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Dear Eugenie

2012-02-25T00:50:00.002+11:00

Dear Eugenie,

I've been thinking about your letters, about the difficulties you had with your pregnancies and how you said you spent your life sick.

You were the Empress of France. You were married to Louis Napoleon. You lived in the 1800s. I'm a 34 year old teacher living in Australia in 2012. What could we have in common?

You mentioned that you don't like children, but that you say this out of jealousy. You said that you would cut off your arm to have a child. You said that you suffered in vain. You said that at 16 you could never have predicted life being so difficult.

For me, the past week has been filled with news. Life, both good and bad, has been pouring in via text message, Facebook and email.. Unlike your letters, we breathe in instant delivery. Twins, miscarriages, high blood pressure, bed rest, addictions, chance meetings, premature births and dementia: the women I know are living lives our 16 year old selves never imagined. At 16 this life was beyond us.

Even with all the planning, all the decisions and all the choices, sometimes we don't get much of a say. Our boat gets rocked, we are left in the dark and all that is left is whether we sink or swim.

So, you and I do have something in common, our common ground is living. Everything gets bigger along the way, doesn't it? Life fills out around the middle, our understandings grow, our perspective becomes greater.

A famous man said that the man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. Same goes for women I say.

Same goes for you and I.

Gill

I read a series of letter from Empress Eugenie of France, written to her sister in the mid 1800s. She spoke of her confinement, of her life being so different to any she could have predicted. The last line is a quote from Mohammed Ali.

800 years of women's blog posts

2012-02-20T17:22:00.000+11:00

A few weeks ago I bought a book from my local second hand bookstore. 800 Years of Women's Letters is just what it's title suggests: an anthology of women's letters from the 12th century to the present. I've had my head buried within its pages at every chance.

Up until the 18th century, letter writing was one of the few allowable forms of written expression available to women. Jane Austen initially pretended to be scribbling letters rather than writing the novel she was working on.

The letters in this anthology show how women used letter writing as a means to communicate their thoughts on the lives of women, on their achievements and on their joys and sorrows. The women write on topics suprisingly relevant to today, on their friendships, romances, work and desires. They write about accepting and refusing proposals and on rites of passage such as birth, marriage and death.

And that wriggly little bugger, Balance, was rearing it's head way back in the 19th century:

If your fame and leisure for the improvement of your mind, could be combined with the comfort and pleasures of a larger domestic circle, and if, with a husband and children, I could share a glimmer of your fame, and a portion of your reading, we should both perhaps be happier than it is the usual lot...

The excerpt above was taken from a letter written in 1817 but doesn't it echo the contradictory yearnings of women in 2012? In another letter, written in 1850, a Mrs Gaskell writes to to her friend Eliza about the Individual Self versus House Duties.

Oh, things have changed over the last 800 years. But I find myself relating to many of the letter writers. Until recently I saw choice as a modern women's dilemma. Each letter in the anthology pulls me further into the past, with each historical peek my world expands and I understand more and more.

People often ask me why I blog and I have read enough posts from other bloggers to know they are asked the same thing. We ask ourselves why we blog. What's the point? Is it a waste of time? I often wonder.

But then why write letters? Why write anything down? Isn't this what we do? We communicate our troubles, our passions, our thoughts, our similarities and our differences. Blogs are just another vehicle.

The Write on Wednesday Spark: Dear...
This week's writing exercise is to write a letter. Write an open letter or write to someone more specific. Write a letter between two fictional characters or write a letter into a fictional piece you are already working on. Think about how differently you write depending upon who you are writing to. Your content in an open letter may differ to content in a private letter.

Wherever the prompt takes you. Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links. Oh, and enjoy!

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice. Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

Are we scared yet?

2012-02-15T23:11:00.000+11:00

I knew there was something wrong with me. The other girls shrieked and stuffed their mouths with chocolate coated marshmallows. But I couldn't feel joy in terror. My friends wallowed in it, like pigs in mud. In a roomful of people I was alone in my fear. I didn't want anyone to know I was scared so I feigned sleep. I hid under my covers, hands clamped down over my ears, my heart beating fast, my stomach twisting. I lay in a cocoon of adrenalin. I considered throwing up in my sleeping bag because I didn't want to walk alone down the long hallway into the strange cold bathroom. Not with all the darkness in my head.

In the end I did vomit. My friend's mother assumed I was ill and so she called my mum. I shook all the way home. I crawled into my parent's bed and stared at the roof. I saw flashes of white rooms and blonde hair and invisible evils every time I closed my eyes. I was 9 and I didn't know how to cope with a scary movie.

The worst part was the shame. I was disgusted with myself. I felt weak and silly.

O came to our bed last night, shaking and wide eyed. There's no use telling him monsters don't exist.

His fear exists.

Fear shouldn't be shameful. Fear is essentially a good thing, it's there to keep us safe, it's a survival mechanism. But fear tends to be hidden away, packed inside a box marked Taboo. Like a shameful secret, we hide the box away, probably in a creepy neighbour's cellar. Or in the bottom of a sleeping bag at a slumber party.

Do you remember the story about the dark, dark, wood? The dark, dark box in a dark, dark cupboard in a dark, dark house in a dark, dark wood? Fears are complex. They are layered. But they are worse when they are kept secret.

O doesn't know what's hiding inside the dark,box. But I do. All I can offer O is my experience of fear. I can let him know that I get it, that I was scared of the dark too, that he is not alone in his fear. I'll tell him that some fears go away in time and that new ones pop up too.

But I think I'll also tell him about the mouse in the box. Because when you rip the box open you get some control back.

And that feels a whole lot better than throwing up in your sleeping bag.

The monster under your bed

2012-02-13T16:31:00.001+11:00

this lady is about to get scary

Today is 0's birthday. He woke me at 5.50am with whispered words "Am I four yet?"

O is pleased to be four. This morning he handed his melamine Peter Rabbit breakfast bowl to H quite grandly. "This is yours now. Now I am four, I use the big breakfast bowls." Ceremony hung in the air and I knew O was feeling Big.

He is Big. There have been plenty of firsts recently. First day at school. First time on a two wheel scooter. He reeled in his first fish last Monday. And there have been endings too. A last playgroup visit. His three wheeled scooter is boxed up in the shed. And of course, melamine is a thing of his past.

Too big for melamine. But the perfect size for imagination.

Imagination begins to spark between the ages of two and a half and four. Around this age children learn to hold mental images in their minds and they learn to think abstractly. And with abstract thinking comes abstract fears. Monsters under the bed, shadows on the walls and in our house, the occasional Dragon Hippopotamus hiding behind the bedroom door.

O is no longer afraid of thunderstorms. His fears are less concrete. At 2 he howled at the noise of the vacuum cleaner. Now he panics at the idea of Oool People. I know it is important not to belittle these fears. But Oool People are something he has made up. To be honest, I found it easier to relate to his fear of vacuuming.

But I too was a scaredy-cat as a child. Werewolves. Vampires. Monsters. Ghosts. Snarly dogs. The fear in my head was debilitating. At about six I watched The Wizard of Oz at a friends house and I remember the horror of watching the old lady on the bicycle turn into the witch on her broomstick. I didn't sleep for weeks.

The Write on Wednesday Spark: The monsters under your bed
Think back to when you were very young. Try to recall one of your first fears. A shadow on the wall, a ghost in the closet, a person, a scene from a movie or book. Write about that fear. Try to remember the feeling it gave you, what that fear would make you do and how you were comforted. Write a real life story or a piece of fiction. Wherever the prompt takes you. Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links. Oh, and enjoy!

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice. Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

I have read most of your pieces from last week's WoW but was unable to comment so I will pop back this evening and do so. I especially loved the pieces from last week's prompt, I found it all very interesting. Anyone entering the Eric Rolls Prize for Nature Writing??

The butterfly net

2012-02-10T00:03:00.000+11:00

D used the tobacco wrappers like wallpaper, carefully lining each edge against another and it wasn’t long before he had a Dr. Pat covered chest of drawers. D’s collection was quirky and fun. J collected dried spider specimens in glass frames. He kept the spiders in his front cabinet and J was happy for you to look. But never to touch. I tapped the outside of one of the glass cages one afternoon and J’s disapproval shocked me. His voice rose too quickly, it scared me and I backed off.

