15.6.10
Present: Terry, Mandy, Melissa, Robyn, Cathy, Jo.
Brags:
Cathy: Did two laps of the pool. Superwoman!
Terry: Is preparing a programme for memoir writing. Is anxious to teach.
Robyn: Talked about a man found to be family, now a correspondent in family search.
Mandy: dDone first ten chapters of romance novel, arranged for it to be read by members.
Jo: Told about the conversation with Council re wood fires.
Word of the Day:
Cathy: poignant - harrowing, keen, racy, cutting
Melissa: piquante - tender, compassionate, pathetic, pitiful, impressive.
" tantamount - as good as, equivalent.
Terry: farinaceous - floury, starchy.
Mandy: propensity - a way of doing, or of choosing, something personally applicable.
Robyn: embellish - trim, flourish, decorator's tool, elaboration.
Jo: lambast - to reprimand or beat.
Terry: cupidity - eager desire, to gain, covetness,
" assiduous - working hard, diligent, careful and attentive.
Reading last week's Homework:
Terry read the homework, 'write a short story where the senses are not all used', His was a bitchy woman in a wheelchair named Sharon, went into a garden. She had been poisoned by her nurse. Off the wall.
Mandy, Story, "My most prized possession". - a lady's imagination is her prize. This can be shared, can be used to become rich, or to negate loneliness. It comes out that she thinks that life is her precious possession after all.
Robyn, Same prized possession from now on. Betty's place, a working bee has been arranged because of the hoarding. Sam went to see Betty after the stuff had been removed and found his aunt changed. She has a computer now and that is her prized possession.
Jo, Did not decide what possession could be said as prized as all possessions are short-lived.
Cathy, Embarked on the homework, got to where she is deciding what the possession is and will continue on a larger work.
Terry, A poem, prized was once a cricket bat when young, growing, it is cars, then it is his wife. Now it is his mind.
Afternoon exercise: Cathy suggested - "what happens when you open something or look at something that you should not have seen."
Terry went into a forbidden room, saw himself dead on a table, and was asked by a green man to come with him.
Mandy looked in her mother's dressing table and found something very, very, personal.
Jo saw something upsetting in the Tunnel of Love at Luna Park when she turned around to speak.
Robyn found a french letter in a wallet that she should not have been looking in. She was l6.
Cathy had been travelling for years and was happily investigating a room where there was a trunk with carvings on it. What was in it? To be continued.
Melissa snuck a look at a Xmas present in a cardboard box. She was 9, and in the box she was elated to find Rick Springfield memorabilia, but had no surprise then when it was Xmas morning. Lesson - don't sneak peeks.
Homework next week: we all took a headline from newspaper cuttings that Robyn had. Make a story from that one you chose. For those who weren't there pick a headline from a newspaper and write a story.
19 June 2010
09 June 2010
Meeting notes 9 June 2010
Present: Cath, Wendy, Helene, Robyn, Jo, Vala
Brags: Robyn bought a new computer programme, excellent tool, provides all needs for complete family searches.
Cathy: Her computer is working now.
Helene: Had a flu shot.
Mandy: The triplets are doing well.
Word of the Day
Cathy: Ephemeral: ghostly, short-lived
Helene: Opague: see through, unintelligent.
Wendy:: Scuttle: run awkardly, coal holders
Mandy: Uxorious: relating to devotion to one's wife, subservient to one's wife.
Uxoricide: to kill one's own wife
Robyn: Thwart: to repel or subdue an enemy
Homework:
Mandy began the homework - 'somehow, you get a CD, and what you do with it' - Mandy's was about a woman caught in a car accident in a deserted place - CD was in the glovebox, was about dogs, and she was rescued by the CD and her dog.
Wendy: Poem about a DVD found by a daughter who sees her mother at a party doing everything that her mother has told her not to do.
Helene: Went on a short trip and found a CD. There was cat poo, and she picked it up in a piece of newspaper, and didn't see the ad. offering a very large reward for the return of the CD.
Cathy: Finders Keepers. Leslie on a bus. Aged. Finds CD. Plays it and it contains a terrorist warning! Should she ring Police? They come. Is it true or is Leslie a fruit loop?
