa would be interested to know other people’s reactions to the movie Gone, Baby, Gone.

Next week
Facilitator – Jo
Exercise Vala
Homework Wendy

Record of meeting 7 October 2009

Present: David C, Cath, David R, Wendy, Vala, Jo, Dale, Robyn and Helene as
facilitator, a merry band of writers and poets.

Special thanks to David and Cathy C for providing a warm and welcoming
meeting place on a cold rainy day when the keys to the church had gone on
holidays

Brags: Vala bought a glass frog which has facilitated encounters with
princes by email and on the beach.

David R was fortunate to attend today but has missed the group as a result
of recent dental surgery; he should be back in a few weeks.

David C has hearing aids and can now hear any whispers made about him.

Cath had a bee sat on her arm but no sting: maybe she is the new Dr
Do-little.

Wendy bought a new TV and when she took it home found the screen was
smashed. Wendy also has a new hearing aid.

Words of the day

Robyn - allegory - figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of
another; a presentation of an abstract or spiritual meaning under concrete
or material forms

Dale - mezzarine - Mazarine blue - a deep rich blue named after Cardinal
Jules Mazarin 1602-1661, He was a French Cardinal & Statesman, Prime
Minister under Louis X1V, real name Guilo Mazzarine. From Cath's
encyclopedia dictionary which is about 45 years old.

Wendy - burgeon - to begin to grow as a bud; to put forth buds, shoots as a
plant

David R - egalitarian - equal rights from the French

Cathy - Enigma - puzzling

David C - contumacious - insolent of legal authority

Homework - spring theme

Dale - a poem called Spun silk reminded us of mulberry trees and silk worms

Jo - Sometimes on a spring day - a story of bower birds and death

Vala - Spring has sprung a leak

Wendy - One spring morning

Helene - A spring fling - a romantic comedy

David R - two funny poems Getting old and Open door

Cath - Another day - about new life

Robyn - A cloudless sky

Exercise - We selected from a list of unusual occupations provided by Wendy
and wrote our own descriptions of the jobs.

Quick write - The topic of Meat pie and tomato sauce provided by David R
brought poems and stories of eating at the footy, the dangers of eating
pies, game pie, becoming an Aussie and calories.

Homework from Terry in absentia

One character asks another a question, who then answers "God no" What was
the question? Describe the two characters. Are they sitting/standing? What
tones of voice? What body language? Continue writing the scene.

Next week

Facilitator - Dale
Exercise - David C
Homework - Robyn (already given to Dale)




Helene

Meeting on 23^rd Sept. 2009

Present: Terry, Mandy, Robyn, Vala, Ray, Melissa, David C, Helene, Kathy, Jo. New person Ray attended.

Brag: Kathy bragged re letterbox. Mandy finished synopsis. David has finalised his radio pieces to be broadcast 9am, 3.10.09, 92.7 Community Radio. David explained that anyone of us can go on radio, just ask him.

Jo explained the elitist rules of a competition which she didn’t win. Most of us agree that the rules are just too twee.

Discussion on uses of commas, colons, semicolons. Some of us figure that we are old enough and savvy enough to use punctuation as it should be used, as a means to indicate mood, or time, or a separation of things, if only for a second.

Word: Kathy: ‘idiosyncrasy’ – characteristic, mode of expression. Helene: ‘empirical’ –guided by experience or experiment. Wendy told us about rabbits – mercury poisoning in America, fur for hats containing this – ergo: ‘mad as a hatter’. Mandy: ‘kerfuffle’ – rumpus. Robyn: ‘vaunt’- glost, boast. Terry: ‘pachyderm’ – thick-skinned, not only for elephant, e.g. rhinoceros. David C:: litany’ – a collection of short prayers.

Reading of Homework Kathy – sequel to Gone With The Wind. (Vala GWTW). – V.G. Melissa – The Breakfast Club Reunion – well done. Helene – Margaret Attwood – getting rid of irritating characters with silly names. Wendy – Poor Mickey Rourke poem – excellent (trite and tender) Mandy – Mash, life before and after – worked out well and believable. Terry – Clark Kent’s old age. Unrequited love (never slept with Lois?) Oh dear. Poor old Superman. David C. – Darcy’s lost love – poem with a meal at the end. Sequel. He’s sick, eats kangaroo, then to the hospital. Roadkill doesn’t make good eating. Ray read poem 1: humorous. Wants a lady but God lets him down. 2. Must write happy things so the poem is about the life of a poet. 3. This poem asks, why does he need a wife anyway? Jo read about Red Riding Hood, not the first time someone has suggested that she is a slut but this time she is also a murderess, kills Grandma and lives in sin with the wolf.

