Our first meeting of the new session began with our president Margaret, and secretary Mhairi welcoming familiar faces (and some lovely new ones!). The syllabus ahead promises a delightful mix of poetry, playwriting, book reviews and some truly impressive speakers. We also have five competitions to enter, with the first being a Scottish Crime Story to be submitted by October 16th. We don’t have long so please do get writing and submit! Entering the competitions encourages us writers to:
- Write (a very difficult task indeed)
- Experiment with different genres and forms
- Hear feedback from our accomplished adjudicators.
You have everything to gain and little to lose so please do go for it!
Once members were re-acquainted, we discussed our goals for the year ahead. From learning the craft of editing to poetry writing to producing longer texts, it was a splendid mix of writerly ambition. Some had a specific target in mind, for example a collection of short stories to finalise for publication, with others aiming to submit to all of this years’ competitions. Others opted for setting a goal of reading out their work during a meeting while others were eager to break through a block in their novella writing. Listening to our members’ goals reminded me how diverse our club is, and how much reward the joy of writing can bring. It is challenging, but it pushes our limits and allows us to exercise our creative power. I wish everyone the best for the year ahead and hope our lovely wee club can help push our many talented writers onward.
Speaking of creativity, Margaret treated us to some poetry readings before we embarked upon a mindful moment of breathing (which I very much enjoyed) followed by a writing exercise on the theme of ‘summer’. What a spectacular range of interpretations! Laurie’s ‘Dragonfly’ was precise and beautiful; while Graeme’s New York tale threw us some punky shades of a former life.
A great first session and I hope we see many more faces as the weeks go on. But I’ll leave you with the wise words of Mary Oliver in light of our writing ambition:
What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
Write your heart out, I hope.
Until next week!