This month Betty contributed a poem for the newsletter and her web page written in response to  'COVID-19',   Barry and Margaret reflected on Anzac Day, while Joy, Elizabeth, Ray, Bev and Marg wrote about 'Winging It' or 'Taking the Plunge'.  Stories due in late May for 'Turning Point' and a catch up story by Marg Nelson for February's topic 'Something I'm Proud Of' have already been submitted.  

Our topic for Monday 22 June is 'I Grew Up In...' - an open ended chance to reminisce about our childhood from all sorts of interesting angles.  Email stories to [email protected].  

Beverley Lee

We’re underway with our social distancing project, sharing stories written on monthly topics on the website.  They are added first under a password for class members to read and comment on, then made available to all visitors to the website and added to each writer’s page on ‘Our Stories’. 

Seven ‘Making Waves’ stories (our topic for March) are now available to all visitors to our web page.  I really enjoyed reading these stories - an underlying theme was the anxiety involved and resilience required to 'make waves' and the reinforcement of personal integrity which can result.  

April’s topics ‘Anzac Day’ and ‘Taking a risk and winging it’ or ‘Taking the plunge’ are currently being added under password for class members to read and comment briefly upon.  Here are some triggers to use when writing comments -  

• Did you relate to the story? Did you empathise with the writer?  
• Did the story trigger memories for you?  Perhaps with an example or two.
• How did you react to the story?   How did it make you feel? 

The topic for May is 'Turning Point'  - an example from Life Matters’ '500 words' (click on link)...Leaving London on the Brink of War.  This will be followed in June by ‘I grew up in ….’ – a topic we hope will act as prompt for creative exploration of lots of childhood memories. 

Remember, if the monthly topic doesn't work for you, you can always draw from your 'Ideas Piggy Bank' or little book of 'triggers'....(choose two elements from either of these sources and write a story of about 250 words or so on each) or write on a universal topic such as 'The year that made me'; 'New in Town'; or 'Someone who Shaped me'. 

Please give me a call on 5762 8171 or 0478 607 838 if you have any questions.  New members welcome!

Bev Lee