Robyn: Runs out of petrol, bad day, everythings going wrong. Finds a CD. Wedding music on the label. Gets petrol, resumes trip to family, who are gathered for wedding tomorrow, when bride discovers she has forgotten to bring music, and so Robyn's heroine provides it.
Jo: An old man on a train finds a CD. He is going to suicide. Finds a CD that saves his life. It is called ITS TIME and no one knows ever, what was on the CD, but it animates the old man.
Exercise:
Everyone was given a small paper which was instructions: to write on, your prayer, hope, vision, story, promise, message, song, regret, desire etc. Given by Cathy and was treated in various ways by all.
Much interesting talk about War in all its guises, our perception of the fact of war.
Mandy continued on with some of the Romance Writing Course. Discussion on Point of View, and as everyone became interested, we learned how to distinguish flaws in so-called Point of View and how to apply it to our own work, a valuable discussion.
Next week's homework is "My most prized possession is .... '
Brags: Robyn bought a new computer programme, excellent tool, provides all needs for complete family searches.
Cathy: Her computer is working now.
Helene: Had a flu shot.
Mandy: The triplets are doing well.
Word of the Day
Cathy: Ephemeral: ghostly, short-lived
Helene: Opague: see through, unintelligent.
Wendy:: Scuttle: run awkardly, coal holders
Mandy: Uxorious: relating to devotion to one's wife, subservient to one's wife.
Uxoricide: to kill one's own wife
Robyn: Thwart: to repel or subdue an enemy
Homework:
Mandy began the homework - 'somehow, you get a CD, and what you do with it' - Mandy's was about a woman caught in a car accident in a deserted place - CD was in the glovebox, was about dogs, and she was rescued by the CD and her dog.
Wendy: Poem about a DVD found by a daughter who sees her mother at a party doing everything that her mother has told her not to do.
Helene: Went on a short trip and found a CD. There was cat poo, and she picked it up in a piece of newspaper, and didn't see the ad. offering a very large reward for the return of the CD.
Cathy: Finders Keepers. Leslie on a bus. Aged. Finds CD. Plays it and it contains a terrorist warning! Should she ring Police? They come. Is it true or is Leslie a fruit loop?
Robyn: Runs out of petrol, bad day, everythings going wrong. Finds a CD. Wedding music on the label. Gets petrol, resumes trip to family, who are gathered for wedding tomorrow, when bride discovers she has forgotten to bring music, and so Robyn's heroine provides it.
Jo: An old man on a train finds a CD. He is going to suicide. Finds a CD that saves his life. It is called ITS TIME and no one knows ever, what was on the CD, but it animates the old man.
Exercise:
Everyone was given a small paper which was instructions: to write on, your prayer, hope, vision, story, promise, message, song, regret, desire etc. Given by Cathy and was treated in various ways by all.
Much interesting talk about War in all its guises, our perception of the fact of war.
Mandy continued on with some of the Romance Writing Course. Discussion on Point of View, and as everyone became interested, we learned how to distinguish flaws in so-called Point of View and how to apply it to our own work, a valuable discussion.
Next week's homework is "My most prized possession is .... '
03 June 2010
Record of meeting 2 June 2010
Present: Mandy, Robyn, Wendy, Jo, Cath and Helene - a very feminine meeting.
Brags:
Mandy is celebrating the arrival of triplets to a friend and twins to a cousin, all are doing well. Mandy also bragged about her grandson who is a stripper and also doing well.
Wendy’s son Scott and partner Lisa have opened a coffee lounge on the Gold coast.
Robyn had a bilateral injection around her spine for pain.
Cath has rediscovered her grandfather’s post cards and celebrated her grandson’s engagement.
Jo has attempted unsuccessfully to write a crap poem.
Helene has been told by her osteo she has thighs of steel.
Words of the day
Wendy – chicanery – deception by trickery
Helene – squelch – to press firmly together, to hug, embrace etc
Cath – convoluted – a rolled up or coiled condition, a turn of anything coiled, whorl, sinuosity
Mandy – flummoxed – colloquial to bewilder, confuse
Jo – tocsin – an alarm bell
Homework
Some attempts to meet Terry’s challenge to write without using visual senses and others just did their own thing. Topics covered solitude on the beach, loss of sight, out of sight, view from a pedestal, deprivation and my secret.
