Our July writing topics were:

• He limped along…
• The feeling was comfortable as a daydream
• He wished he could believe it

 
We have been looking at the value of using the senses in our writing.  Rather than a writing challenge to start our class this month, we talked about the sense of smell – what we liked and what we disliked.  The smell of coffee was one of the popular smells, although not liked by all, and there was a brief inclusion of the taste of coffee – which in hindsight brings out the links between taste and smell.

With the current times, there was of course some mention of the impact of natural disasters and virus on a small town.  After all the hard times, with the town “limping along” it had a slightly brighter outlook for the local hotel becoming the centre of the community.  And this gave rise to a discussion in the class about community and how they support one another. 

​Interestingly, without any discussion between them, we had two very different stories about a homeless man.  Both provided a picture of the life led by the men, but also had them being found by someone who had spent time looking for them.  On a brighter note, we had the friendship between an old dog and an elderly man, providing companionship for them both.

We hope to continue meeting for our next class on 9 August.  The topics for the class are:

• Everyone stopped their activities and watched…
• When he’d hung up the phone…
• Telephone calls were invariably answered by…

 
We will be sharing the stories via email ahead of the class, allowing time to read and prepare feedback for discussion when we meet.

Joy Shirley

For our June class we returned to the 2020 process of sharing stories and feedback via email.
 
The June writing topics were:

• In the distance I could hear the roar of the jeep
• He parked the car where he had a clear view of the house
• "wickedness and sin" said (name) theatrically

       
We generally start the class with a quick writing challenge.  We have been looking at the senses and how to describe them to add to our stories.  This month the sense was taste, and some class members took the opportunity to write some sentences and share these with the class as well as their stories.
 
Events in our lives are often the catalyst for our writing, and this month was no different.  One of the stories was brought to life after seeing what looked like an unopened parcel in a rubbish bin around the lake.  A number of stories dealt with breakdown of family relationships.  Unsurprisingly, there was also mention of COVID19 effects.
 
We will enjoy being able to meet up again for our July class.  This is on 12 July.  The topics for the class are:

• He limped along…
• The feeling was comfortable as a daydream
• He wished he could believe it

 
We will be sharing the stories via email ahead of the class, allowing time to read and prepare feedback for discussion when we meet.

​Joy Shirley

We had a nearly full class in May.  It was great to welcome some who have missed earlier classes.

The May writing topics were:

• Everything he did was a waste of time and energy
• But they had the benefit of a nearly full moon
• Everybody should have at least two.......

 
Our challenge at the start of the class this month was around one of the five senses – touch.  Each member of the class selected from a range of items, and then wrote 2-3 sentences about the feel of the item.  This is towards enriching our writing with descriptions of events and scenes in our stories.

We had some general discussion around the editing of our stories which brought up a couple of points.  One was around writing our stories in time to be able to leave them for a few days before editing prior to sharing with the class.  Another thing that could help is reading the piece aloud to check that the story flows.

Our writing styles are developing and I introduced a web site that gives an idea about the style of an individual’s writing.  The site is at I Write Like (iwl.me).  I often get a result of Agatha Christie – remembering this is style NOT genre.  I enjoy reading mysteries, but it is not the genre that I write.

Some of our stories this month were based on real experiences, but with a creative approach to the writing.  This included one which humanised objects around the garden.  It provided a description of the clothesline as guarding the back yard.  Others sounded as if they were based on true events, but in fact were fiction with only a small amount of background experience – reading and discarding advertising material delivered to the letter box; needing a second television set.

Our next class is on 14 June, the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.  The topics for the class are:

• In the distance I could hear the roar of the jeep
• He parked the car where he had a clear view of the house
• "wickedness and sin" said (name) theatrically  

We will be sharing the stories via email ahead of the class, allowing time to read and prepare feedback for discussion when we meet.

Joy Shirley

We have been able to continue meeting in the U3A room to share our thoughts on the stories written during the month.

The April writing topics were:

• “I wonder if I can do it ....”
• He/she/name was back, everything would be alright
• He/she/they wrinkled his/her/their nose in distaste when the smell first hit them.

It is always a treat when the stories start coming in towards the end of the “writing” month.  Stories varied, with some sad and others happy.  But all included some great descriptions of either place or characters.  All the topics were used by at least one class member this month.  One of the favourites was “He/she/they wrinkled his/her/their nose in distaste when the smell first hit them.”  The smells that included were a rotting corpse (it had a satisfying ending) and the acrid fumes resulting from reduction of balsamic vinegar.  One of the stories was set in the jungle with a group of animals named after the letters of the alphabet – Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omega. 

