MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS CIRCLE MEETING of 17 August 2017 at STROLLERS 

Present: Catherine, Liz, Sarah SH, Sarah DD, Amanda, Heather, Hilary, Ramzan (chair), Alan, Shaun, Simon, Peter (minutes).

Apologies: Dermot, Greg

Dermot is unwell and in St Peter’s hospital.  We will send him good wishes (post-meeting note, Dermot’s back home).

Alan is now checking his publisher’s first proofs of his forthcoming novel.

Shaun has, this week, published his seventh novel in the drug cartel series, The Carli Cartel.  He is working on the next one and brought a script for its tag line for us to review.  He received enthusiastic comments and helpful suggestions.

Hilary is bracing herself for the NAWG gala dinner on 2 September when she will find out where her story is ranked among the four shortlisted.

Readings

Sarah SH gave us a snappy (or should I say snacky?) little ditty, Fun with Food.  This had a clever change of pace and a poignant lack of walnut in the whip that enabled us to see irony in food marketing.  Thank goodness she stayed off Toblerone!

Sarah DD read a piece about the objects we own and the various levels of sentimentality but after watching a TV programme where people are bullied into decluttering and the emotional strain this causes, the conclusion was reached that it’s OK to hold on to items that are tied to memories.

Cathy tried the homework topic – a memory in less than 400 words.  We shared her adolescent memories and had life put into perspective when the sun went out in 1999.  The mundane and the astrological sensitively juxtaposed to make an enjoyable story.

Heather is very pragmatic and has managed difficult phases in her life with humour, preferring to see the brighter side of her challenges.  Her account of her mother’s pernicious put-downs of haughty officials endeared us to a troublesome old lady just fighting her corner.  We didn’t really learn what Heather’s relationship with her mother was but we did discover that she was happy to play second fiddle to John Betjeman.

Peter brought a secondhand memory of his father getting caught up in war and left behind at Dunkirk, again, within 400 words.  This was simply written but seemed to grab the attention of the group who made satisfying responses to a poignant chapter in our, and his family, history.

Shaun brought the tag line for his next book, We Are Being Lied To: The War on Drugs and the group enjoyed helping him to develop it.  Lots of good ideas were offered and a discussion on how to present such a difficult and divisive topic followed.  Shaun is courageous in tackling one of today’s most challenging issues and we expect his book to draw more of us into the debate: an issue for society and not just for governments and activists.

Hilary tackled the Memory Lane challenge set last month.  All the senses used, with smells taking us into that hardware shop of half a century ago.  A sensitive piece that evoked similar memories in the audience.

Ramzan is putting together a collection of the short stories we have enjoyed so much.  He shared the prologue he has written.  This reminded us Ramzan’s enthusiasm for tapping into adult material with good nature, and skilfully showing it to be the everyday experience we pretend does not occur to us.  His engaging use of a vernacular accumulated from his rich life experience illuminates his writing.

Amanda delighted our lady members with wedding dress talk.  The appeal of her piece broadened as the dress became a metaphor for a an independently minded girl’s own special way of navigating to adulthood and adjusting family relationships, seemingly to the satisfaction of all.  At the end comes the realisation that our children do not become the people we want them to be – but something much more.

Alan also tacked Memory Lane.  Childhood memories were educed by Alan’s recalled visit to the fair with its generators and noises.  The rebel in Alan who flattened the hurdles on sports day awoke the dissident in all of us and a bit of Macmillan, Beeching and the Boat Race reinforced this journey down memory lane.

Carla and another wedding!  But this one in verse and in two languages.  A nicely assembled poem that felt like a classic and we felt sure will replace, ”May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back …” as a favourite blessing.  This stimulated a short discussion about the translation of phrases and ideas between languages – you can’t and you have two related but different pieces.

Liz had a thing about ties this month.  Not such the things men put around their necks or those emotional strings we prefer to avoid but the word, “Ties” which she just enjoyed exploring.  An interesting exercise in wordplay that illustrated the interaction of words and thought.

 

Next meeting on Thursday 21 September:

Chair – Heather

Minutes – Trisha

Biscuits and milk – Carla

Wine – Shaun

 

Ramzan set the topic for September – Deadline.