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................

Writers' Workshops

I've been fortunate enough to attend two weekends of writer's workshops. The first one with Dorian Haarhoff, long time friend and mentor. We met, a group of us to form the our portion of a book of short story memoirs which will be published in October.

Candles, Coffee and Creativity

Five of us met for two days to delve into our memory bank of childhood experiences and adult journeys. A wonderful way to share, remember and create. We meet twice and have personal mentoring from Dorian. I find that when 'pushed' for stories and date lines are set I write, write, write. A good thing indeed.

I was invited to participate in a writer's conference this weekend. Mixing with other authors, writers and young people is a great way to find inspiration and new thought patterns.
Teaching is also a wonderful way to become inspired by the people around you.

Reading from Sketch Your year in Poetry

Cosmos Weekend - March 2011 - Time to Write and Ponder

We had a wonderful weekend in the Eastern Free State with beautiful weather and great photographic and writing opportunities.

Richard and Jo-Anne of allaboutwriting (for further information:www.allaboutwritingcourses.com), joined the writers for a day workshop at Rose Cottage.

Jo-Anne & Richard

We were given great pointers on how to craft a story from scene plotting, to how to add 'drama' and dialogue. Discussion time was followed by writing time which was followed by crafting time and of course, time to view the cosmos fields.

A-M and Sam - 'Writers in the Field'

We will add our stories to these pages so that they are able to be read and discussed.

Writing Prompt:

Surrounded by friends in the dining room the young girl looks up and sees an owl fly across the open door. She gets up and walks into the cosmos filled night garden....................  

Time away

Travel is an excellent way to get out of comfort zone and what I call 'easy' space. Being away for ten days enables one to reassess and relook at writing.

Meeting new people is an ideal opportunity to take of new characters, situations and situations.

I have also had the opportunity to try out my new iPad which works like a dream and makes me wonder how I ever managed without it.

I met a friend of mine at the airport - he 'popped' in to see me and we had a great breakfast together talking writing of all sorts.

Writing prompt:

The windscreen sparkled as the lights flashed by. Would I reach the airport in time?
Write a few follow-up photographs.

Another Week

Last week was more discussion than writing. Old photographs were tenderly pulled out of envelopes and stories wove from lips to paper in intense interplay.

Our reference was the Cavafy poem on Ithaca. A poem of travel and journey. One that all of us encounter in one way or another.

'Have Ithaca always in your mind. Your arrival there is what you are destined for. But don't in the least hurry the journey. Better it last for years'..........

Write a few sentences about yourself: When you were age 12, 18, 30 and now. Write in the third person.

Taken from a hill in Dullstroom Mmpumalanga

May your journey be long and filled with adventure.

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.............................

Memoirs & Moments

Well the creativity has begun and Wednesday mornings will be filled with the sound of pencil on paper for the next few weeks.

Czeslaw Milosz write and Nobel prizewinner, who died at 94 said: 'I lived in a time when huge change in the contents of the human imagination was occuring.........  This was the starting point of the Wednesday Memoir and Moments writing group.

After reading more of the quotation we settled into discussion and some quiet writing time.

From there we did a 'pencil labyrinth' walk with more discussion and writing and finally did a quick 'Intention collage' for our writing in the next few weeks. The group left stimulated and prepared to write, write and write some more.

Writing exercise:
She strolled down the path. As the pebbles crunched beneath her sandals she heard .................