We also had some discussion around some web sites that can help with our writing and grammar – soon to be shared with the rest of the class by those who mentioned them.

The topics for our May class are:

• Everything he did was a waste of time and energy
• But they had the benefit of a nearly full moon
• Everybody should have at least two.......

​
For our 10 May class, we will again share the stories via email ahead of the class, allowing time to read and prepare feedback for discussion when we meet.

Joy Shirley

With the U3A room available for our March class we were at last able to meet.  It was exciting to meet one another again and to welcome new members.  We shared most of the stories by email ahead of the class, and then discussed and provided feedback when we met.

The March writing topics were:

• But the letter was dated 9 years before
• The waterfall cascaded to the depths below
• Who would have thought that...

It was not surprising that several stories this month were nature based, given the topic around the waterfall.  In some cases, the water had a healing effect.  We also had a poem from a member of the class.  One of the stories was about a retirement village for pigs, and the new resident, a wolf going through transition to a female pig.  It incorporated aspects of the old tale of the Three Pigs, as well as current over the top idiocy with a push to replace the term “breastfeeding” with “chest feeding”.  A fun piece that we all enjoyed.  And we had a piece of historical fiction which was well received by the class.
Each of the stories incorporated good imagery, providing a clear picture of the location and emotions. 
​
The topics for our April class are:

• “I wonder if I can do it ....”
• He/she/name was back, everything would be alright
• He/she/they wrinkled his/her/their nose in distaste when the smell first hit them

For our 12 April class, we will again share the stories via email ahead of the class, allowing time for preparation for feedback discussion when we meet.
 
Joy Shirley

February arrived, and we welcomed several new members to the class.  We were not able to use the U3A room for our class, so we are still waiting to meet them.  Instead we continued the process we followed in 2020 and contributed our writing via email, with feedback also by email.  This was a much harder for our new members as they were less familiar with the process.  We are looking forward to welcoming them face to face as soon as the U3A room is available.  To support this, we will have a meeting on 8 March, even though it is a public holiday, subject to the room availability.
 
The February writing topics were:

• She/he/name opened the door and sighed          
• After 70 plus years I finally received a valentine gift like no other
• The night was dark, but my secret was darker
• With dawn came the realisation that....

 
There was a wide range of stories, from lost and new loves (loves from the past, a new pet), new experiences (lost in the jungle, living on an outback station), unwelcome visitors (advice or help needed, the wolf seeking access to the third pig’s home), lessons to learn (need to grow up, learning there is more to saving the environment that not using plastic).  There was only one story of a dark secret, and a very dark secret it was.  On a lighter night we had one on the story of lost dentures – well not quite lost, just dropped in a most unsavoury place.  Well done to all our writers this month.
 
The topics for our March class are:

• But the letter was dated 9 years before
• The waterfall cascaded to the depths below
• Who would have thought that...

 
For our 8 March class, we will be sharing the stories via email, with feedback discussion when we meet (assuming the room is available).
 

Joy Shirley
 
 
 

January saw us continuing our writing.  No-one really wanted a break, and with the process we had in place for 2020, there was no reason to take a break.
 
The topics for the class were jointly decided when we met up before Christmas:
 

• She knew she shouldn’t have drunk [eaten etc] it
• She was sitting alone in [the coffee shop…]
• Two candles with pepper and salt shakers

 
As usual, I saw a bit of a theme coming through some the stories – or maybe two this time.  It is possible I am reading into the stories something deeper of course.  What I saw this time was:

• Magic or fantasy:
  • coronation of a new queen on an island governed by women,
  • a river spirit providing gifts for someone who cared for the bush,
  • a conversation between tableware after a dinner party, and
  • a mixture of undercover police and trickery
• Friendship:
  • the river spirit and her care,
  • friendship in a neighbourhood,
  • friendship between the tableware, and
  • caring by staff for an elderly guest at their restaurant. 

 
For me it adds to the richness of receiving these stories each month.

The topics for our first formal class in 2021 are:

• She/he/name opened the door and sighed          
• After 70 plus years I finally received a valentine gift like no other
• The night was dark, but my secret was darker
• With dawn came the realisation that....

 
We are looking forward to some new writers for 2021.  We will be continuing the process of sharing the stories and feedback via email until we can access the U3A room, hopefully in March when we will have a class even though it falls on a public holiday.


