'Most people accepted the challenge for the first class'

Our first 2020 Creative Writing class welcomed some new members, and it was good to hear from all the class around their interest in writing.

It was pleasing that most people accepted the challenge for the first class, even the new members were able to contribute.   The challenge was to write a story meeting the criteria for the Australian Writers Centre Furious Fiction competition.  The criteria were:

• Your story must include a character who’s a GUARD.
• Your story must include the words NARROW, GOLDEN, LEATHERY and GLOSSY.
• Your story’s first and last sentences must each contain just TWO WORDS

The items ranged from a guard on a train, a prison guard, the guard at the “Pearly Gate” – not St Peter – and even a mother “guarding” her teenage daughter.  It just shows how a single word can mean so many different things.  Although it was not part of the assignment, many decided to submit their story.  It will be interesting to see if any of them make the long list/short list/wins! 
Even for those who did not submit their piece, it seems that it was an enjoyable exercise.

The topics to select from for our 9 March class are:

• The incessant wind kept blowing all night.  It got quite violent at times, as we could hear branches being torn from trees and tin banging on the old shed
• They had been best friends for ever.
• The rail line stretched into the distance until meeting in a point at the horizon

​Joy Shirley