General Chat

Seeking new members.

If you want to join the GR Writing Group please sign in below.

Please share a little about yourself – age, location, what sort of writing you do, are you published or not, do you perform your work, share it with others, etc.

Please send me a personal message with your personal e-mail. I will compile a list of members and then circulate that list to all other members.

I think, initially at least, that we don’t post work directly onto the thread. I’ve been thinking about this today and it would make the thread very long. Plus, anyone new to this might be a bit nervous. Sharing with a smaller group is much easier than making it “public”.

Suggestion: We keep the thread for new members to sign into. For ideas, inspiration, progress (or not) on our targets etc. We could add news on websites, competitions etc.

As at this stage I am only making suggestions please feel free to add, query, change things. I think the whole group should be basically happy with any “rules”.

I’m going to add three more posts.

1. Starting Point –my initial thoughts
2. Ground Rules – not too heavy – just a few “pointers” really.
3. Constructive Criticism – some notes.

I’ve shared these with the Writing Group that I set up several years ago and they seem to work.

So, to start the ball rolling.

I’m Jill, I’m in my early 50s, I live in East Kent – on the North Kent Coast. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I belong to a writing group which meets once a month. I write mainly poetry, and mainly “funny” poetry. I perform some of my poems – usually for charity. I’ve had a couple of them published but I don’t send stuff out very often as I find it scary! I’m also working on “the novel” but that is slow going as I work full time and am also doing my family tree and do go to the pub some evenings. Time is a great restrainer!

Over to you.

Jill

STARTING POINT

The following posts are my suggestions. Up for discussion at this point so we can make sure we are all happy with basic structure. I’m, personally, generally happy to go with the consensus. The only things I want to be adamant about (personally) are:

(a) not explaining a piece of work – an article, poem, short story etc. After all, if you send to an editor you won’t be explaining it then. If the piece does not work on its own then it needs changing, it does not need an introduction. Exceptions to this are extracts from a longer piece of work where you may need to “set the scene”. Benefits of not explaining it are that the feedback you receive will tell you whether you are on the right track or not. If it does not make sense to all readers then it needs more work. If it does make sense but all/most readers think its about something else then it may need more work! It can throw up some interesting lines of thought!
(b) Having a target and sharing it. It’s good for you!
(c) Using constructive criticism – and I emphasise constructive. You may not like someone else’s work – the subject matter for example – but you can still comment on the writing style etc. Just because you do not like the subject matter does not make it bad. (This can be tricky – separating the content from the writing!)
(d) Trust. Its paramount. We must trust each other.

GROUND RULES

Each member will aim to :-

1. Develop and maintain a regular writing schedule.

2. Share new work/current work with other members.

3. Share good ideas, try new approaches, try different types of writing.

4. Explore and find, ways of dealing with Writer’s Block.

5. Send work out - publishers, competitions etc - educate oneself/others re publishing, marketing, rights etc.

6. Share work publicly – perform it.

7. Be prepared to give and accept honest criticism.

8. Aim to comment on the writing and not the subject matter.

9. Encourage other members to write better, express themselves more vividly, strongly …

10. Trust other members.

11. Have fun

12. Maintain a positive attitude.

13. Have a target – and share it. Other members can then keep you to it!

Criticism:-

1. Work that you’re prepared to change or have doubts about or need reactions to, ie “open writing”. (Any primarily private or therapeutic writing should not be shared unless the author is prepared for discussion/critique. - OR share it but make it clear it’s not for critique.)

2. Be prepared to say if it’s a draft – and whether or not you want overall critique or critique on specific areas of the work, or maybe just an initial reaction or feeling.

3. Do not introduce/explain the piece (unless it’s a finished piece intended for publication in which case explain or show the market at which it’s aimed.)


4. Feedback:
A. Members to interpret. Is it comprehensible? Ambiguous? Obscure? Does the structure work?
B. Members should not ask questions but make statements or observations. (Try not to ask questions - an editor won’t do this.) Be honest and objective. Be as specific as possible. Be concise.
C. Be honest, but kind/tactful/careful in critiquing the work of other members.
D. Identify your biases. Balance your critique. Try to end on a positive note - be tactful.
E. Once author has received feedback author can then offer explanation, response etc. Author could evaluate critiques – which is useful for other members and will improve their critiquing skills.
F. In a finished piece about to be sent off the group should keep an eye out for spelling mistakes, typos, grammar etc. Check layout etc. Aim for perfection at this point!

i would love to join your writing group Jill

i have been writing for about 18 months now, i enjoy poetry mostly but sometimes i write short stories of about 2 pages.

i am a pensioner , have a few disabilities but enjoy art and creative writing.

i live in Yorkshire

i don't take my work too seriously as that takes the pleasure out of it, i mainly like to write my poetry in a freeform way(no rules)...lol

Please add me to your list

Stella :o))

hAyLeY

n

Years ago 1972/3 I started to keep a record of my time as a Nanny when I was working in Greece.It started with me saying goodbye to my parents at Heathrow Airport..the first time I left home aged 18.
I have no idea where my diary has gone ..I look forward to reading everyones writings,but have lost the art myself now.

nudge for more

New members:

Please ping me a personal message with your e-mail address so I can add you to the circulation list.

Thank you

Jill

I would like to join but am unsure whether I have time to commit. I am willing totry though if that is enough.

I have written my Life story (as many will know) but not had it published. In fact had nothing published and I am probably more of a wannabe! I have had a go at a short story but, as the idea of a writing group is maybe to encourage oneself to write I will give it a go.

Hi Jill and all :)

Most of you 'know' me already. Rose, now living in Shropshire. Don't have much free time to write in ( believe it or not lol) but have always done so and enjoyed it .

As part of my English course at college ( mature student) I did some creative writing , always prose, but the last year or so have done some poetry . Lol not always serious, but always on the spur of the moment...a poem will just 'come' and I don't really have to think about it at all, just type!

I haven't got anywhere near even the middle of various things I have started, I lack discipline ( and time) but do hope to settle to it when son is older, maybe!

Not sure if I will be able to contribute a lot at the moment, but willing to give it a go :)

Rose xx

n

n

n

If anyone can bear to read about the death of a mother, I have been looking at the 'creative writing' page on SZ.. this made me cry.

http://www.sagazone.co.uk/forums/thread/41682/

Thanks Rose, good thing one of my elderly neighbours bought me a fancy box of tissues for Christmas!

I was reading in the Take a Break magazine about this new way of 'caring' for elderly patients, I think Tinkerbell mentioned it elsewhere when her aunt was very ill and she was told she would be on a 'Death pathway' - death by tick box the article says.
As the article suggests it is sort of backdoor euthanasia, and a very scary set up indeed.

Lizx

Such a sad story - and being caught in the awful spiral of morphine to dull both pain and appetite.

It is the 11th anniversary of my mum's death in a couple of weeks .. so that piece was too close for comfort really, as it will be for many on here .

n

just see this thread,
i would love to do writing like that,
i was only saying in work thursday,

i couldnt even bare to read that , about a mother,
its too much for me to even contemplate, after 16 years i still get emotional
xmas i watched fiona pjhillips talkeing bout her mam, and i couldnt stop crying,
you get something into your head and its the doubt,

id like to write about something true to life, not fictional
books i read are either autobiographys or true facts,