Joy Shirley
 

December was our last class for 2020.  We took the opportunity to catch up at one of the local cafes.  What a treat it was to see faces of our classmates again.  We discussed the process we had been following and how much we had enjoyed this while unable to meet.  Parts of this will be continued once we are able to meet up in 2021. 
 
We had already shared our writing for the month.  The topics for our December class were:
 

• By half past eight they had all arrived
• This was a new light on…
• Who’s that woman in the photo?

 
An overarching theme of friendship and love wove through the pieces this month.  I am always surprised that with such different prompts and writing styles, there is often an overarching theme coming through our writing.  The prompts don’t necessarily lead to these themes.  It was also clear that the length of the written work is not an indicator of the strength of the piece.  One of the pieces in less than 200 words gave a strong picture of a meeting in a country village to discuss a COVID plan – someone sneezed.  The title is “How to Clear a Room in 2 Minutes and 14 Seconds”.
 
We decided that we should keep writing over the U3A break, with our contributions due around 10 January. 
 
While we were together at the cafe, we jointly came up with the prompts for writing in January.  The choices are:

• She knew she shouldn’t have drunk [eaten etc] it
• She was sitting alone in [the coffee shop…]
• Two candles with pepper and salt shakers

 
New members are always welcome, so if you would like to join us in 2021, just tick the Creative Writing option on your enrolment form.


​Joy Shirley

Our Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.
 
The topics for our November class were:

• [We] walked slowly down to the edge of the trees.
• She turned an excited gaze upon me
• At eight [Edwina] brought [me] a cup of tea

 
The stories this month were much more “upbeat”.  There were happy endings, parties, a group of “little people” dancing under a Morton Bay Fig tree, a treat for an elderly relative.  And as an extra contribution not using the prompts, we had an ancient Druid meeting up with a modern tourist at Stonehenge. 
 
Our next class is scheduled for 14 December, so stories are due before then so we can share feedback around the date of our next class.  The choices are:

• By half past eight they had all arrived
• This was a new light on…
• Who’s that woman in the photo?

 
This is also the date for our pre-Christmas catch up at a local café.  I am still collecting names for participants.  And we have decided to keep writing over the Christmas break, so there will be some new prompts for sharing in January.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you.
 
 
 Joy Shirley

Our Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.  

The topics for our October class were:
 

• He pushed on, his head and shoulders bent against the unforgiving wind.
• She sat in silence waiting for the impending knock at the door.
• The tall figure emerged from the shadows.

 
As often, the stories are varied, but at the same time there are some common themes.  There is an element of sadness or stress, even while using the different prompts.  There is one that was pure fun, called “A Homonymous Tail”, where the idiosyncrasies of the English language are highlighted.  Here the author has mixed up words having the same pronunciation but different spelling and meanings – and it started from beginning with the title using “Tail” in place of “Tale”.
 
Our next class is scheduled for 9 November.  I have tried to provide prompts that are more open and can lead to stories of a happy or fun nature.   The choices are:
 

• [We] walked slowly down to the edge of the trees.
• She turned an excited gaze upon me
• At eight [Edwina] brought [me] a cup of tea

 
We will continue to share our stories and feedback via email.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you.

​Joy

Our Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.
 
The topics for our September class were:

• I have already set down the details of some of the most notorious things we did.
• There were other victories
• Still, the woman approached

​
Some great stories this month with class members able to think outside the box.  A story about victories covered removal of weeds from the garden, although the battle to remove oxalis was ongoing, with new fronts appearing – interesting use of battle terminology in the fight against the weeds.  Another class member placed a comma after “still”, changing the meaning of the phrase.  One common theme was around social issues, giving pause for thought.  They included loneliness, homelessness and corruption, but the writers added positive aspects to these stories.  For example, loneliness was addressed when a new arrival in town met someone who introduced her to U3A and badminton.

Our next class is scheduled for 12 October with a choice between the following topics (contributed by one of the class members):

• He pushed on, his head and shoulders bent against the unforgiving wind.
• She sat in silence waiting for the impending knock at the door.
• The tall figure emerged from the shadows.

We will continue to share our stories and feedback via email.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you.

