Reminisce, Write & Chat

22/11/2023

I am sure that most of us can remember the stories we were told from childhood. When we had mastered the skill of reading the world was opened to absorb adventures, mysteries and magical scenes of fantasy.
Storytelling uses words to create new worlds and experiences in a reader or listener's imagination. Storytelling can impact human emotions. It can also lead people to accept original ideas or encourage them to take action.

Throught history the role of the storyteller has been of utmost importance to many communities in order to retain the culture and mores of the people. Many of these stories are told around the fire and our relationships are strenghtened by this shared experience. Our ancestors likely did the same around the fire.

The theme for this Friday is 'Open Fire', a freewrite choice of story, memoir or investigative journalism as long as the open fire is mentioned!

We meet up on Friday 24th November at C$ Church. Market Street, Clay Cross, Derbyshire. Doors open at 10:45 for 11:00am.

28/10/2023

The most important person to write for ... is you.

21/10/2023

Our challenge this meeting is to write about Autumn. I thought you might like to see this Shakespeare Sonnet 73.

As Autumn settles in on my patch of the planet, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 often comes to mind.

The Bard calls our leafless trees “bare ruined choirs,” a reference to the skeletal remains of England’s abandoned monasteries. Then he goes to the heart of one of the feelings the season evokes: “This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, / To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”

I have a long list of loves that grow stronger as I grow older. It includes scores of people I know, the work I’ve been privileged to do, the glories of the natural world, the quest for truth and justice, and the gift of democracy. Sonnet 73 reminds me to love all of it right now, before I take leave of it. Or it takes leave of me...

As you reflect on Shakespeare’s words, I invite you to make your own list of loves. What calls to you at this moment? How can you love it well, today, without delay?

And since we live in a world where virtues like love, truth, justice and democracy itself are threatened by people who value nothing except their own power and wealth, how far are you willing to go to protect what you love?

[Jack Quintero photo used by permission. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y2c7l9sp. My 10 books are at tiny.cc/qocmuz AND http://tiny.cc/5rcmuz.]

03/10/2023

Best to write your own.

25/09/2023

Time to take up the pen (or keyboard) and start to write again after our break. It has been a good first year and we have produced some remarkable, sensitive, funny, interesting and often surprising work!

Today I read this short phrase: "You can't until you can" ! How often have we told ourselves that we cannot do something, but until we try how do we know? A little help and guidance, some thread of inspiration all lead to the nudge we need to get started. Where will it lead, a book contract, pages of memoir to pass down or, importantly, the discovery that all writing has merit because it comes from within you, and is therefore unique.

Our next meeting will be the 6th October at C4 Church cafe, Market Street, Clay Cross, Derbyshire, 11:00 am. The door is open at 10:45 for a cuppa and chat.

Looking forward to starting our second year of writing friendship.

22/07/2023

https://www.facebook.com/100063812537315/posts/732290888907989/?sfnsn=scwspmo

06/06/2023

I saw this quote today and thought it very apt for our group. For the most part in our memoir writing we are providing the content for our book. Few people get to know who we are as the book cover changes with the situation and time. By writing our stories it offers the opportunity to set down our memories, at least whilst we can still remember them! Last week we shared stories that included the topic of food, some memoir and others short fiction pieces. A short writing excercise provided some fun and also created the basis for this weeks challenge. Who knows what to expect from this one!
Happy writing.

11/05/2023

The school holidays. Weeks of playing out with your friends, finding new adventures, getting into mischief and having a good time.
For some these holidays meant looking after yournger children or helping out at home. For others it was an opportunity to earn some money either to help the houshold or save towards that longed for bike!
When we look back it was always good weather and we stayed out for hours, no -one knew where we were but somehow we always made it home in time for dinner.

Our subject this week is School Holidays! What did you get up to? Did you find adventure and danger in going to places that were off limits or spend time in quieter pursuits, reading and drawing?
We meet up tomorrow at 11;00 am .

04/03/2023

Books, books and more books! Can you have too many? How has reading affected your life? What were your choices and did one book resonate throughout?

Reading promotes a thirst for knowledge, teaches you how to think, to analyse: improves your communication skills, vocabulary and promotes inspiration and empathy.

Some books are banned for being too political, or anti-establishment whilst others are now being altered or rewritten to remove words that are now against current thinking and popularity.

Enid Blyton, favourite books with children from my generation were banned from school libraries. Each author had found the time to preserve their thoughts and ideas in book form to be read by a wider public. As memoir writers should we tailor our memories to appease an unknown reader or are they purely a personal record?

Our task this coming Friday to summarise a book (or books) which has had the most impact on our lives. Difficult for some of us as there are far too many to choose just one! We can write about one book or consider that there have been many books that have influenced our lives.

We meet up again on Friday10th March at C4 Church Cafe, Clay Cross. Doors open at 10:45am and you will be welcomed with a warm drink or two!

21/02/2023

Have you ever gone back to visit somewhere and find that everything has changed? This means that you may only have your memories of how things were, and the times you spent living or working in the area. Such change can be positive or not.

This school was built in Victorian times and was originally a girls school. However when I started it was the Infants School and now mixed for both boys and girls.

The main schoolroom was heated by coke/coal and had a huge fire guard surrounding the hot monster! In winter time our coats, hats and mittens were placed on the guard to dry out before hometime. Worst of all, especially in Winter you had to run across the playground to reach the toilet block which was primative to say the least!

The school has long been demolished now and was for some time a car park for the College built on the site of the former Junior school opposite. Is is always good to go back ? Perhaps our memories are often best left intact or maybe the area of your past has improved greatly.

This is the theme of our memoir writing this week. We meet up this coming Friday 24th February at C4 Church cafe. Doors open at 10:45 and a welcome and warm drink awaits.

06/02/2023

The theme for this Friday is - well, no theme at all because the choice is up to you. We will take a pot luck!

What does take potluck mean?
'To make a choice from what is available, although you do not have any knowledge to help you, and so it is a matter of luck whether you get something good. We'd take potluck at whatever restaurants might still be open.'

We may use the term here in the UK to mean a free or random choice but in other cultures is more likely to be a contibution of food to a social gathering.

A free choice of what to contribute will be exciting; perhaps a poem, prose, short story or memoir?

A short writing excercise last week proved to be such a positive and helpful experience, and as budding writers we need all the help and encouragment we can get!

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday10th February at C4 Church Cafe. Doors open at 10:45 for a welcome hot drink.

I couldn't find a pot luck photo so chose this one of Beoley Road. My Uncles chip shop was on the right hand side where there is a gap between the houses. We lived further down at the bottom of the road. How many times did I walk up and down this hill?

23/01/2023

Looking forward to your summer holiday? For many it was a day at the seaside or perhaps a weekend at Blackpool. Whatever the holiday the break was eagerly welcomed as a chance to escape the everyday, often mundane work routine.
Holidays now include far off destinations and the opportunity to explore different cultures and landscapes. Perhaps you have a holiday memory that stands apart from the others? The most exciting holiday ever or perhaps a disaster!

This is our theme for this Friday 27th when we meet again at C4 Church Cafe, Market Street, Clay Cross, Derbyshire.
Doors open at 10:45 for 11:00 am and a welcome hot drink. https://www.c4-church.org/

We had a great time last week when we shared our writing and discussed our first forays into work. Some of us were helping out at an early age and probably learned some long lasting life skills in the process!

The Importance of Memoir Writing

"Memoirs have the potential to teach you about lifestyles, places, and experiences that are completely different from your own. They allow you to enter another person's world, which will help you to better understand and empathize with those around you."