Writing and Listening

On one of the coldest Saturday evenings of the year so far, we were guests at the Sunday Times literary awards. As we walked up the red carpet I wondered what the nominees must feel. Luckily I had no such 'flutter', but did meet authors and winners, chatted to truck drivers, teachers and TV presenters. Interacted with judges, journalists and comedians. The world is a fascinating place. Writers can be humble, excited, erudite and speechless. In fact human they are indeed!

In the compilation I am part of with Dorian Haarhoff as our editor, I am intrigued by the interaction of women to women and the importance of a title for the book. E-mails flew in space from one screen to another with very definite statements from a bunch of very strong women. The final title? Wait and see - certainly the editor [brave man] will have the final say.

My three pieces have been submitted and accepted by the editor. I wait to hear how much editing I still have to do. However the impetus of the deadlines has propelled me into a writer's flow. Long may it last.

We visited Namibia  - the north-west corner - at the Kunene River where we were able to interact with the local Himba people. A humbling and eye-opening few days.

With the image below, write using the following sentence as your cue:

She gazes through the windscreen down the ashy road and wonders................

Memories & Moments continued

The evocation of memories is not something magical or even very difficult - a photograph, a song, a scent can send one on a wonderful meander through memory lane.

This past week the group fingered photographs which crumbled on the edges and filtered memories through the years. Memories which may even have been a figment of our imagination.

With St Valentine's day off the 2011 calendar already, why not write about a 'love-moment' you have experienced or perhaps use the prompt below?

As he gave me the rose, he turned and walked down the gravel path.............................