From Suzanne Mccaig - NWP member, Year 4 teacher and English Lead in a North Norfolk Primary & Nursery School.
Amongst the cacophony of coffee cups, tea pots and chatter the wonderful writing group, which I have come to think of as a sanctuary, met in the Norwich Cathedral refectory. I say 'sanctuary' as it is very rare in our busy schedules in life that we actually do something for ourselves! After all, 'Tempus fugit,' we often do what is necessary and in our routine rather than thinking 'what do I want to do?' These Saturday meet ups are certainly something I want to do and coming together with 10 like minded individuals to write is both inspiring and comforting at the same time.
We discussed 'place' and how it is evoked in writing and how often it works in story telling to evoke feelings and bring past experiences to mind. The landscapes of the stories we tell are so important and provide mirrors to reflect past experiences or doors into new worlds.
We started with a list of words as all good writing sessions start. These were words that evoked a place such as the green lane, pebbled beach, flint street. When read them out loud in a round, these really allowed us to reflect on past experiences and dream of potential new visits! We then read 'Inventory' by Olivia McCannon for inspiration. This a list poem about her grandparents' house - and starts like this:
Open door, high cistern, wooden loo-seat,
Harvesters hanging, mangle in passage-way
Long key in lock, block of wood dangling,
Wall-clock, drop-leaf table, pressure-cooker, beans,
Cherry-patterned table-cloth, jug of Bisto, crumbs,
Pink-yellow Battenburg, splashes of dark tea ...
As a timeline evokes the power of the noun, we all really enjoyed writing our own inventory for a house or a location that we felt familiar with. Some went back to a previous old haunt they revisit often, some went somewhere else familiar and it was so amazing to hear the eclectic mix of items that had built up our childhoods and lives. We could place the people there in those locations!
Our next inspiration was Part 1 of an autobiography from Adrian Henry and we all had a go at writing a passage similar to this.
These were brilliant and some writers really enjoyed sharing with the group which inspired and evoked emotion. Our last exercise to try was thinking about camera angles and either starting with an object and panning back or starting with a wide angle lens and focusing in on something. It was almost like when we started writing the curtain was rising on a scene and a character enters and establishes a relationship with you in the room. These were amazing as we discussed what we had found easier, panning out from a specific item or focusing in! The images of sheds, grandparents gardens, university halls of residence, the beach, and the juxtaposition between 'the exciting and the boring grandparents' houses' were just superb!!! A real treat to listen to and allowed yourself to drift off into these different locations and the worlds held within.
After sharing, pondering and discussing, the writing group was coming to a close. Another incredible experience led by the amazing Jeni and supported by wonderful writers. A true pleasure and secretly something selfish for us all that we chose to do with our morning rather than something we had to do.
Thank you to you all and see you soon.