Exercise
Robyn provided star sign predictions as a basis for a story. Lots of full moons, healing hands, message in a bottle, value for money, calm and safety.
Homework from Helene – dominatrix of the meeting
While your character is travelling, he/she finds a CD. What does your character hear on the CD and how does the story unfold?
Next meeting 9 June 2010
Facilitator - Jo Homework – Wendy Exercise - Cath
Brags:
Mandy is celebrating the arrival of triplets to a friend and twins to a cousin, all are doing well. Mandy also bragged about her grandson who is a stripper and also doing well.
Wendy’s son Scott and partner Lisa have opened a coffee lounge on the Gold coast.
Robyn had a bilateral injection around her spine for pain.
Cath has rediscovered her grandfather’s post cards and celebrated her grandson’s engagement.
Jo has attempted unsuccessfully to write a crap poem.
Helene has been told by her osteo she has thighs of steel.
Words of the day
Wendy – chicanery – deception by trickery
Helene – squelch – to press firmly together, to hug, embrace etc
Cath – convoluted – a rolled up or coiled condition, a turn of anything coiled, whorl, sinuosity
Mandy – flummoxed – colloquial to bewilder, confuse
Jo – tocsin – an alarm bell
Homework
Some attempts to meet Terry’s challenge to write without using visual senses and others just did their own thing. Topics covered solitude on the beach, loss of sight, out of sight, view from a pedestal, deprivation and my secret.
Exercise
Robyn provided star sign predictions as a basis for a story. Lots of full moons, healing hands, message in a bottle, value for money, calm and safety.
Homework from Helene – dominatrix of the meeting
While your character is travelling, he/she finds a CD. What does your character hear on the CD and how does the story unfold?
Next meeting 9 June 2010
Facilitator - Jo Homework – Wendy Exercise - Cath
27 May 2010
Record of meeting 26 May 2010
Present: Terry, Wendy, Cath, Helene and welcome back to David C. We youthful people met in the children’s play room as the church was being used for a funeral. Seemed appropriate really.
Quite a few people away at the moment...Melissa...how are you? Coming back soon?
Brags: Terry has entered the Shoalhaven literary competition…not hopeful…seems like the ‘modern’ non rhyming style is preferred.
David C has a new Rav 4
Wendy will watch the State of ‘Oranges’ tonight
Cath’s grandson’s fiancé has been selected as a finalist in the Trainee of the year competition
Word of the day – short and sweet
Cath – irk…to annoy, irritate, irksome = tedious
Terry – blaggard (orig. black-guard) a villain, rogue, an evil or 'black-
hearted' person, a person of dubious morals
David C – umbrage…be offended, get the poops with someone
Wendy – popinjay…a vain or talkative person
Helene – comeuppance…get your just deserts
Homework – “I can’t believe I was afraid of…”
David shared his fear of using a telephone when he was younger Wendy and Mandy wrote about marriage. Jo provided a quirky extensive list of her fears as did Terry.
Exercise
Wendy asked us to write sentences using homophones, some used included pain & pane, fair & fare, herd & heard, hole & whole, mail & male, bail & bale, birth & berth, bare & bear, saw & sore, know & no, hair & hare, sale & sail, maid & made, bow & bough. David wrote a poem using homophones.
Quick write – Include the words “The whole thing was just too loud”. Stories included loud parties, loud clothing and loud behaviour.
Homework from Terry
Write a 200 word description of a place. You can use all sensory descriptions except sight. You can describe what it feels like, sounds like, smells like and tastes like. Try to write the description in such as way that people will not miss the visual details.
Next week
Facilitator – Terry Exercise – from the cupboard Homework - Helene
Present: Terry, Wendy, Cath, Helene and welcome back to David C. We youthful people met in the children’s play room as the church was being used for a funeral. Seemed appropriate really.
Quite a few people away at the moment...Melissa...how are you? Coming back soon?