Joy Shirley

   Jessie saw at the pleading look in Toby’s dark eyes and said “O.K., one more”  picking up the dog’s slobbery stick and threw it as far as she could watching Toby run delightedly after it, retrieving it and dropping it at her feet, tail wagging.  She plumped down on the park bench, Toby sitting beside her, his head resting on her knee and she absentmindedly stroked his silky ears.  
  As she sat still, the woman approached.  “That’s a nice dog” the woman said conversationally. 
   Always happy to hear praise of her beloved pet, Jessie smiled.  “Thank you” she said.  “He is very special”.
   “What is his breed?” the woman asked, to which Jessie replied “He is a breed of his own, a bit like the chicken dance you know - a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”
   “May I pat him?” to which Jessie replied “Of course” and the woman leaned over and patted Toby on the head to be rewarded with a tentative lick.
   “He loves to come to the park and chase sticks” said Jessie.  Then she laughed “I get tired of that game long before he does,” she said.
   They sat in silence for a while then the woman blurted out “It’s lovely to talk to somebody.  I moved here a month ago and find it very lonely.”
   “Oh, you poor thing,” said Jessie, “what made you move here”?
   “Well John, my husband, died 10 months ago and our daughter suggested I move here to be closer to her.  It seemed such a good idea at the time, but she works so I don’t see much of her and my grandchildren are all away at university, so I don’t see them either.  I should have just stayed where I was.  At least I had friends there,” the woman said.
   “Do you have any hobbies?  How about joining a group?” asked Jessie.
   “I wouldn’t know where to start” the woman replied sadly.  “I find it very hard to make friends.”
Jessie wrinkled her nose in thought.  “Well,” she said at last, “I belong to U3A which is wonderful.  It has all sorts of courses, singing, a collectors’ group, bushwalking, writing, oh heaps of interesting stuff.  It’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests to you. Tell you what, why don’t you come to my house, we’ll have a coffee and I can show you the programme.”
   The woman’s face lighted up at the kind offer. “Why that would be great, if you wouldn’t mind.”
   “Of course not.  I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.  By the way I’m Jessie and this is Toby,” said Jessie bending down to pat the patient dog.
   They stood up and started to walk towards the street.  “I’m Angela,” offered the woman.
Back at Jessie’s home, whilst the kettle was boiling Jessie hunted up the programme and handed it to Angela.  “There are lots of things to do on Wednesday but sadly that is my badminton day and I couldn’t miss that,” said Jessie.
   “Badminton!” exclaimed Angela, “I used to play that too.”
   “Well why don’t you come along,”  said Jessie, “we are always looking for new players and it’s lots of fun, we don’t play for sheep stations or anything like that, just hit and giggle.  We have a coffee and chat afterwards and when one of our group has a birthday, we go out for lunch to celebrate.”
   “Wow,” said Angela, “I’m so glad I plucked up the courage to talk to you.  There is light at the end of the tunnel after all.”
​
Sally Hann

Our Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.

The topics for our July class were:

The surface of the lake was like a mirror
The greatest thing in the world
The four beautiful people were laughing
Within minutes it was all action

The class seemed to enjoy the range of topics, with each topic used at least once.  One class member even managed to weave in all four topics.  Two stories created four different characters, telling about their lives.  It will be interesting to see if these different characters could be used to write new stories based in future months if the prompts work.

Some members continue to also write entries for the Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction over the first weekend of the month.  For August, we were challenged to write something humorous including a sandwich plus the words DIZZY, EXOTIC, LUMPY, TINY, TWISTED.  We found this combination challenging.  For example, I do not normally write humorous stories.  It will be interesting to read the winning story at the end of the month.  You can see them on the Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction page (https://www.writerscentre.com.au/furious-fiction/) after 26 August.

Our next class is scheduled for 14 September with a choice between the following topics:

I have already set down the details of some of the most notorious things we did.
There were other victories
Still the woman approached

We will continue to share our stories and feedback via email.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you.

Joy Shirley

yOur Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.

The topics for our July class were:
Can you ever forgive me? (an idea from a class member)
She gazed at the box, fascinated and horrified.
He did indeed look very far from gloomy

The stories were varied, with all topics used by at least one member of the class.  The box seemed to be very popular, with at least one member of the class looking at it from a different perspective – a mobile phone as seen by someone from the 19th century.  There are a couple of class members who are writing a much larger story (a full novel perhaps), using the prompts as inspiration.  But this month some other class members have also written sequels to earlier stories.

Some members continue to also write entries for the Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction over the first weekend of the month.  For July, the main criterion was for the story to be based around a wedding or a funeral.  We are still hoping that one of our stories will at least make the “long list”.