I'm not a collector. I've tried over the years. Stickers, stamps, badges and buttons. But so far, none of my collections have lived beyond the fade of a scratch and sniff sticker. My brother was a better collector, he kept stickers in an album and badges in an old tin. He did have a toenail collection when he was very young, he stored his nail clippings in an old Kool Mint box and he would chase me around the house with it. The value of this collection was pure shock and freak out. It was short lived. Thankfully.

A novel by John Fowles, “The Collector”, was a year 11 high school text and I still think about this book whenever anyone mentions collecting. The story both fascinated and disturbed me. The main character was chilling, he was slow in action and in thought but dangerous and terrifying as he moved from collecting butterfly specimens to collecting young girls. The book opened my 15 year old world up to themes like existentialism versus fate, good versus evil and also to obsession.

See, it seems to me that collecting old fashioned coins or vintage tea towels is a basic interest, a memory trigger or a keepsake of emotional value. But collecting is not all Antique Roadshows and vintage ballerina boxes. Sometimes secrets lurk. Sometimes the collection is more compulsion than comfort.

Most collections are belly button fluff, gross but harmless and perhaps they give the collector that little bit of attention they are craving, like my brother and his toenails. There is a beauty to some, a single silver spoon is a single silver spoon but 100 silver spoons is an accumulated meaning filled with the where and the why and the who. Each serves up its own chapter but together they are the never ending story, there is always one more spoon, the last page never comes and that must be reassuring

Obsession, interest, beauty, quirk or aesthetic, it’s the collector who gives the collection it’s value. It’s the collector who tells the story. Without a collector all you have is a pile of stuff.

Possessing Beauty

2012-02-06T18:14:00.001+11:00

Ever since M1 was small we would scramble about in the bush near our house looking for tiny treasures, natural beauties like pretty pebbles and smooth sheets of bark. We would bring our souvenirs home and place them in our treasure box. After four years of beach rambles and bush walks our treasure box is bursting. Seashells and twigs, leaves and feathers peek out from under a lid that will no longer close.

Last week we were walking through the local park and M1 had gathered a new pile for our treasure collection. "Look at this, Mum, it's so nice, I want to take it home for our treasure box." It's not enough for him to look and study and acknowledge the beauty, I have inadvertently encouraged him to want to possess it, to keep it, to preserve it. I thought about our overflowing treasure box, created from a need to take something beautiful from its home and put it in ours. A lot of our pieces look lost once they are locked inside our tiny wooden box. They have lost their shine. They look dull without their native backdrop and some of the shells smell old and musty now.

We had some relatives in town over the weekend and my boys got to spend time with their tiny cousins. Watching a new generation of boys play together had all of us reaching for our cameras. But it was impossible to capture the bright smiles and sweet gestures. The kids didn't want to stop and pose or re-enact. Later I was flicking through the family snaps and not one photograph felt right. They were just frozen laughs, the distorted smiles and half closed eyes were dry and muted.

I guess beauty is not so breathtaking when it is stuffed inside a small box.

So, the time has come. Our treasure box is at capacity. The next time we find something beautiful in the park I'm going to suggest we leave it where it is.

The Write on Wednesday Spark: Possessing Beauty
Write about a collection. Write about something you or ,someone you know, collects. Think about the "why" behind the collection - why is it important to collect this particular thing? How does it make the person feel to add another piece to their collection? Is the group of objects there to be seen, to be studied or simply kept together? Write a real life story or a piece of fiction. Wherever the prompt takes you...Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links. Oh, and enjoy!

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice. Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

P.S I was a little bit sneaky with last week's prompt. The prompt was based around the Eric Rolls Prize for Nature Writing. So if you joined in with WoW last week you have the beginnings of an entry to this writing competition. Entries close June 29th 2012 and must not exceed 6000 words. Be sure to let me know if you do enter!

A tree called Sam

2012-02-01T17:43:00.000+11:00

The bigger the tree the more O wants to take to its branches, the more he wants to conquer it and swing from its limbs in victory. But the trees are reigning champions. Keepers, chaperones, defenders, guardians.

Especially O's tree.

O's favorite fig is Sammy Hay. A Titan of a tree, Sammy's trunk pushes straight from the ground, like the hand of a Giant bursting through the dirt. Five fingers branch upwards and I picture the magnificent body underneath, resting away from the heat beneath the banks of the park. There is a large gap between the thumb and the index branch, a nook where O likes to lean, cradled in the tree's firm grip.

I know why O picked this tree. Sammy's trunk flares outwards like the others but he is more forgiving. O uses Sammy's nook to propel his tiny body upwards and into the cave of the boughs and branches. Each day O climbs higher. He learns to find the closest foothold and how to reach for support. If O falls he lands in Sammy's nook, scratched but cradled from the ground.

As I said. Sammy is a guardian.

One day there is another child, a boy, hiding in Sammy Hay's nook. The boy keeps his eye on us. We get too close to the trunk and he calls out "This is MY special tree. Stay away". O looks from me to the boy in our tree. "Wow, we like this tree too." I say. "There must be something special about him."

"Not really." The boy answers me and he hugs Sammy's thumb tighter with both arms and both legs and he looks like a biscuit coloured monkey hanging from his mother's torso. The boy is not smiling but dimples skip on each cheek as he says to me "He's just a tree."

The boy drops to the ground and smiles at O.

"He can come in" The boy says to me, pointing at O.

"But not YOU. This is a boy tree"

"No girls allowed" O says as he scrambles into Sammy's nook.

The nature of place

2012-01-30T18:41:00.003+11:00

I've spent the last few weeks searching for information on Nature Storytelling. I've found it difficult to get what I want, it's been hard to explain just what I am looking for. Bookshop clerks guide me straight to the children's section, they talk to me about Hungry Caterpillars and Gruffallos. I hate interrupting them, especially when they start getting excited about the beautiful illustrations or, as one super enthusiastic woman did, start reciting Where the Wild Things Are. I can relate to the adoration of terrible roars and terrible claws, but sadly, like Max, I had to put a stop to the wild rumpus and say that I am not looking for a children's book. The bookshop clerk stops reciting, she looks defeated, as though I have sent her off to bed without any supper.

But as we walk away from the children's section I find better words to describe what I am after. I tell them I want stories about nature, writing about place and soon the disappointed looks are replaced with contemplative thought. The conversation turns to Emily Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau or more modern Australian writers like Tim Winton. Writers have long used the land as a launching platform. A place is anywhere and nowhere in particular, but it is what a writer knows.

Nature Storytelling, as in stories about place is my theme for my early childhood learning program this year. Identifying with a natural place helps children to connect with nature but it can help build self esteem. It can help children give meaning to their world. So I'm researching Nature Storytelling for my program but also because this writing style seems to help me as a writer.

I thought it might help you too.

The Write on Wednesday Spark - The nature of place
Think about a place in nature that feels special to you. Perhaps it is somewhere you visited as a child. Or maybe you share a special outdoor space with your own children. This place, this space will be your prompt for this week's writing exercise. Write about a particular natural geography, a natural place or space close to your heart. Tell us about the weather, the landform , the creatures who live there, what the place means to you and why. You can write prose fiction, poetry, non-fiction and/or a photographic narrative. You might mix the landscape with a personal story. Wherever the prompt take you...Let us peek into your place.

Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links. Oh and enjoy.

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice. Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

Do you have any favorites pieces of Nature or Place Writing? Let me know if you do.

P.S I am still visiting last week's links!

So, did reality bite?

2012-01-27T17:41:00.001+11:00

The cafe was quiet, and the girl, who was 22 and wearing a red and white polka dot dress, had time to chat. "Oh, I love everything 90's. I wish I grew up in the 90's, it must have been sooo cool. Was it so cool?" she gushed as she hands me my tea. I check her face for signs of sarcasm. Winona Ryder posters (circa Reality Bites) grace the cafe walls and Crowded House melodies cruise down the speakers. Then I get it. The 1990s are retro. Shit, I'm retro.