Brags: Terry has entered the Shoalhaven literary competition…not hopeful…seems like the ‘modern’ non rhyming style is preferred.
David C has a new Rav 4
Wendy will watch the State of ‘Oranges’ tonight
Cath’s grandson’s fiancé has been selected as a finalist in the Trainee of the year competition
Word of the day – short and sweet
Cath – irk…to annoy, irritate, irksome = tedious
Terry – blaggard (orig. black-guard) a villain, rogue, an evil or 'black-
hearted' person, a person of dubious morals
David C – umbrage…be offended, get the poops with someone
Wendy – popinjay…a vain or talkative person
Helene – comeuppance…get your just deserts
Homework – “I can’t believe I was afraid of…”
David shared his fear of using a telephone when he was younger Wendy and Mandy wrote about marriage. Jo provided a quirky extensive list of her fears as did Terry.
Exercise
Wendy asked us to write sentences using homophones, some used included pain & pane, fair & fare, herd & heard, hole & whole, mail & male, bail & bale, birth & berth, bare & bear, saw & sore, know & no, hair & hare, sale & sail, maid & made, bow & bough. David wrote a poem using homophones.
Quick write – Include the words “The whole thing was just too loud”. Stories included loud parties, loud clothing and loud behaviour.
Homework from Terry
Write a 200 word description of a place. You can use all sensory descriptions except sight. You can describe what it feels like, sounds like, smells like and tastes like. Try to write the description in such as way that people will not miss the visual details.
Next week
Facilitator – Terry Exercise – from the cupboard Homework - Helene
20 May 2010
Meeting 19th May 2010
In attendance: Jo, Cath, Helene, Mary, Wendy, Mandy, Terry
This week: Facilitator –Terry, Exercise – Mandy, Homework – Terry
Brags:
Jo…War Memorial in Canberra not particularly helpful
Cath…Grandson’s band into semi-finals of band competition
Helene…happy to be relatively injury free after falling (or having a fall?)
Wendy…good to be back in the land of Oz after a visit to the old dart
Mandy…being crafty but not helping her back issues
Terry…grandson Bailey following in Pa’s footsteps with writing and poetry
Words of the Day
Jo…continues to be frustrated with US dictionary spelling (realize vs realise)
Cath…obstreperous…loud, noisy, unruly
Helene…bizarre…odd, queer, weird
Mary…nefarious…flagrantly wicked
Wendy…quotidian…daily, commonplace
Mandy…propinquity…nearness, kinship
Terry…iniquitous…bad, evil, unjust, wicked
Homework readings
Helene…a poem…The lottery
Wendy…a poem…England’s weather
Mandy…Family luck
Terry…Come-uppance
Jo…Making way
Cath…And the winner is…
Exercise 1…Mandy…A quickwrite starting with “I was sitting in bed sipping hot coffee when the nurse came into the room”…and ending with “and then we both heard the music”
As usual a wide range of different approaches including quirky.
Exercise 2…Terry…as per last week where we all contributed to a series of stories… a lot of fun and some actual functional stories.
Mandy continued with the Romance writing discussion.
Homework …a story including the words “I can’t believe I was afraid of…”
Next week’s meeting:
Facilitator is Helene…Exercise by Wendy…Homework by Terry
In attendance: Jo, Cath, Helene, Mary, Wendy, Mandy, Terry
This week: Facilitator –Terry, Exercise – Mandy, Homework – Terry
Brags:
Jo…War Memorial in Canberra not particularly helpful
Cath…Grandson’s band into semi-finals of band competition
Helene…happy to be relatively injury free after falling (or having a fall?)
Wendy…good to be back in the land of Oz after a visit to the old dart
Mandy…being crafty but not helping her back issues
Terry…grandson Bailey following in Pa’s footsteps with writing and poetry
Words of the Day
Jo…continues to be frustrated with US dictionary spelling (realize vs realise)
Cath…obstreperous…loud, noisy, unruly
Helene…bizarre…odd, queer, weird
Mary…nefarious…flagrantly wicked
Wendy…quotidian…daily, commonplace
Mandy…propinquity…nearness, kinship
Terry…iniquitous…bad, evil, unjust, wicked
Homework readings
Helene…a poem…The lottery
Wendy…a poem…England’s weather
Mandy…Family luck
Terry…Come-uppance
Jo…Making way
Cath…And the winner is…
Exercise 1…Mandy…A quickwrite starting with “I was sitting in bed sipping hot coffee when the nurse came into the room”…and ending with “and then we both heard the music”
As usual a wide range of different approaches including quirky.