Our next class is scheduled for 10 August with a choice between the following topics:
The surface of the lake was like a mirror
The greatest thing in the world
The four beautiful people were laughing
Within minutes it was all action

We will continue to share our stories and feedback via email.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you.

​Joy Shirle

Our Creative Writing class has continued with members selecting from a list of topics to write a story and then share with the class.  After reading the stories, the members are providing feedback to the authors.

The topics for our 8 June class were:
It’s not unusual to find odd bits of paper tucked into library books for a bookmark, but this time it was a letter.
Henry looked guilty.
Yesterday I would never have guessed that this could be true

The stories were varied, with all topics used by at least one member of the class.  Some stories include more than one of the topics.  It seemed the most popular was around finding a letter.  One of these took a different slant – use of the letters of the alphabet.  This could form the start of a very interesting spy story!

Some members continue to also write entries for the Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction over the first weekend of the month.  This month one of the criteria was to use the phrase “missed the boat”.  While the missing of an event or passage was a common theme, one story included a story of retired seafarers missing their lives at sea – missing sailing on the boat/s.

Our next class is scheduled for 13 July with a choice between the following topics:

Can you ever forgive me? (an idea from a class member)
She gazed at the box, fascinated and horrified.
He did indeed look very far from gloomy
​
We will continue to share our stories and feedback via email.  If anyone else would like to write on any of these topics, please send them to me at jshirley@internode.on.net and I will forward to the class, and also share the stories from the class with you


​Joy Shirley

For our Creative Writing class, we have continued writing using a selection of prompts to choose from and sharing our work via email.  The class members have been encouraged to share feedback with the authors to help us develop our writing skills.

The topics (there were four this month) to select from for our 11 May class were:

• He looked at the aircraft with trepidation. 
• They first met when they were working for a large organisation
• They had all come to see and hear the local boy made good. 
• It was a sunny winter’s day by the lake, but the exercise area was quiet and empty.

​
Each of the topics was used by at least one member of the class.  One theme that came through some of the stories, not surprisingly, was around the impacts or pictures of the current Covid19 pandemic impacts.  This included a poem, ending with an optimistic view for the future.
Some of the class also prepared a story covering the May Furious Fiction competition criteria:

• Your story’s first word must be FIVE.
• Your story must include something being replaced.
• Your story must include the phrase A SILVER LINING (‘a’ or ‘the’ is fine).

​
As usual, the stories were varied, all with a quite different subject, using the same criteria.  They included heading over to Scotland to meet up with a friend who could be new partner late in life, someone with dementia reliving learning to write, a prevented suicide, and changing the words of “Five little ducks” to meet the concerns of a five year old in class.

For our next class, the topics are:

• It’s not unusual to find odd bits of paper tucked into library books for a bookmark, but this time it was a letter.
• Henry looked guilty.
• Yesterday I would never have guessed that this could be true
• ​

Our next class is scheduled for June 8.  Unless there are changes in current restriction that allow us to meet, we will be sharing our stories and feedback via email.
​
Joy Shirley

For our Creative Writing class, we have continued writing using a selection of prompts to choose from and sharing our work.  This time though we have shared with the whole class via email.  The class members have been encouraged to share feedback with the authors to help us develop our writing skills.  Our first attempt at this was on 13 April.  The prompts were:
​

• There was a secret meeting in the morning and she had to be there.
• For months I had been crying myself to sleep every night.
• It came in the mail.
  

“It came in the mail” was the most popular topic.  While they were very different, some of these stories tended towards the theme of unknown relations making contact.  Some were not happy stories with tragic or sad endings, but others had a happy or quirky ending.  One has left us hanging to know what will happen next.
​
I now plan to review the process with the class and look at what changes could be made to refine the process.

Joy Shirley

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

• 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

 
As usual we had a wide range of interpretations around use of the different topics.  The favourite topic seemed to be “They had been best friends for ever”, with others using the storm scene.  The stories ranged from an attempted kidnapping of a dog after a relationship break down, best friends getting back together and forming a family, concern about telling a best friend about a wayward husband, and a holiday with a best friend.  The storms covered a missing wife and another kidnapping.
We have tried something new for our classes in 2020.  This month we workshopped Andrew’s story about best friends in more detail.  The story told of two ideas being sent to a planet as “humans” to try to save the planet, giving them opposite appearance, skills and personalities.  There was discussion about whether the story was Science Fiction or Supernatural, and whether there is any difference.  Andrew found the feedback on his story very valuable, and we will explore how to continue the option for deeper work shopping a story in future classes.
Some of the class also prepared a story covering the March Furious Fiction competition criteria:

• The story had to take place in a park
• The story had to include a mirror
• The story had to have someone in a disguise

For our next class the topics are:

• There was a secret meeting in the morning and she had to be there.
• For months I had been crying myself to sleep every night.
• It came in the mail

To keep us writing while we are unable to meet let’s do the following:

• Send your story to the rest of the class BEFORE the scheduled time for our next class on 13 April (so need to send the story by 12 April)
• Spend the scheduled time on 13 April reading the stories
• Share your feedback with the class on 13 April
• On 14 April I will send out a new set of topics for a May “class”.