Growing up in the 90s was probably like growing up in any other decade. The same hormones, the same puberty blues but with less Internet and more Doc Martins. I did my physical growing in the 80s, through crimped hair and cassette tapes but it was the 90s that really stretched me and not just in those final couple of centimeters.

I turned 13 in early 1991. It was the The Year Punk Broke and so, you could say, had I. I'd grown beyond using a pencil to re-wind my worn out Madonna cassette tapes. I didn't want to throw talcum powder round my bedroom and flick my light switches on and off, pretending I was on Video Hits. I wanted to stay up late and watch Rage and lie on the couch.

When I think 1990s I think realism and pessimism over optimism. I think ripped jeans and henna. My brother, younger by just three years, pictures a 90s space-jam packed with Basketball and Nintendo. If I had been born five years earlier or five years later, I’d probably remember the 90s differently. And the current cool kids, who weren't even born yet, don't have to try and remember the 90s, they can customize them. Reality gets lost in preservation whether it bit or not.

See, Cafe Girl, with her cute pixie cut and purple Docs wants to hear that the 90s was ten years of five dollar dates with Ethan Hawke slacker philosopher types.

Is that how retro works? It’s a round about of trends. I did it too. I spent a chunk of the 1990s glorifying the 60s and 70s. Life had been all road trips in big cars with the windows down and Black Sabbath blazing. The 70s was one very, very, hip party with guitars and mild but experimental drug use. In the 60s and 70s guys looked like this...

Are you retro? What did the 90s mean to you?

Read the other posts in this week's Write on Wednesday linky here. The prompt was to use a line of dialogue taken from real life.

Agent Chin-Wag

2012-01-23T19:02:00.002+11:00

A friend's tea party: The perfect location for Agent Chin-Wag missions

Friday is becoming a DVD night in our house. MM is the Official DVD Renter while I am the Official DVD Returner. This arrangement suits me well as I have discovered that DVD Returning is an excellent opportunity to slink off on my own.

The Art of DVD Returning:
I slip the DVD into the hand of whichever tattooed, black haired film student happens to be on shift, I pull my biggest pair of sunglasses over my eyes and I slide into the nearest cafe. I sit wherever I like as there is no need to first sketch out possible pram escape routes. There is no need to scan the crowd for old ladies or people with dogs, trying to locate someone who looks as though they could be sympathetic to noise, mess and/or rogue smells. No, this time, I get to chose a window seat, it's on the tiniest table in the room. Not even the most compact stroller could be wedged under this tiny table, let alone my double Decker monster. This makes me feel happy and I order a cup of tea and a breakfast muffin and pull out my book. It's a nourishing experience: the tea, the muffin, the book, but really it's about being nameless. For just a little while.

DVD Returning is the private encore show to Friday DVD night.

I was "DVD Returning" when this week's Write on Wednesday prompt sprung to mind. It's a spin on our Dialogue Detective exercise and I found it in *Mark Tredinnick's "Little Red Writing Book".

The Write on Wednesday Spark: Agent Chin- Wag
Pay attention to the conversations around you: at the dinner table, in the supermarket, while DVD Returning, wherever. You are looking for one line, one tiny sentence of dialogue. You may find your words lurking in a D&M or perhaps you will choose a phrase from everyday chatter. Write down your line. Use it to inspire your Write on Wednesday post. Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links. Oh and enjoy.

REMEMBER: Creative writing is still on the WoW cards in 2012 but consider exploring other writing styles as well. Write fact or fiction. Link up a real life piece, a blog post, a Haiku, a letter, a poem, even a photography narrative. Tell us a STORY, by whatever means you fancy. Wherever the prompt takes you...

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice. Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

I enjoyed reading your pieces in last week's WoW. We had real life snippets and poetry as well as fiction. It adds to the WoW writerly experience, don't you think?

*The Little Red Writing Book is an awesome writer's manual recommended to me by Karen (The Rhythm Method).

Sweet memories of Melbourne

2012-01-18T23:40:00.000+11:00

photo by Story

On a morning in late October, when winter had somehow sprung overnight, Robert clicked on the flashing inbox cursor. Just seconds before he'd been dreaming of their night in Melbourne, when she'd smiled and flirted and told him how much she loved him, but now, as he read the single sentenced email, he was left overwhelmed by a rush of self doubt and nausea and he wondered if his memories had really been so sweet.

Then, his legs gave way and Robert fell to the floor.

Hours later, with a heart pounding faster than he thought a broken heart could be capable of, he was moving quickly over the dirty sand, the English rain drizzling through his hair and down his face and for once, he was glad for the dreary weather

Further up the beach something lay, giant and long and grey. It was staggering, the shades of grey on this solitary beach, even the ocean was the colour of leftover dishwater, slopping up on the shore and spitting at him in the wind. The huge hunk of fallen tree lay in front of him, dying or maybe already dead, still and quiet while the seagulls picked at its carcass like vultures. He moved slowly now, he crept closer to the trunk and peered into its mass of rotting roots. But he didn't see death, no cold finality or darkness. The roots were writhing with tiny sprouts of life and as he watched life nest and thrive in the dark hole, Robert felt his stomach lurch with hope and, although he was not aware of it, at that very same moment, rhythm returned to his beating heart.

What story does your tree tell? Play along with Write on Wednesday, get the writing prompt and link up you blog post here.

The stories a tree could tell...Write on Wednesday in 2012.

2012-01-16T16:09:00.003+11:00

by Story.

I'm really looking forward to Write on Wednesday in 2012. And I'm VERY excited about our first writing prompt for the year. I saw the photo above on the Story Facebook page. I thought it was beautiful and intriguing but I didn't think of using it as a writing prompt until after I read one of the comments on the pic: "Imagine the stories that tree could tell."

Imagine.

In 2011, Write on Wednesday focused on creative writing. Creative writing will still be on the cards in 2012 but I thought we could explore other writing styles as well. Feel free to write fact or fiction. Link up a real life piece, a blog post, a Haiku, a letter, a poem, stick to the creative writing theme or any other style you'd like to experiment with. Tell us a STORY, by whatever means you fancy.

The linky will be open each week from Monday to Friday. If you are playing the game, try to visit the other linkers, at least three of four would be nice! Encourage, critique and support your fellow writers.

The Write on Wednesday spark: The stories a tree could tell.
Take a look at the above photo (by Story). Use it to inspire your Write on Wednesday post. Keep your post on the short side: up to 500 words OR a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Link your finished piece to the list and begin popping by the other links in the list. Enjoy!

Bold mothers

2012-01-15T21:12:00.001+11:00

Saturday morning. 10 am. Somehow, we have found ourselves in Chinatown and we are making our way to a tiny cafe bar. A hidey hole of a place, it’s on a main street, wedged between a Chinese tea house and a Vietnamese noodle bar. It's humid. Sweat beads cluster on our noses. We are mucky and hot by the time we arrive at the wooden booths of our destination. The cafe is near empty but MM sees people he knows and he takes the boys to sit at the bar. Our boys are little enough to feel big up at the bar and their faces fill with big boy pride. I stay in the booth, torn between two rare opportunities. Do I people watch in a part of the city I rarely experience? Or read the paper, minus the usual interruptions?

A young girl walks past the entrance, she is holding a hot pink parasol over her head and I hear M1 ask his Daddy why the lady needs an umbrella. It's not raining, is it, Daddy? An old man sits cross legged by the road. He holds a giant watermelon under each arm. Ginger, garlic and burnt tar fragrant the air as the traffic edges forward. The sensory memories begin to blur in front of me and I'm back in Bangkok. Or Seoul. Or Burma. I think about a different life. A different family life, one where we move from place to place, exploring the world together. Some people dream of chickens and a place to roost, I dream of movement, of a life lived in caravans, or when I am feeling fancy, on board The Orient Express.

These thoughts are wild, rich and beautiful to me. But some fantasies live best in our heads, reality can dilute our dreams, they can lose their richness. I'm not aiming for pessimism here, the opposite in fact. Dreams and Reality just speak different languages. Like two different cultures. East meets West.

