Creative Writing
Contact Isabel
on 01249
822717
The set theme of using a
picture as a starting point for a piece of writing produced some interesting
results. Rae chose a travelogue based on the Marina Grande in Sorrento. There
was no doubt about her deep love for the town. Will used Constable's 'The
Haywain' as his inspiration, describing how the painting embodies, for him,
rural England at its best. Shirley used a postcard of Castle Combe for 'A
Wiltshire Village' with evocative personal anecdotes interspersed with
description.
Jim's
two offerings were hugely contrasting: 'Dave and Nick', based on a newspaper
photo, compared their recently formed double act with famous stage comedy duos,
but wondered whether their aims would 'plant smiles of joy upon the face of
ordinary folk or tears and laughs of scorn?' 'Marshal Tito' described the
conflict that raged in the Balkans prior to the Great War. Many hoped that Tito
would forge unity. His death, however, heralded a new wave of violence in that
benighted region.
Gill's monologue was based on a newspaper photo of
a man who tried to cross the Channel on a chair suspended from a bunch of helium
balloons and landed in a lettuce patch. She described with much humour her
attempt to emulate this chap by deciding to fly from Cardiff to Weston. But the
wind direction forced her to veer towards London, accompanied by a police
helicopter. She ended up - you've guessed it - in a lettuce patch in a garden in
Chippenham.
Isabella's poem took its inspiration from the central figure in a watercolour
sketch of Birdcage Walk. This person is bereaved and finds solace in the peace
and tranquillity of a place she used to visit with her spouse. Kay related the
harrowing story of the 1861 Whitby lifeboat disaster. The man in her photo,
Henry Freeman, was the sole survivor, probably as he was wearing the
experimental cork life jacket. Today, he is immortalised in a bronze sculpture
overlooking Whitby harbour.
Next meeting: 2nd July.
Venue: Will's, Tel: 812396.
Theme: A duologue of up to 750 words in verse or prose between two contrasting
characters.
Isobella McGuire
Top