The CREATIVE WRITING NETWORK returns

The group will re-convene for the initial meeting on Monday 17th November at 16.00 – room 202.

Plans this year include the following:

Linking the Creative Writing Network to a new magazine for the Faculty – details to be announced from Luis Monteiro.
Establishing a theme for each semester linked with the theme of the magazine.
Inviting guest speakers, contributing to the monthly CWN sessions.
Reconsidering whether a blog is the appropriate environment for posting our creative writing. An alternative is Moodle or google docs.

As members of the CWN last year (2007) we would like your opinions in order to help us shape the group according to needs and interests:

1.What did you find most useful from your participation in the group last year?

2.What suggestions do you have for making the group more effective?

Please could you complete the questions and return by e-mail to:

allyson.roberts@mail.telepc.pt or leave in my office in 208, Torre A.

Allyson

New Beginning

'Creative Writer's Den' will be coming back in early November. Don´t miss it.

Creative Writing Workshop with Bruce Holland Rogers

Writing from different perspectives - Dr Janice Russell - powerpoint

Writing task in preparation for 16 June

The train goes on ….

…from Lisbon to Madrid. There is a radio on the carriage which,at one point, lets us know that the date is the 12th of March of 2006 – the day after the train bombings.

Your task is to write a scene from 2 perspectives of your choice, from any character: one that you found easy and one that you found difficult. Please post your writing in SPIRAL BOUND before 11 June so you have time to read everyone's work.

Janice says…
Janice Russel reminded us to try and keep our characters plausible. In order to help you constructing your character and making him/her believable, here are some suggestions on what you might want to know (and let your reader know) about them:[1]
- what are the basic characteristics of this character? What nationality, age, sex … is s/he? What languages does s/he speak? Single, married, …?
- how did your character start smoking? How has their relationship with smoking been? When, with whom and how do they smoke?
- what is s/he going to do right after they step out of the train? Who will s/he meet? Why is s/he going to Madrid?
- Your character is being lectured for some reason (ie being too noisy on the phone) by someone in a position of authority (like the conductor): how does s/he react?
- What does your character most love to do when s/he has free time? Why?
- What would make the character stand out among his/her peers (people in the same profession or age group or ...)
- Create a list of five things you love, now pick one thing and have the character like it as well. Write also on this loved object from your character's point of view, but make sure to change it up a little so that the character's view of the object is slightly different from yours.
- Now, write a list of 5 things you hate. Have your characters like that thing you hate. This will expand your ability to see things from someone else's point of view.
Some more useful advice from Janice:
· Begin with the end in mind: What impact do you want to make on your reader? Do you want the reader to care about the character? What do you want your reader to consider? To feel? To remember? How can you achieve this?
· Put a few pinches of humour in. AND HAVE FUN!

NEXT MEETING 16th June
Please post your writing in SPIRAL BOUND before 11 June so you have time to read everyone's work. Print and bring with you to next session.

[1] some of this suggestions were taken from http://www.creative-writing-solutions.com/creative-writing-prompts.html

Review of session 19 May

This is how the session went:

Reminder of POINT OF VIEW WRITING: outline of an incident from different points of view with the objective of identifying examples of different 'points of view' writing.
WRITING TASKS
Preparation for writing: scene setting, establishing a common understanding of the context: a train carriage and its associated passengers. Establishing the moment a young 16-year old girl, pregnant, enters the smoking compartment and asks “Have you got a light?
Writing: from various perspectives of these travellers, including: 3rd person past; 1st person though the essays of the girl; 3rd person watching the whole seen, which could include personification, for example through the eyes of the CCTV camera, the cigarette; or through the eyes of someone who does not speak the language.

Writings were read aloud and there was discussion as to which perspective we found easier/more difficult/more satisfying to write in, and the effects on the narrative construction in general.

There is a follow-up to this session. Outline of tasks to be written in preparation for next session will be posted in the blog.

FINAL SESSION FOR THE SEMESTER 16th June, 12.00 – 14.00, room 202.

Next meeting Will be Monday 19th May

NEW date: 19th May.

Take note all ye writers.! Next session will be VERY PRACTICAL!! Ines and I put heads together and I think you will be very pleased ( we hope) with the resulting input.

We will be continuing from Dr. Janice Russell's session, putting your pen and creative energies to much use! JOIN US! Be prepared to start playing around with some perspectives for real.

A brief summary of Creative Writing Worskshop with Dr. Janice Russell

'POINT OF VIEW' IN CREATIVE WRITING - Dr. Janice Russell

Here are a selection of some of the practical ideas that Janice mentioned in her workshop on 14th April. You just have to put that pen to work – write, write and write!

TIPS

• Start writing, anything,for at least 12 minutes, first thing or any time of the day, but everyday.
• Begin with the end in mind:
  · What impact do you want to make on your reader?
  · How can you achieve this?
• Take the point of view from something unusual, like a bunch of keys.
• Experience from that perspective and write. You can turn anything into a story!
• Write the same event from different perspectives: technically this could involve 1st person, 3rd person, omniscient observer, multiple points of view, and, yes, 2nd person.
• Make your characters plausible/believable.
• Use the senses. Check which you tend to use most naturally and experiment using the others - write the same piece. Each one emphasising a different sense.
• Vary pace and length of chapters (book writing! But could also apply to sentences!)
• Put a few pinches of humour in.
• Care about your characters – or not!
• Aim to intrigue the reader by involving them in solving the plot.
• Read something then write 500 words in the same style.
• Analyse books you have enjoyed, sentence by sentence – pick them apart to find out: “How did the writer do it?”
  