As we walked back to our air conditioned car, past the ginseng filled shops, we watched Chinatown getting ready for Chinese New Year. On January 23rd we will enter the Year of the Dragon. *I’m not a horoscope kind of girl but the Chinese believe that the Dragon symbolises a time to be bold, not humble. They say 2012 is a year for ideas.

For me, 2012 will not be a year for planning. I will have to be bold with my ideas this year. M1 will head to kindy and I will head back to work. I’ll have to learn to speak a new language.

And I certainly don't have a plan for this blog, I'm not sure where it's going or what it is for. But like the mystical Dragon, I do have ideas for it. As we all do. Some of these will get lost in translation but some might make the distance.

Let’s just see where the year take us, shall we?

* Unless you count a brief flirtation at age 13, when I obsessively checked for the day Capricorns became irresistible to 13 year old boys named Daniel.

A final wrap up for Write on Wednesday

2011-12-12T17:15:00.002+11:00

nothing to do with christmas or this post...i just like the quote

Ho, ho, ho. Just 12 days until Christmas pudding and bad Christmas Cracker jokes! In our house, Christmas means squabbling over Monopoly at 2am while we each take a turn trying to convince our 83 year old Grandmother in the U.K to face her Skype camera front on. In the end, everyone gives up, we let my brother buy Mayfair and chat away to Nana's side profile. To each their own when it comes to family traditions.

Today I have been giving some thought to the comments on my last post (RE: WoW and breaking for the festive season).

It sounds like a few of you will have MORE time for writing prompts in the coming weeks so I'd like to give you guys an option for the silly season. I liked Kate's suggestion, as did a few others, and so I have decided an open linky is the way to go. If you want to continue writing, please do. If you need to take a break, take a break. Some of us (myself included) may like to play it by ear. So, feel free to work through the writing prompts in my sidebar. I'll leave the linky open until mid January. Link up as often as you would like. But if you ARE playing along do remember to pop by and visit the other links in the list. The whole point of the group is to offer support.

Sound okay?

Even with this more casual approach, let's try and keep the lines of communication open over the next month. Remember, you can all communicate via the Ink Paper Pen Facebook Page. Feel free to post links to writing news, writing comps or your own writing posts. Share your writing goals, writing tips or ideas with each other.

In the meantime, I'd love to get your suggestions for WoW and our online writing group. Is there something you would like to focus on in the new year? Any ideas for ways to improve our writing group? Let me know in the comments below...

Oh, and last of all, I'd like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas! Thanks for being part of this little writerly experiment...Your support and involvement has made me feel all warm and fuzzy on many an occasion. I hope to see you all back for more in 2012.

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays. The Christmas Episode - Check out the Writing Prompts in the sidebar. Do as many or as few as you like over the next month. Link up your writing pieces to the linky below. We will be back with new writing prompts in mid January. If you do play along with WoW in the next month, please visit the other links on the list. It's only fair, after all...

image found on etsy

Coming home for Christmas

2011-12-09T01:27:00.000+11:00

My wake up call was a rattling breakfast tray at precisely 7.10am. A glass of orange juice, a single serve of Uncle Toby's toasted muesli and always, always one small hard boiled egg. The egg came whether I had selected one or not. The Hospital Psychologist and the Hospital Senior Consultant listened to the Hospital Nutritionist and the Hospital Nutritionist said that new mothers needed protein. Especially mothers like me. It became a focal point of my day, pulling away the thin layer of shell from my subscribed protein. As a kid, I'd enjoyed picking the dried glue skin from my fingers, it was so gratifying, especially for such a small action.

After my breakfast they would bring me the Menu Card for the next day and I would watch America's Next Top Model on my rented screen as I made my meal selections. After 7 weeks, I'd learnt to play it safe with Breakfast and Dinner. But Lunch time was the bad time, too early for afternoon naps, too late for morning doctor visits. There was nothing to anticipate beyond lifting the lid on the lunch tray. And so I began a Lunch time game of Russian Roulette, mixing up the hot and cold lunch meals with a don't give a damn attitude.

On that last morning, the Lunch menu was different. It was A4, printed on fancy paper in an elegant font and covered in red and white Christmas graphics. Rudolph and an Aussie Santa. I knew he was Australian because he wore thongs instead of boots. I picked up my pen as usual and wondered whether the turkey and cranberry sauce could possibly be turkey and cranberry sauce. I was leaning towards the plum pudding and custard over Christmas cake and ice cream when the menu was whipped sharply from my hand. The midwife stood beside me, her plastic flashing Christmas tree ear rings distracting me from the two week old baby boy asleep in her arms. She had to to pry the menu card from my hand. "No hospital Christmas lunch for you m'dear. The doctors say you can take your baby home today."

An hour later we were discharged. We'd be having real Turkey for lunch after all.

I went waaaay over time here. I decided to use the Coming Home to Christmas song as my prompt. It reminded me of two years ago, when M2 and I were discharged from hospital on Christmas Eve.

Speaking of Christmas, I'm thinking of taking a break from WoW until the new year. What do you think? I know we will all be even busier than usual over the next couple of weeks...

Read the other creative writing piece for this week here.

Coming Home...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-12-05T19:06:00.001+11:00

bells, whistles and flashing lights

Is it possible to run out of words?

I'm feeling messy today. My thoughts are all jumbled and tired. The last month has had me thinking in word counts. In fact, you could say I've been a bit Count-like for most of November. Life has resembled a Sesame Street Number of the Week sketch. Bats flying overhead, lots of fiendish laughter, devilish excitement and plenty of obsessive counting. I watched the numbers climb higher and higher and I reached the bells and whistles point with glee. And now it's about cleaning up a little, the writing and the much neglected bathroom . The writing frenzy is over....and I think I am all worded out.

As I try to write this post, M2 is sifting noisily through his Lego Box and instead of words, my mind is full of the sound of hundreds of coloured squares being thrashed about in their container. It's an aimless noise. I've been waiting to hear the steady soft clicks, the sound of a building being pieced together or a tiny village perhaps. But there is only more clattering. More noise.

Whether this is the aftermath of NaNoWriMo or just Today, I am not sure. We've had lots of rumbling and grumbling this morning. Fights over tiny tractor wheels and squabbles over who must drink from the much hated Yellow Cup and great indecision over sneakers versus runners. Going outside, our usual cure all remedy, has not helped. M1 directed persistent high pitched whining noises towards the sun, demanding it stop "slapping him in the face". The sun and the wind make a fiery pair and I was only too happy to let them force us back indoors. Like us, the weather seems fractious today. I'm putting all my hopes in the Freo Doctor, hopefully it will blow in early this afternoon. We need to blast away the edginess.

But I plan to be refreshed by Wednesday and so I'll get on with your next creative writing mission. We have two prompts this week, both very Christmassy. One from me and one from regular WoWer, Melissa. Thank you, Mel, for your festive prompt!

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 27 - Mel suggested that we look at the "12 Days of Christmas" poem/song and select one of the days/lines for our writing inspiration. So, whether a Partridge in a Pear Tree or Five Golden Rings, write your line at the top of your page, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head.

Your second choice is to use Coming Home (To you this Christmas), a song by Achoo! Bless you, as your writing prompt. I heard this song on the radio this morning and besides thinking that this Sydney Folk Duo have come up with the cutest, sweetest name for a band ever, I also thought the song serves up an alternative to the more traditional tune of the season. Download the song for free here, write down the song title, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head.

Then link up your piece to the linky below!

I hope the choice is not too much for some this week. It's a reflection of my state of mind today, I'm being blown in many different directions. How are YOU this week? Anyone else feeling the aftermath of NaNo or the busyness of the festive season? Does the hot weather make you a little loopy?

Tiny vessels

2011-11-30T17:48:00.004+11:00

Every Friday evening, Granddad would arrive with the same book in his bag.

"There is always one more Once Upon A Time," he would say as he produced the well thumbed History book. It was neat and compact, it's brown leather spine as weathered as the hands that held it.

