MINUTES OF WOKING WRITERS’ CIRCLE MEETING AT ST MARY’S CHURCH HALL, HORSELL ON 16TH FEBRUARY 2023

Present: Amanda, Tricia, Carla, Liz, Alan, Peter, Simona, Hillary, Sarah

Apologies: Heather

NEWS:

Amanda and Tricia’s latest theatre review was of Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty. They both describe the modernised performance as very gothic, beautiful, and in Tricia’s words, ‘fantabulous!’. Amanda noted that the theatre was full which added to the experience.

The topic of subscriptions was brought up and the group re-confirmed that as per our AGM decision, subscriptions will remain at £35, and Hilary will circulate bank details.

WWC’s first event at Lionsheart Bookshop:  The group decided that 15Th of March was the preferred date. Liz confirmed that Bookshop’s manager prefers a poetry evening when Hillary suggested that some of our membership is being left out. Hillary’s noted that we put these events together to attract membership and by making the event exclusively poetry may alienate prose interested potential members. Hillary’s comments were notes as valid and the group suggested that some of our future events can focus on prose should this event be successful. Amanda and Tricia offered to take over Liz’s efforts with thanks. Amanda also offered to put together a potential schedule and organise some other details for the event. The group then discussed potential ways to engage the audience in a manner that we usually do within the Circle.

Peter then mentioned 2 other events (as per his email) and suggested linking the events to start having a presence at local events and that we should aim for 3 events this year. Tricia agreed that the more events we do the more we can learn.  

READINGS:

Carla ‘s poem ‘Polpette’, meaning ‘Meatballs’ was inspired by an Italian poem by Maria Monticcio, and although it bears the same name is not a translation, but Carla’s take on the topic of family, love and food, ‘Love’ having been the homework set at our previous meeting. Hillary suggested some re-arranging of the words and stated that from the first line of the poem you are instantly tuned in. Peter questioned why they have to be the ‘right meatballs’ and Hillary suggested that they have to be perfect in the context of family and love. The use of some superlatives was questioned but Carla stated that the tone is meant to be slightly exaggerated. Amanda suggests ‘altar’ was a good choice of word.

Simona read a chapter from her novel which follows the events of a particular day from the perspective an unknown character. Simona stated that she enjoyed writing this chapter as it came to her naturally and is happy with its current form. After having read the chapter Alan suggested that Simona should consider the balance between exposition and dialogue as it will allow the pace to change throughout the chapter. Hillary agrees that the pace picks up at the beginning of the chapter and then does not alter much until the end of the chapter. Simona was grateful for all feedback.

Sarah’s free-verse poem, ‘Poets in boxes and corners’, was inspired after attending Carla’s wonderful poetry book launch. The event was held on Zoom and the poem centred around capturing the look and feel of the experience as well as conveying how attending this way can help an introvert writer be part of something without stepping out of the comfort of home. Liz felt enthusiastic that attending such an event had inspired the poem. Tricia enjoyed the reflection that a virtual experience was not overcrowded by small talk, or a journey and Amanda felt the poem flowed well.

Hillary read part of her most recent work which she titled ‘The Goldilocks bench’ located in a setting which the main character thinks of as idyllic. The story follows the main character through her enjoyment of a typical day in the setting and exposes some past interactions with other characters. Liz suggested that Hilary’s writing is powerful enough and that perhaps she does not need to spell some things out for the reader. Alan stated that it built the sense of foreboding quite strongly. Peter enjoyed how well Hillary’s work pulls the reader in with very little dialogue.

Amanda’s piece, ‘Advice for applying for jobs when over 50’ is grounded in the reality that job seeking as a highly skilled/over-qualified individual is difficult. The satirical piece uses sarcasm and dry humour to successfully reel the reader in. Liz thought this was an excellent, informative and entertaining piece and Peter enjoyed the dry humour. Amanda stated that she enjoyed writing it.

Alan read his short story, ‘Operation Cocoa Fix’, which was in theme with a previous homework topic (Chocolate). Once again, Alan’s piece took the group through an extraordinary journey and Hilary noted how skilful it is to skill to mix sci-fi with silly outcomes, noting that it was very enjoyable. Simona asked about what his usual process of writing these stories is to which Alan stated that he usually begins by writing his chosen theme on the paper and then lays out the plot, characters, etc. In this case he wanted the story to blow up in its own way by adding something about silly chemistry and embed that into a militarist theme set in the future with inspiration from Back to The Future. Lastly, Alan would decide on which type of story he would want to tell, be it shaggy dog type or dramatic.  

Liz stated that she finds life writing absolutely vital as a coping mechanism and that she usually  reaches for a visual aids to enhance her process. For this particular piece with a fluid title, she chose to be inspired by 2 birthday cards and a Bird Book. Liz’s intention for the piece was to be able to imitate bird song and embed said noises in her reading of the piece, skill which she would like to become proficient at. The piece itself was a journey into discovery of the world of birds, at times including interesting trivia.

Next meeting: 16th March

Jobs for February:

Chair – Tricia

Minutes – Alan

Wine – Carla

Milk and biscuits – Liz