I have suggested using our scheduled class times to provide a bit of discipline as well as certainty as to when to expect the stories and the feedback.
​
Joy Shirley

Given the indoor U3A classes have now been officially cancelled, the only option we have for continuing our writing class is in line with the approach I suggested the other day.  I have not heard from everyone, but the responses I have received have been positive.  It is important that over the next weeks we all look after ourselves, and by keeping up our writing and keeping in touch with people will help us not feel too isolated.  
 
Let’s go ahead with the following process, and refine if necessary:

• Send your story to the class BEFORE the scheduled time for our class (the next class would be 13 April, so need to send the story by 12 April at the latest using reply all from the email relating to this message or the list of email addresses sent with it)
• Spend the scheduled time on 13 April reading the stories
• Share your feedback with the class, again using a reply all option in email, as soon as possible, preferably on 13 April
• On 14 April I will send out a new set of topics for a May “class”

 
I have suggested using our scheduled class times to provide a bit of discipline as well as certainty as to when to expect the stories and the feedback.  Personally, I need to have some sort of routine to help remember the day of the week now that most of my normal activities have been cancelled, and maybe others could feel that way too.
 
And as a reminder, the topics that we have for 13 April are:

• There was a secret meeting in the morning and she had to be there.
• For months I had been crying myself to sleep every night.
• It came in the mail

 
The workshop process document is available below as I think this may help focus our thoughts in providing feedback to the class.  As with the work-shopping process, we should keep the feedback positive – positive comments overall plus thoughts for improvement, not what is wrong.  I don’t want the task to become too onerous and stop people from participating, so perhaps keep the feedback succinct.
 
Now for some other thoughts about keeping active with your writing.  Remember Furious Fiction will have their new topic out on 3 April.  If you write something, you could perhaps share that as well.  Also the Australian Writers Centre do have a number of on-line courses available.  They can be a bit pricey, but I have done a couple of the less expensive ones and found them valuable.  Thinking about publishing your work? I see the Australian Writers Centre have an on-line course around how to pitch your book to publishers that I think is under $200.
 
All for now.  I hope to received a few stories by 12 April.
 
Joy
0417 065 351

​I have been thinking about the future of our Creative Writing Class under the current circumstances.  At the moment I would be quite happy to continue the classes, even reinstating the Monday 13 April class as my other commitment has been cancelled.  But I understand that for some this may not be desirable...and things are changing daily anyway.  So I have been thinking about an alternative that keeps us all writing and receiving feedback on our stories.  This is my suggestion:
 

• I will continue to provide topics to choose from for the month
• Written stories can then be distributed to each member of the class by the due date for our class (for April this will be 13 April)
• Each member should schedule the time of our class as a time to read the stories
• After reading each contribution, each member will provide feedback for the author (the ideas sheet we used for workshopping stories can help this).

 
The distribution process may need some refinement.  At the moment I see this as involving my sharing everyone’s email address with the full class (most of you have already agreed with this anyway).  It also means a lot more emails heading around – you need to send your comments to everyone and everyone receives multiple emails.  An alternative of course is that everything comes to me and I send it on to everyone (not my preferred approach but may mean less email traffic overall for everyone else).
 
The value I see in this approach is that we are all still encouraged to keep writing.  We still receive feedback on what we have written.  We still have contact with others in the worst case scenario that we are in a more regulated lockdown situation.  And it means no-one misses a class!  So please tell me what you think.  If I don’t hear from you, I will assume that you agree with the suggestion and will proceed along these lines.
 
And as a reminder, the topics that we have for 13 April are:

• There was a secret meeting in the morning and she had to be there.
• For months I had been crying myself to sleep every night.
• It came in the mail

 
I hope to hear from you soon and will get back to you with a final decision and detailed process within a few days.
 
Joy
0417 065 351
 

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