Granddad always read the Prologue first, a chapter that asked her to imagine every Once Upon A Time that ever existed. She would pinch Granddad's arm playfully and tell him it was a waste of time, her mind wasn't big enough to lock in that many stories! But the author, an old German man was clever, he had told the same stories to his grandchildren and he likened memory to a scrap of burning paper falling in a bottomless well. Stories are small burning lights, illuminating the past for us, he wrote. Granddad told her that there was only so long before the flames fade away and out of our reach. History was important, he said. It is our duty to pass the stories on before the fire burns out forever.

She looked around the room. It was dark but for thousands of bobbing tea lights, each lily pad a small vessel, carrying another Once Upon A Time. She made up her mind to do whatever it took to keep the wicks burning.

Then, it was time to leave the Church. She walked out to find the world had changed.

This week's writing prompt was a photo taken in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Link up your own writing piece or read some of the other entrants here.

Notre Dame de Paris...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-11-28T16:43:00.003+11:00

I'm usually early with our writing prompts for WoW. But, this week I'm feeling the pressure of NaNo. Plus, it seems that everyone we know is having a birthday or wedding in November. And I'm still finding my way in a new city, new job and new house. So this week's writing prompt comes to you on Monday afternoon, just on time. Apologies to Melissa, who is (not so) patiently awaiting the new prompt! I hope this one was worth the wait, Mel....

Weeks ago, we used a photo of a tree for our writing prompt. It worked well for most people and I thought it might be time we used another photograph.

My brother doesn't like me to borrow his things on the sly. He keeps his books nice and neat while mine are tattered and worn. But I decided he wouldn't mind me sneaking one of his photos. It will be returned in exactly the same condition, free from bite marks and Vegemite fingerprints.

If you look up to the beginning of this post you will see an image of floating candles. This is one of my brother's travel pics...Carefully stolen from his Facebook page. I'll admit that this image was chosen with an ulterior motive. It fits the theme of my NaNo story and so, I have decided to kill two writing birds with one stone. The photo was taken in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 26 - Look at the photo at the top of this post. What does it inspire in you? Set your timer for 5 minutes. With the photo in mind, write the first words that come into your head until the buzzer rings. If you aren't a visual person, you could try lighting a few candles and writing by candlelight. Different sensory experiences can be useful for inspiring creative writing so please play around to make the prompt suit your writing needs. If you do try writing by candlelight, let us know. I'd love to know how it works for you!

Write your piece and link it to the list below. Get Writing!

P.S If you are interested in taking part in more writing prompts, don't forget to check out Lillie's Five Sentence Fiction

Do you feel privileged?

2011-11-23T16:32:00.002+11:00

The sky swirled with promise. It was beautiful, like one of his daughter's kindergarten paintings. The pinks and reds played with what was left in the blue. It was cruelly hopeful. A shepherd's delight, thought Dan who knew the city didn't delight in the old words of his Grandfather. Compassion, like old men predicting the weather, seemed obsolete. Dan found his first couple quickly. They sat behind the restaurants of China Town. Early twenties, perhaps? She was 5 months pregnant. They were hungry and he poured them a cup of tea from his flask. Sugar? He asked. They both nodded. They'd been at that spot for weeks. She had turned to the city's open arms at 15. The vast space had been overwhelming at first, but she was able to breathe at least, free from the house that had never been a home. She had met him almost immediately and they took turns sleeping in the day. At night they kept moving. He asked Dan if he could get her a bed for the night. Dan wanted to tell him the truth: We can get her a bed but you're going to have to give her a black eye first, mate.

They seemed nice.

Instead, Dan poured them another cup of hot tea and said "I'll do what I can".

The night came then, like a final curtain. Silent and black. It was the saddest thing Dan had ever heard.

This was based on something I saw on Facebook. A friend (who I haven't seen for a very long time) works with the homeless and I read this and it is certainly one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Especially when my friend went on to say that trying to get people to care was near impossible. He said people are much more interested in the details behind Kim Kadarshian's divorce...

This week's writing prompt was The saddest thing I ever heard. Write your own piece and link it up to the linky here

The saddest thing I ever heard...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-11-21T00:37:00.003+11:00

books based on real life

Friends of ours married in Margs yesterday. On Friday afternoon, MM and I piled the car with our bags, kissed the boys good bye, thanked my parents for babysitting and set off into the late afternoon peak hour traffic I was looking forward to a weekend of catch ups with friends and hanging out with MM sans kids. But I knew the busyness meant my NaNo story would suffer, it would be hard to find a spare hour or two to bang out my daily word count. So I decided to get a few words in on the drive. We were giving a friend a lift and so I passed up the front seat figuring I could relax in the back with the laptop. I was able to write. A bit. I was distracted by the conversation in the front. Especially when MM glanced at me in the rear view mirror and asked "Are you writing down everything we say?!"

I knew he was half joking. It's a worthwhile question. On this occasion, I wasn't copying down their conversation. But sometimes I do. At the moment, my story is for my eyes only. I might have to think more about the real life people in my story, if I am ever lucky enough to be looking at publishing deals. Usually, I have taken creative license. Usually, reality has simply provided inspiration. Sometimes it's more concrete than that and I wonder how real life subjects will feel about me using them as book fodder.

How do the people in your life feel about appearing in your stories? Do you write about them often? Will you use real life inspiration for this week's WoW?

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 25 - I heard a song on the radio during the week and I thought the lyrics would make an interesting prompt for WoW. So, write the words "The saddest thing I ever heard" on your page, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head based on the given prompt.

I will be interested to see where this prompt takes you all!

The Mothers

2011-11-17T00:23:00.006+11:00

There was that smell again. The combination of early morning and hot asphalt. The chorus of caws from the Magpies nesting in the old Gum next door. The crunch of her feet on the pavement. The purple flowers on the Jacarandas. Her senses poured over her, like a warm, reassuring hug. This is it, she thought. This is everything.

Lill wore the discontentment well. Her orange and black beads banging against her throat as she walked. She stopped to talk to the other mothers. She felt differently about them now. Lill had caught sight of the Enrollment List in the office. Each mother's birth date dotted in the top right hand corner. 1967. 1972. 1973. Even a 1965. Her 1978 seemed childish in comparison. She chatted to them, feeling like a kid caught in her mother's make up. They accepted her, even liked her. But there was an air of superiority. Or had she imagined Christina looking at the black hole in her nose, right where Lill once wore a tiny silver ring? Lill knew The Mothers didn't see the wrinkles and sun spots that she saw in her own face each morning. They saw youth in Lill's rented house and cheap jewellery. Until Jodi had joined the Playgroup and The Mothers forgot about Lill's differences. They forgot the minute Jodi flopped out her left breast to give her preschooler his morning feed.

*********************************************************

I chose the Sit under a tree and write exercise. I sat under the biggest tree in our garden and wrote the first words that came to mind. I didn't set a timer. M2's cry signals the end of his nap time and it also acted as my buzzer this week. I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. Writing outside is refreshing.

Read this week's prompt and link up your own creative writing piece here.

image found here

What's my scene....? It's Write on Wednesday

2011-11-14T01:02:00.003+11:00

I have written every day since November the 1st. Thanks to NaNoWriMo,. Working on the same writing project feels good. It feels great. My story is in its infancy, I am tired and bleary eyed but I'm enjoying the feeling that comes from nurturing something. It's waking me in the night, calling out for me to put pen to paper, often at the most inconvenient of times. But that's exciting. At this stage, it's about getting from one day to the next but if I can keep tending to it, this story may just learn to stand on its own.

I find talking about my ideas for the story is helping to flesh out the plot. I was chatting to my brother about my Na No story, about what sort of story I would like it to be and we got on to what sort of stories I like to read. I love Dirt Music, Chocolat, and more recently a book called The Mistress of Spices. I like the way simple things like music, food and spices have been used to weave magic through the plot. Dream like yet somehow also realistic and average. Beauty, sadness and desire are presented in the everyday, the characters evolve and change subtly yet significantly. Each of these authors are able to expose the fantasy wallowing in the mundane.

It sounds like a big ask but I'd love to write a book that does this. I guess a good story is like a ball of string. It make sense to unravel it carefully.

And so to help us unravel our stories, here is this week's WoW writing prompt:

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 24 - This week is a Choose Your Own Adventure week. Look to your left...In my sidebar you will find a list of the WoW writing exercises. Pick a prompt that takes your fancy and make it work for you. Maybe you will work on your NaNo story or another writing project or perhaps just a bit of creative exploration. You might even like to share your favorite book genre with us and then use the prompt to work on a similar theme.