Exercise 2…Terry…as per last week where we all contributed to a series of stories… a lot of fun and some actual functional stories.
Mandy continued with the Romance writing discussion.
Homework …a story including the words “I can’t believe I was afraid of…”
Next week’s meeting:
Facilitator is Helene…Exercise by Wendy…Homework by Terry
18 May 2010
May 12, 2010.
Minutes of the Weekly meeting of the Bay & Basin Writing Group
Present: Vala, Helene, Kath, Jo, David R, Mandy Terry and Robyn
Another good meeting with several brag items
Vala and Helene enjoyed an open afternoon at a local Hairdressers new premises.
Kath braved the waters of the bay and took a swim at Plantation Point Beach.
Jo bought us up to date with her war against the smoke giants, and her ten fingered gloves.
David very close to completing his country cabin, and off to Cairns for a break. Hurry back.
Mandy is over her writers block,
Words of the day included
Frisson – a shiver of fear or excitement
Langorous- Indolent dreaminess, listless “An era of crises in which many retired to the langorous meditation of disengagements.”
Loquacious… talkative, using too many words, long-winded (also garrulous)
Fallacious…deceptive, misleading, logically unsound
Fiasco Used originally in Italian theatre for an utterly failed performance, also a flask or wine bottle, a breakdown
Enquire or inquire – both seeking for information or truth.
Last week the homework was set by Jo, several members successfully rose to the occasion.
Helene The Man in the Green Shirt
Jo The watcher
David Aloysius
Mandy The Chocolate Memory
Terry Micky
Kath Leaving
“A conglomeration of minds.” A joint exercise where a sentence was written, then passed to the left where the next sentence was written, passed left again, etc. Some interesting joint stories resulted that showed that not all great minds think alike.
Homework: You have won the Lottery and don’t want to tell your family. How would you enjoy your winnings without them knowing.
For next week the Facicilitor is Terry
Exercise Mandy
Homework Robyn.
Minutes of the Weekly meeting of the Bay & Basin Writing Group
Present: Vala, Helene, Kath, Jo, David R, Mandy Terry and Robyn
Another good meeting with several brag items
Vala and Helene enjoyed an open afternoon at a local Hairdressers new premises.
Kath braved the waters of the bay and took a swim at Plantation Point Beach.
Jo bought us up to date with her war against the smoke giants, and her ten fingered gloves.
David very close to completing his country cabin, and off to Cairns for a break. Hurry back.
Mandy is over her writers block,
Words of the day included
Frisson – a shiver of fear or excitement
Langorous- Indolent dreaminess, listless “An era of crises in which many retired to the langorous meditation of disengagements.”
Loquacious… talkative, using too many words, long-winded (also garrulous)
Fallacious…deceptive, misleading, logically unsound
Fiasco Used originally in Italian theatre for an utterly failed performance, also a flask or wine bottle, a breakdown
Enquire or inquire – both seeking for information or truth.
Last week the homework was set by Jo, several members successfully rose to the occasion.
Helene The Man in the Green Shirt
Jo The watcher
David Aloysius
Mandy The Chocolate Memory
Terry Micky
Kath Leaving
“A conglomeration of minds.” A joint exercise where a sentence was written, then passed to the left where the next sentence was written, passed left again, etc. Some interesting joint stories resulted that showed that not all great minds think alike.
Homework: You have won the Lottery and don’t want to tell your family. How would you enjoy your winnings without them knowing.
For next week the Facicilitor is Terry
Exercise Mandy
Homework Robyn.
05 May 2010
Meeting notes 5 May 2010
Present: Robyn, Vala, David R, Jo, Cath, Mandy, Terry, Helene
Lots of discussion and laughter on a variety of topics.
