July - 'Ways to address writer's block' and more...

Discussion::

We reviewed a topic covered previously – ways to address writer’s block.  This included:

• Change your environment – sometimes a new setting can spark creativity.
• Explore books or articles relating to your subject.
• Have your character drop something – it means the character needs to move, perhaps looking under a bed and finding something unexpected that leads to new ideas for the story.
• Discuss your ideas with a friend.

The last point led to a discussion around the value of the class in providing an audience to discuss problems encountered in writing.

Our challenge:

A simple challenge this month.  We had two definitions for a single word, even sometimes pronounce differently.  Two examples:

• Under most cities + makes clothes by hand – SEWER
• To practise something + rail transport - TRAIN

 
Some of our Stories:

• The Lost Dog: a sweet story about a couple finding a lost dog and ending up giving it a home.
• I Understand Triage: a confronting story about a car causing carnage in a city street.  Use of short sentences created the atmosphere and reinforced the protagonist’s confusion.
• The Mismatch: A mismatch between a quiet woman and her more outgoing guardian angel.  When she has a fall, she thinks the guardian angel has deserted her only to find it was the guardian angel who had convinced Heaven not to take her.
• Memories: A mysterious letter appeared on his computer screen telling him about a granddaughter, initiating memories of a long-ago relationship.  A strange Instagram message is sent to the granddaughter about a grandfather.

 
Prompts:

The prompts for our August class are:

• The last key on the keyring did not fit any lock in their new house.
• It was such a simple recipe so why had it turned out inedible?
• The box on the step had no identifying markings.
• It was the middle of the day, but the sky was black.

​Joy Shirley