What's YOUR writing scene? Fantasy, Romance, Humour, Sci-Fi? Do the books you read reflect the sort of book you would like to write?

image found here

Now, that's a fire...

2011-11-11T16:51:00.001+11:00

We are learning to make fire....

Luke watched with careful eyes. Olive was moving her glasses with one hand, experimenting with different angles. Her free hand cupping the afternoon sunlight, like the way she shielded her cigarettes from the wind, Luke thought. He looked over his shoulder. The family hated Olive smoking and somehow, he sensed that they would disapprove of this too. Luke stood torn, wanting desperately to see the fire spring to life. His mother was cooking her potato bake. Luke heard the Dallas theme song reverberating through the kitchen and he knew that Olive was safe. For the moment. His mother would be stirring a steady rhythm, her mind absorbed with Who Shot J.R, her eyes on a vigilant watch for lumps in the white sauce. Luke was only 10 but he had learnt many years before that he was to provide the buffer between Olive and his mother. Olive didn't care about lumpy white sauce. His mother didn't care to use her reading glasses to catch the power of the sun.

A small spark caught in the kindling then. "Now, tell me that's a fire!" Olive said, turning to Luke as the spark grew to a flame. He watched her help the spark jump from stick to stick in the pile. "That's a fire, Grandma" Luke said.

This week's writing prompt was "We are learning to make fire". The idea was to write these words (taken from Margaret Atwood) at the top of your page and then write the first words that came into your head for a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. I went slightly over my 5 mins. Again!

There is still time to link up your own creative writing piece. Read the other responses to this week's prompt here

Happy weekend to you all!

We are learning to make fire....It's Write on Wednesday

2011-11-07T11:01:00.001+11:00

Last week, as always, we had many great WoW pieces but I particularly liked Naomi's determined squelching and Melanie's use of Instrumental Moby. Did you read these pieces? You should check them out.

Sticking with the theme of simplicity (Christmas is coming, it's NaNWriMo, writing projects, kids, partners, work, life), I have selected a starting prompt for us from the trusty site, Creative Writing Prompts. Consider checking out their prompts if you get stuck on your NaNo journey. You might find a prompt that simply gets the pre-writing thoughts chugging or you might find yourself writing a twist into your plot.

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 23 - Write the words of Margaret Atwood at the top of your page "We are learning to make fire". Set your timer to 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings.

That's it! Get writing and link your piece to the linky below

How is your NaNoWriMo going? If you want to see what's in my NaNoWriMo trunk, take a sneak peak here. But if you are not working on NaNoWriMo, feel free to let us know about any other writing projects you are working on in the comments section...

* If you ARE NaNoing and would like a bit of further inspiration, you might like to use one of the headlines from Onion Like Headlines to jolt that creative spark.

Time to say goodbye

2011-11-03T18:33:00.000+11:00

The Doctor was talking to her mother in the hallway. Audrey’s body was spent but her ears pricked at their conversation. She was a mother too, for the third time now and Mothers Knew. She heard the sentences in snippets. Too small. Too weak. Too sickly. Not long for this world. Make preparations. Audrey turned to look at her new child, her third child. The conversation in the hallway progressed to Church Services. Should they send for the Priest? They had placed her baby girl in a bedside drawer. Alone. Too small. Too yellow. Too weak. Her baby. Barely 4 pounds of wrinkled skin. With a mass of thick, black hair. She heard her baby kick at the edge of the drawer persistently, making a rhythmic thudding sound with her small feet. Audrey reached out across the bed and stoked the tiny toes. She saw the Doctor and her Mother walking back towards her. Don’t try to feed her, The Doctor said. It’s not worth spending any more of your energy. He was cleaning the lens of his glasses as he spoke. And I believe there is a problem between your husband and the church? The Doctor intruded in his strict, condescending tone.

17 years later and she still remembered the satisfaction of meeting him straight in the eye. She had told him quite simply that there was not a problem with the Church. She paused to look to her child before telling the Doctor not to bother sending for the Priest. 17 years later and Audrey recalled the Doctor’s frustration. 17 years later and she watched with awe as her third child, her black haired girl boarded the train to London.

17 years later. It was 1943. Again, the world was a shaky place to be. London was a shaky place to be. But Audrey stared the train down and waved her daughter goodbye.

I wrote this piece while listening to Band of Horses: Is there a ghost?. The story doesn't have much to do with the song. I wanted to write about my Grandmother's birth and this piece is based on her story. Not all of it happened as it appeared here, I took a certain amount of artistic licence with it! I often listen to Band of Horses to write, I'm not sure why. This song just seemed to suit the mood I was going for. I ended up writing for the duration of three plays of the song.

The piece above was my second shot.

Write your own stream of consciousness piece to the music of your choice. Then, link it up to the list below

When the music's over....It's Write on Wednesday

2011-10-30T23:37:00.003+11:00

image found here

Well, I am pleased many for you agree with the 5 minute exercises. A quick, timed creative writing exercise will make even more sense over the next couple of months. The festive season is creeping closer and I figure fitting at least 5 minutes of writing into a week otherwise filled with Secret Santas and pre-Christmas catch ups will help sooth our creative consciences.

I am still reading through last week's pieces. I'm taking my time with them. It's nice to read leisurely in the evening, without being constantly interrupted by a preschooler chatting or a toddler taking the keyboard hostage. I have read many lovely lines but so far my favorite is "Its back was glossy midnight". Beautiful.

I also liked what Rain did with last week's prompt. Rain picked an appropriate piece of music and wrote to the length of the song. I thought we should give it a shot in this week's prompt. (Thanks Rain.)

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 22 - Select a piece of music that reflects the mood of writing you'd like to aim for. Press play. Start free writing. Write the first words that come into your head. When the music's over, so is the writing. I'd recommend finding out how long the song is before you start the exercise. You may feel cheated in your writing time if you pick a song by The Ramones. Of course, if you feel like writing a short, punky piece by all means, go for it!

Before I sign off, I thought I'd include a little WoW news this week. Many WoWers have shared snippets of their writing achievements and dreams on various social networking sites of late:

Jayne is now blogging or writing WITH pay, Jennifer is on her way from first draft to publication, Karen is bringing some rhythm to a certain fabulous online magazine, a small group of us shared our NaNo goals with The Writing Bar and Sif will be having a story published in The Lost Children Anthology.

Great stuff, ladies! If you have any good writing news, let me know. I'd love to hear about it. That's enough for me. Get writing and link up your piece below.

The Witching Hour

2011-10-28T11:15:00.002+11:00

I thought I saw...a shift in the darkness. A soft thud in the middle of the night, something falling from the sky. Or from the roof. I'd been chasing sleep for hours, listening to the soft snores beside me, frustrated with the tiny mind naps I'd become accustomed to. It was during this state of half sleep that I had first noticed the strangeness of the small hours. The night perplexed me as a child. I would bury my head in my pillow, willing sleep to pull me through the witching hour. My brother called me a scaredy cat and I was. I'd squint through midnight, knowing this was when The Giants came to snatch children from their bedrooms, when The Witches flew past windows. Even Father Christmas left me uneasy. And now, here I was stalking the shadow moving in the darkness. I arched my back and faced the nighttime

image found here

Link up your own creative writing piece to this week's exercise here

I thought I saw...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-10-24T01:19:00.002+11:00

i thought i saw?
artwork by Steve Rosendale

I have to admit it. I enjoyed last week's return to the 5 minute exercise. I find a certain amount of freedom in the timed exercises and to be honest, I don't think I would have got to last week's prompt if it was not a 5 minute stream of consciousness exercise. Besides I think the prompt produced some wonderful pieces, my favorites from Jennifer, Stella Orbit and Jayne.

I hope you will all forgive me but I have decided to stick with the 5 minute exercise for the next few weeks. NaNoWriMo will soon be keeping me busy and I thought it would be best to keep WoW simple for now. Also, I like the creativity that comes from the timed exercises and think they make a handy cure for writers' block - I just don't have the time for writers' block at the moment!

