It's great to be back with my online creative writing group - we had a long break over Christmas. To get started, we wrote acrostics about something that makes us feel good and shared them.
Sometimes connection is the spark you need and it certainly flicked a switch for me this week. January had me stuck in dark doldrums, thoughts twisted inwards. Meeting like minds reminded me how to escape into my writing again.
So, having sent my story off, to hopefully find a place in the hearts of others, I am writing on. Building on foundations of experience and history, taking that leap into the unknown - only this time, not alone.
Happy arms
Understand the need
Giving Warmth
Sharing love
In a creative writing zoom this week I wrote a Reverse Snowball. The prompt was 'on the beach'. It's funny how random images come... randomly!
So here's what happened when I closed my eyes and let the pen take over
Waves wash the footprints away
Shingle shifts and sand sinks
Lapping, cleansing, shimmering, sparkling
Calm - turbulent - calm
Back forth
Waves
What does a story look like? How do you know when you've written one?
5 words, 500 words, or 50,000 words?
Prose, or poetry?
First person, or third person?
I'm more interested in a story appearing, than its appearance (if you see what I mean...)
So I say, don't worry about what you think it should look like. Chances are what you end up with will be different to how you imagined it anyway. Stories have a habit of writing themselves, once the words find the page...
I joined in with a creative writing workshop this morning. We did a few random tasks to generate ideas, spent a few minutes writing, then sharing was optional. We all started with the same tools and prompts, but came up with completely different shaped stories. That's why words are magic - you can weave them together in your own unique way.
Here's the story I made with pen and paper from: 'Wind powered acrostic'
Turning
Undulating
Rushing
Briskly
Inspiring
New
Electricity
How do I know it's a story?
Well, it tells me something about what a turbine does, in just 7 words.
I could add description to each line and make it longer, but I think it sounds rather good as it is: an accidental poem!