Brags: Helene has been invited to the opening of Sandy’s place Hairdresser in Vincentia on Saturday 8 May 2010, 3 pm to 5 pm. Contact Helene if you want to attend.
Terry: Virginia’s medical tests were better than expected.
Robyn: Has negotiated a good deal with Telstra for her internet, mobile and home phone.
David: his teeth are finished he still has a problem which the dentist said to wait for it to settle down.
Jo: wrote to the South Coast Register about the fire place next door, the letter wasn’t published but a story was written about pollution. Jo also talked about attending the launch of the publication “I remember” children’s war stories.
Cath: gave material from Jo’s house to her sister in law who is making clothes for children in an orphanage in Uganda; Cath also mowed her back lawn.
Mandy: fell over and severely bruised her ribs. Get better soon Mandy.
Words of the day
Terry researched phobias eg arachibutyrophobia fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Robyn – Rabelaisian – high spirited zest characterized by course humour or bold caricature from the French writer Rabelais
David R – 1. Mellifluous – a voice or words sweet and smooth from mel for honey and filus to flow
2. Snood- ornamental hair covering also a term used in fishing
Cath – ulster – long loose coat made of frieze
Mandy – insouciant – free from concern
Jo – plagiaristic or plagiariastic is the second spelling correct?
Helene – salubrious – especially of climate, favourable to health, promoting health, attractive and prosperous locality
Homework – funny and witty selection of stories and poems
David – Roxanne a poem
Jo – Doris’s recipe for marriage revival 1972
Cath – a life
Mandy – The first time
Vala – Men are from Mars
Terry – the sting unstung
Exercise from Jo
List all things you can drink from, use as a bedcover, wear on your feet, put around your neck and on your hand. The purpose of this exercise was to use more descriptive words.
Homework from Jo
Create a character doing what you want and using some of the descriptive words from the exercise. For example use crystal goblet instead of glass, horse blanket instead of doona, stiletto instead of shoe, wearing a fox fur or tattoo on his/her neck.
Next week
Facilitator – Robyn Exercise – Terry Homework - Mandy
Lots of discussion and laughter on a variety of topics.
Brags: Helene has been invited to the opening of Sandy’s place Hairdresser in Vincentia on Saturday 8 May 2010, 3 pm to 5 pm. Contact Helene if you want to attend.
Terry: Virginia’s medical tests were better than expected.
Robyn: Has negotiated a good deal with Telstra for her internet, mobile and home phone.
David: his teeth are finished he still has a problem which the dentist said to wait for it to settle down.
Jo: wrote to the South Coast Register about the fire place next door, the letter wasn’t published but a story was written about pollution. Jo also talked about attending the launch of the publication “I remember” children’s war stories.
Cath: gave material from Jo’s house to her sister in law who is making clothes for children in an orphanage in Uganda; Cath also mowed her back lawn.
Mandy: fell over and severely bruised her ribs. Get better soon Mandy.
Words of the day
Terry researched phobias eg arachibutyrophobia fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Robyn – Rabelaisian – high spirited zest characterized by course humour or bold caricature from the French writer Rabelais
David R – 1. Mellifluous – a voice or words sweet and smooth from mel for honey and filus to flow
2. Snood- ornamental hair covering also a term used in fishing
Cath – ulster – long loose coat made of frieze
Mandy – insouciant – free from concern
Jo – plagiaristic or plagiariastic is the second spelling correct?
Helene – salubrious – especially of climate, favourable to health, promoting health, attractive and prosperous locality
Homework – funny and witty selection of stories and poems
David – Roxanne a poem
Jo – Doris’s recipe for marriage revival 1972
Cath – a life
Mandy – The first time
Vala – Men are from Mars
Terry – the sting unstung
Exercise from Jo
List all things you can drink from, use as a bedcover, wear on your feet, put around your neck and on your hand. The purpose of this exercise was to use more descriptive words.
Homework from Jo
Create a character doing what you want and using some of the descriptive words from the exercise. For example use crystal goblet instead of glass, horse blanket instead of doona, stiletto instead of shoe, wearing a fox fur or tattoo on his/her neck.
Next week
Facilitator – Robyn Exercise – Terry Homework - Mandy
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