How does that sound to you?

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 20 - Write the words " I thought I saw" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

Image found here

Last moments

2011-10-21T18:15:00.002+11:00

...The little blonde boy cradled the fluttering moth in unpredictable hands. Waiting patiently to see what would happen, his next action undecided, his instinct pulling in two directions. He could push his palms together with as much pressure as his small hands could gather. Just to see what would happen. He could cup the beautiful creature gently. Just to see what would happen. He felt his hands lifting over his head, his eyes squinting in wonder at the moth clinging at him. He felt big for once, feeling the soft, rapid flap of one good wing on the inside of his palm. Would it fall? Would it fly? It was beautiful, this flapping creature. But it was broken. No good anymore. Like that old bike they had left out in the rain. The front wheel had fallen off and his grandmother said the whole bike was ruined now. The moth had one good wing left, but that wasn't enough. "Bring me sunshine in a cup" he called to his grandmother, who was hovering. He couldn't make it better but he could make its last moments beautiful...

Whew, I had nothing this week. Flat out, nothing. It seemed like such a lovely prompt but I just couldn't get into it. No idea why this was the stream of writing I ended up with. A little boy at work found a dying moth yesterday and although he felt ambivalent towards the little creature, he was captivated by its last moments. Funny how you can end up writing about an event so small you barely noticed it happening....

Link up your own writing post and read the other pieces here

Image found here

Bring me sunshine in a cup....It's Write on Wednesday

2011-10-17T02:11:00.002+11:00

image found here

It's time for another WoW exercise already! Thanks for the great feedback on last week's writing piece, I was interested to read your advice and I found the exercise a valuable one.

We have had a request to have Make it Better a regular exercise. We will have the Choose your own adventure exercise once a month to give people a chance to catch up on missed weeks so how do you feel about another regular exercise? If it was to become a monthly exercise also then we would be left with room for two random writing exercises per month. What do you think? Will this make WoW too structured? Or will this make WoW better? I'd love for you to let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below...

Right, I have decided to take it easy this week. I thought we would revisit our old 5 min stream of consciousness. Time will not be on my side this week (I'm doing actual paid work this week, three days of it, in fact. This will mark my first visit back to work in four years - wish me luck!). But even with all this going on, I know I can always find 5 minutes. Somewhere, somehow, I WILL find 5 minutes...

I visited Creative Writing Prompts to find this week's exercise, the site that gave us our Winking Clock exercise. I picked exercise number 103 this time and that brings us.....sunshine in a cup.

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 19 - Sunshine in a cup. Write the words of Emily Dickinson: "Bring me sunshine in a cup" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

Link your post up to the linky below and pop around to other links to offer your support

Get writing!

P.S I am still visiting last week's pieces - sorry if I have not yet got to your piece.

Poppy

2011-10-12T10:14:00.001+11:00

Original:
..She turned over the small worn piece of card. The back was blank. Just the same discolouration and a few more ink stains. She had assumed it was an old business card. But then, there wasn't a name. There wasn't a number. Just the two letters, in delicate cursive. And a tiny asterisk to finish off. PP*. The letters meant little to her. Initials, perhaps? Had she seen this card before? Had she dreamt of it? No, it was its scent, a smell she knew but couldn't pinpoint. There was an image in her head now. A garden filled with red flowers. She rummaged in the jewellery box, she must have missed something. Her fingers felt the soft lining of the box again. But as she ran her hand over the red satin she realised something was stuck in the corner. Something so red and soft that it blended into the lining perfectly. No wonder she had missed it before! She used her nails to pry the lining away and pulled out a red petal. A single dried Poppy...

Revised:

..She flipped over the small, worn card. The back was blank too, discoloured and ink stained. At first she had thought it was an old business card. But there wasn't a name. There wasn't a number. Nothing but the two tiny letters and an asterisk. PP*. Initials, perhaps? Her senses were needling her. She had held this card before, in her dreams perhaps. The smell of it teased her, a scent she couldn't pinpoint even as images of a red flowered garden flashed before her. She turned back to the jewellery box, rummaging for missed explanations. Again, her fingers felt only the soft lining of the box. Ignoring the sneaking disappointment, she ran her hand firmly over the red satin. Something was stuck fast in the corner. Something as red and soft as the lining. With stubby fingernails she picked the lining away and pulled out a red petal. And a single, withered Poppy...

The original piece was the result of a 5 min stream of consciousness exercise written a few weeks ago for WoW. I rarely revisit stream of consciousness exercises but this may be a misgiving on my part. A stream of consciousness produces the raw block of wood. Editing allows you to carve something more meaningful. I am not sure why I chose to revisit this piece, it doesn't have a plan, it doesn't have anywhere to go. But it felt like a good piece to practice on.

I'd love to get your advice. What works? What doesn't?

Make it better....It's Write on Wednesday

2011-10-09T23:43:00.001+11:00

if someone tells you your writing sucks? make it better

Thanks for your feedback on last week's post. It doesn't matter how often you join in with WoW or when and why you can't. I will not be focusing on the number of people linking anymore and although I am trying to avoid cliches in my writing, the phrase quality not quantity seems appropriate here. I have linked to this article before but I needed to re-read it as The Quiet Theory of Influence offers some wonderful advice on providing something of value. Thanks for the effort you all put into WoW each week.

We will have an Open Week once a month as it gives people time to catch up and/or revisit favorite exercises. The first exercise of each month will go with the Choose your own adventure theme.

Now...It's time for Write on Wednesday. I thought we would look at editing and offering (and accepting!) constructive criticism this week - both vital parts of the writing process. Some of us are better at offering writing advice than others. We can all learn though so I'd love for you to share your tips/links/questions on offering constructive criticism on writing in the comments below....

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 18 - Look through your previous WoW posts (or select a short writing piece that you would like to work on). Read through your piece carefully and let's attempt to make it better. Look for redundant words, cliches or overused phrases. Chop and change. This is not an exercise in word count, it's not about simply whittling it down. Make it a better piece of writing. Post your original and edited piece. THEN, throw it to the*wolves. Ask for advice from WoWers. With help you can make your writing shine. ** This article on criticism may help you get your brave on.

Make sense? Ask any questions in the comment section below. Enjoy!

*Of course WoWers aren't wolves. This is constructive criticism...
**Yep, I am linking to Zen Habits twice in one post...

image found here

It's French for Alfalfa

2011-10-05T15:40:00.211+11:00

He scales the cafe floor like a horizontal Spiderman. His steps defy his lack of height and he covers great distance with each striding step. The heavy, white washed furniture can not stand in his path as he glides easily over a chair and up on to its mismatched tabletop. He sits cross legged, an espresso balances on one knee, a newspaper on the other. I am his only customer and with my order out of the way, he can get back to enjoying his morning.

Now peaceful on his perch, he sings loudly to the music drifting from the cafe speakers. His rough, heavily accented voice fights Pete Murray's husky drawl. He is a caricaturist's wet dream. An animated alfalfa sprout perhaps?

Then, the glass door at the entrance shatters his song and in walk two middle aged tourists. They are laughing and talking loudly. Spiderman looks up from his paper slowly. With an exaggerated sigh, he stares at the intruders with faint interest. The tourists stop laughing. Confused they look to me in the corner for help. Spiderman pulls at the grey tinged, black curls exploding from his hairline.

"Bonjour" Spiderman barks, breaking the tension with his native tongue. "Cafe?, Chocolat Chaud?" he gestures casually at the coffee machine across the room. The tourists edge sheepishly to the counter.

Spiderman sighs again, before using his skinny limbs to lift himself up from the table and bound to the ground. I see it as my chance to exit. "Merci! Au Revoir" he bellows after me.

And then in English

"Come Again!"

I decided to have a go at The People in your Neighbourhood exercise. I missed it with our move so it seemed like the obvious choice. I went over the word limit. It is a bit long but unfortunately nap time is over and I have to hit publish. Advice on parts to chops will be appreciated!