Exercise: Description needed for list that David C. supplied to each of us. All enjoyed – all different – good fun.

We go to Robyn’s next Wed. Lunch first, l2 noon. Bring a plate, movie is going to be ‘Crash’.

Homework for week after that, ‘It all started on a Spring morning …’ or a ‘soft Spring morning’ whatever grabs you.

Jo

Meeting held on 16th Sept. 09
Twas the bay and basin writers group, their abnormal meeting
the usual hacks and poets were there, lots of banter nods and greetings
there was Helene Melissa Kath Robyn and Jo, Vala and Dale turned up later
Mandy and Terry settled down, Tap Tap Tap Davids the facilitator
has anyone got a brag or something they can skite
David mentioned the radio show with a grin of pure delight
Terry told about a blog Helene about her two accidents
The destruction of her letter box she claims was innocent
Bra bombers and triple J were mentioned or something of that sort
Mandy went to Sydney and back no accidents to report
Many unusual words were discussed Mojo a sort of charm
Obloquy an unspoken word, a Nemesis could do harm
Little was said of Taciturn a Moron showed his stupidity as
Promulagate was proclaimed, or was it a tacit implication
A Capricious whim of change.
Homework, many versions were read about an open door
Mandy asked for a critique Kampong Wife was sugested from the floor
Write seven things about yourself, pick one and write a story
humorous rapore was the theme, we basked in all our glory
The metting ended in orderly Kaos, Melissa set the scene
For next week we write a sequal, A movie, book ,TV the next scream
Thats all folks to all the scribes happy writing to any one i missed sorry

Meeting 9th Sept 09

Hi everyone, as usual we had a robust meeting with lots of laughs and interesting things. Brags of the day included Robyn making a fabulous dvd of her photos and Terry must be the fastest homework writer in the club he did it all in half an hour.

Word of the day Joe gave us a quote Life is a fatal adventure. Cathy the word tangible Dave Acrostic a poem using the first letter of the line like we did with Dave C last week Meretricious a relationship that is not what it seems like a man walking out with a prostitute she is not his girl friend. Something that is not what it appears. Dale Mendacious and adj. lieing or untruthful conduct of a liar. Terry. Synonym similar to a word being used something similar And also Syncretism to reconcile two opposite views

Terry is thinking of setting up a Blog site for the group, still to find out how to do it.

We then read out our homework. Joe read out Dogs are Company using the sentences she gave us all last week

Dale read from her current work which included some of the sentences too, we feel like we are listening to a serial it is very good

Helene read out two short poems One called Fur and the other Pain. Both were entertaining and funny

Chathy short story called the Doorman. We felt it showed you can make a story out of anything well done Cathy.

David R. Perfect Match. Short story very colourful.

Wendy. Poem called Being accepted, Our own Pam Ayres we now feel very good.

Robyn Piece from her current work.

Terry. Poem called Ode to Pommy Joe. A story in poetry which he does so well.

Exercise set by Robyn who came unprepared and like a true trooper whisked one out of thin air.

The 30^th of Sept. is our fifth week in the month and we like to do something more entertaining. After several suggestions it was decided we will have lunch at Robyn’s then watch a DVD and have a discussion on how well or not it was written. Bring a plate to share for lunch. Starts at 11.30am Robyns place.

Quick Write the group all supplied a word and then we wrote a short piece including all the words which were. TERRORIST. COMPLAIN. EFFIVESANT. STIMULAS. DECIDE. ALWAYS. NEVER THE LESS. LOVE. THE.ROBUST.

This provided a range of topics we are a talented bunch.

We were delighted to welcome Lynne Winslade on a flying visit to us and we invited her to our lunch on the 30^th.

Homework: Joe. A man comes home and finds his door open….continue this into a short story.

Mandy brought a Synopsis on a novel she has written and asked for the group to go over it and help with suggestions. Please find attached and see if you could work it into something more interesting these are just the facts but has to catch an editors interest. HELP!! I think it was easier to write the story than the synopsis.