Wednesday 23 April 2014

KLWG April 2014

Today, the Kessingland Library Creative Writing Group met.  And we had a great turn out, with 11 people.  The group really has grown, and new people keep coming, which is great.

Last session, I handed out a copy of Wilfred Owen's poem 'Exposure', which contains half-rhymes.


Homework was to write a half-rhyme poem.  A lot of people found it difficult but gave it a go, and the results were extremely impressive.

Here's my untitled piece -

a sight, a glance, a fleeting look
a quickening pace for a lonely heart
breaking ice with bursts of heat
a key is needed for this rusty lock

a smile, a nod, a nervous wave
a tingle wandering over skin
blinking eyes afraid to scan
a crowded room through which to weave

a walk, a glide, a twisted turn
a sudden gasp of mottled air
counting seconds passing by the hour
a jerky movement to a jumbled tune

a palm, a hand, a friendly touch
a shudder surging through the blood
merging moments becoming blurred
a match to light this fading torch

a taste, a lip, a secret kiss
a closeness shaped with bodies bound
quivering fingers form a bond
a freedom flight from a single curse

a space, a path, an open door
a venture taken with life at stake
following eyes silently stalk
a memorable minute forever held dear

*****

In the session, I wanted to talk about different narrative perspectives in writing.  I think most people are familiar with 3rd person perspective and 1st person perspective, but 2nd person perspective is something that not many people had heard of or even read.  I managed to find a few novels written in 2nd person, and gave the group excerpts of these to read and respond to.


So the task in the session was to write to yourself in 2nd person perspective/narrative.

You try.  I know you do.  It's not easy but you want to make a difference.  You want to make the world  better place, you want to make people happy, but it's not easy.  For some reason, people don't want to be happy.  For some reason they like to find problems in everything and you can't understand it.  You like to spend your time watching people, trying to work out what makes them tick, but they're complicated creatures.  You've tried to be like them but you didn't like it.  You found it unnatural to be so mean, so selfish, so rude.  You knew it wasn't you, but you persevered even though it was making you miserable.  You often wondered how people could be so mean, so selfish, so rude, and still be smiling.  Perhaps they didn't care about others as much as you did.  You tried to talk to them, to see if they could see things from your point of view.  You didn't expect them to agree with you, but you'd hoped you could open their eyes to the bigger picture.  But for some reason they didn't want to know.

*****

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 21st May, 10:30-11:30, at Kessingland Library.

Homework for next time is to use one of the following Picasso portraits to inspire a piece of writing.











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