Be BOLD!

TASK
For next Creative writing session on Monday May 12th:
Experiment with one or more of the above ideas.

Janice has kindly made her PowerPoint available to those who attended her workshop. You can get this from allyson.roberts@mail.telepac.pt

Happy writing.
Allyson

FINAL REMINDER for CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

A PRACTICAL, DYNAMIC WORKSHOP

Monday 14th April

12.00 – 14.00

Room 202


Limited to 20 participants
3 euros per person
First 20 to reserve their place and pay entrance fee to Ricardo Marques
ricardo.marques@fcsh.unl.pt

Janice Russell is a freelance writer and coaching consultant. She is well published in the UK in counselling, has one self published novel, and gained an MA Creative Writing in the UK. She now lives in the Algarve, and is the President of Network, the association for women working in the Algarve. Janice will be presenting a dynamic workshop, in English, on writing from different perspectives.

Writing task for session 4 - Monday 14th April

TASK: Write a piece of DESCRIPTIVE WRITING with the title "Returning Home.”
Try to include metaphor and allusion. Play with the perspective; it can be from any character’s viewpoint.

Read the short extracts from Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and If nobody speaks of remarkable things by Jon McGregor.


OR...If you really do not like the idea above, choose one of the ideas from the link below.

Some things to remember about descriptive writing

Appeal to senses
Use imagery (similes and metaphors)
Be allusive
Reflect and make connections with life issues
Make personal connections, think about what this reminds you of
Tell a story through description
Observe closely
Find your voice
Focus on the detail and the whole
Think about tone: humour, sarcasm, joy, humility, and sadness
Reflect on how the charachter feels

Ideas for topics for descriptive writing from:
http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/writers.htm

Feedback guidelines for session 3

Consider the following when talking about your writing and giving feedback:

The task was to make effective use of powers of observation and to appeal to the senses:

• sources of inspiration
• process of writing – where, when, how?
• techniques experimented with
• influences from other sources/writers
• effectiveness of description - observation and senses evoked

Reminder for session 3

Hello!
Room 202 for our third meeting on Monday 10th March, at 12.00.

Bring with you copies of everyone's contribtuions to this session for intial discussion.

Please, Madalena ("A story of the past" ) and Inês ( "In good spirit"), as you missed the feedback from last time, perhaps you could give each other feedback on your Christmas writing at the meeting.

Fantastic News!!!! We will be joined by Janice Russell from the creative writing competition in a session to be arranged very soon.

See you Monday. Please e-mail me if you cannot come. allyson.roberts@mail.telepac.pt

Thanks
Allyson

Creative Writing Competition

Take a look at this!!!

Network Short Story Competition

The Network Short Story Competition is here – it’s open to anyone living in Portugal, so please take the opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and support this first time venture.

Stories can be on any theme, with a maximum word count of 2000 words. Entries cost 5 euros and will be judged by Jenny Grainer, writer, journalist and tutor in Creative Writing, and Lisa Selvidge, who tutors in Creative Writing in the Algarve and online with the University of East Anglia. Entries will need to be in the English language for this first year, and need to be received by March 31st.

The winning story will receive 100 euros worth of book vouchers, sponsored by Network, the Magna Carta Bookshop, and the Griffin Bookshop. The event is supported by the Portugal News who will publish the winning entry. Winners will be announced on 23rd April 2008, international book day.

For more details and application form, please e-mail :netpres@networkalgarve.org,ring Janice Russell on 915 584 668,ask at the Griffin or Magna Carta bookshop,or download the form by clicking here.

Second meeting review

A brief review of the session on January 28th:
1. We shared experiences of producing our 1st piece of writing:

•sources of inspiration
•process of writing – where, when, how?
•time taken
•redrafts – how many? What edit in and out
•feelings when writing it
•feelings in general to the whole process – going public
•your identity and how it changed
•feelings about the product – what/change?

2. Giving and taking feedback/criticism (handouts available at next session).

“The problem lies in knowing how to take it and what to do with it.”

We need to:

• establish a distance from our writing.
• let go of experiences, ideas, words, feelings which feed our writing.

Feedback/criticism :

• becomes a source of inspiration, a breath of fresh air, a second wind, by breathing new life into our work and giving new perspectives .
• is practical and practicable.

3. Giving feedback

Individual feedback of what we enjoyed about each piece of writing led to the following discussion:

Watch this space > " ...... "

It was decided NOT to comment on language mistakes, whether native or foreign language. Use the suggested links in this blog for checking language use. Any for Portuguese? Please send links to allyson.roberts@mail.telepac.pt

4. Task for next meeting:

A descriptive piece of writing - no need to be a story, which requires powers of observation and appeals to the senses.

• a journey from home to work/university
• leaving somewhere
• a short trip

This can be seen through the eyes of characters or as pure description.

This link gives you food for thought on setting and context.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative/shortstory/index.html#setting

Post your writing in Sprial Bound blog.

NEXT MEETING- March 3rd, 12.00 - 14.00. room to be confirmed.

'baby' blog for creative writing

The place to post your creative writing is in the 'baby' blog, called Sprial Bound, found at http://spiralboundcreativity.blogspot.com/. To be invited to this blog, send your e-mail to allyson.roberts@mail.telepac.pt

As the Spiral Bound group grows in size we will make another 'baby' blog of creative writers. The optimum size for these small writing groups is about six.

You can post your writing in either Portuguese or English. Our next meeting will be on Monday 28th at 12.00 in room 202.