Choose your own adventure....It's Write on Wednesday

2011-10-03T02:13:00.003+11:00

hanging out with like minded souls

Last week I was chatting to Kristy (via email) as I was feeling a little concerned for WoW. After a couple of weeks with LOTS of linkers we were back down to the usual 30 odd number. This meant people weren't coming back for more, trying WoW once and that was it. I was feeling anxious. I worried that WoW wasn't working for people. A niggling feeling that perhaps it is not such a great idea.

Kristy put it in perspective. "What did I want for WoW" she asked? Loads and loads of linkers or a solid bunch of regulars? (A regular does not have to show up each and every week, by the way. You should join up when you like the exercise and when you have the time). I knew right away that the answer was a solid bunch of regulars. The original motivation behind WoW was to get together with like minded souls to write. Not to create a massive following for my blog. It really wasn't supposed to be about blogging at all. It was a writing thing. Ever been to massive party? The open house kind? I have and you know what? It sucked. I much prefer an intimate gathering.

And instead of stressing about the popularity of WoW I am focusing on the loyalty of those of you who do take part. I love the way our little group is embracing WoW. Seeing you all encouraging new writers, stopping by each others' posts and offering your advice and support. This is what I want for WoW. Whether you can make it every week or once a month, if you are here for the writing, you are welcome.

I did get momentarily seduced by the numbers game. But the craziness has thankfully passed. I appreciate your wise words, Kristy.

So enough blogging chat. Here's this week's writing exercise:

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 17: This week, we are going with Karen's idea for an open choice week. So take a look at the old writing exercises (you can find them listed in my sidebar: WoW Writing Exercises), find one you'd like to try (or retry!) and link it up to the linky below. Short and simple instructions this week. If time is an issue perhaps you would like to try one of the 5 minute stream of consciousness exercises.

P.S I am still making my way through last week's WoW posts. A combination of The Move and Blogger commenting issues means I am waaaaay behind. But I promise to get to your piece soon! I have spent this evening reading the WoW posts but for whatever reason, I can't leave comments on every post. Grrrr. My blog seems to have been invaded by a crazy deleted Photobucket thing so apologies for that too. I'll add sorting that out to my ever growing To Do List.

What do YOU want from WoW?

image credit

Sweet Lill

2011-09-29T00:29:00.000+10:00

It had taken forever to find her. And then, one day, there she was. Sweet Lill. My one and only. Sometimes I would lie on my bed, watching her move about, peeling her tangerine each night for desert. Lill always ate tangerines. Never oranges. Tangerines are easier to peel.

The funny thing about finding Lill was the niggling feeling that I already knew her. I had dreamt of her. She had been riding her bicycle past me, her red hair pouring out from under her bulky helmet. I had stepped out in front of her. By accident, of course. I was half a man until that dream. It bowled me over. The dream. Sweet Lill. It made me feel whole.

I know she loves me. If you've ever had a soul mate, you'll understand. It's a deep love. For always. Before and after. No matter what they might do to you. I think this was what scared Lill most, she'd got confused and let silly ideas into her head. Sweet Lill. Sending the officers to my door.

I know she loves me. As they drove me away, I caught a glimpse of Lill's shadow one last time.

I swear I saw her wave goodbye.

This was based on the lyrics to the song Lily by Smashing Pumpkins. It's not my favorite song but I do like it and rediscovered it during our move. I loved this week's exercise and I plan to use it again and again but I struggled to find the time to write this week. I'm keen to spend longer on it when I get a chance.

Thanks for the writing suggestion, Hadge. Write your own story behind the song and link it up to the linky here!

Songbird...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-09-26T23:38:00.019+10:00

great stories come in great songs

Whewwww! The first week of WoW coming to you live from the sunny (no, it's raining) city of Perth! I have officially been out of the country and in the city for 24 hours and I have already managed to lose myself in IKEA. I knew I should have stayed away but with the awful weather, what better way to distract from unpacking than trawling through the rabbit warren of Swedish Design with a thousand pregnant and/or mothers of young children. Man, that place knows how to sell. The cheap restaurant, the kiddie play area, the bright colours, the fact that you can barely find your way out - there are some very clever Swedes out there.

*But we are back at home, armed with allan keys and the odd LACK table, the sun is finally shining through the rain and I am very pleased to be back for WoW. I'm curious as to how you all went last week so I will try to pop around and read some of the WoW posts I missed.

This week I thought we would go with a writing exercise suggested by Hadge.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 16:

Hadge says: Take a favorite (or even random play) song and write the story behind the lyrics, not something inspired by the lyric, but the flesh on the bones of the story. It gives lots of scope for interpretative writing. Use the lyrics or theme of a song for a piece of flash fiction (50 to 200 words). To clarify, write your version of the story behind the lyrics in a song

This exercise is quite different from week 5's Write the Music exercise, which was to take the first line of a song and then write a 5 minute stream of consciousness piece using the single line as inspiration. You all sounded happy to re-visit exercises and I have decided to go with Karen's suggestion (in last week's comments) of having an open week where we can re-visit an exercise of our choice. This is what we will do next week so you might like to look through some of the older prompts/exercises and pick one that you really enjoyed (or, even better, one that you'd like to improve on). You can read through the previous exercise here.

Thanks to Karen for taking care of WoW last week!

I hope you enjoy this week's exercise. Write your response to the exercise and link it up to the linky below. Then, pop by other WoW blogs to offer support or constructive criticism where necessary!

* Sorry today's exercise is sooo late, I wrote this hours ago, was ready to press "publish" and the battery died on my laptop. Of course I could not find the charger anywhere - we are still living out of boxes. Better late than never, right?

Oh, who are the people in your neighbourhood?...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-09-19T00:21:00.004+10:00

the people that you meet when you're walking down the street...

Last week was a tough one and I think I missed the mark in explaining the exercise. It would have been better to avoid the word "Rewrite". This led to some confusion and people assumed I meant to edit, rephrase or make the original better. The original paragraph was to work like a piece of scaffolding, a leg up onto your own writing platform. Your own content told in a similar sentence structure and style to the original. I was asked to do this exercise a number of times during university and I think my familiarity with the activity led me to make the mistake of glossing over what was expected. My bad!

Anyway, you persevered, some of you 3 or 4 times! One new WoWer wrote about how she broke down the original paragraph to come up with the start of her own story. Overall there was great writing as always. But a lesson learnt for me, nonetheless.

This week's exercise invites you to call upon the voyeur within...

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 15 - Give yourself some time to notice the people around you. The people who may cross your path each day. The lady in front of you at the supermarket, the man who helps the school kids cross the road, a neighbour, a waitress in a cafe, a librarian, anyone at all. Choose one person, someone you don't know, and this person will become the basis of the week's writing exercise. Describe this person as you see them, describe their surroundings. Then imagine a problem, create conflict for this person. Describe the conflict. Describe how your character deals with the problem. The conflict might resolve itself, it might not. It is up to you. Perhaps, the lady in the supermarket has forgotten her wallet. Does she bursts into tears? Maybe the librarian finds a lost child. The aim is to show how your character responds to conflict and in the process, reveal something about that character. Tell us their story.

Let's aim for around 200 words, keeping with the theme of the last few weeks (to make each word count). Hopefully those of you who are writing ongoing stories will find a way to weave this exercise into your work.

Housekeeping!
I am moving towns and so might not make it to WoW this week. I will try my hardest to complete the exercise but I can't promise that I will get to read all of your posts. Karen will be here and has kindly offered to watch over WoW for the week so she will be popping about to read and comment on your writing.

Lastly, a question for you all: A few WoW members have contacted me with writing exercises they would like to try. The exercises that have been suggested were tackled in the first few weeks of WoW. (Dialogue Detectives and Write the Music). I'd like to know how original WoWers would feel about giving either of these another crack. We could put another spin on them, make them a little different but let me know in the comments below. Yes, you'd like to give it another go or No, you've been there done that.

That's all, folks.

Write your piece, link it up to the linky below and visit other Write on Wednesday participants to leave them a comment. Let us know if you would like constructive criticism on your writing. The linky will be open from Monday to late Friday. If you can't Write on Wednesday...any day will do!

image credit: Ron Harris photographed by Dylan Don

Down and Out in...Margaret River

2011-09-14T16:16:00.001+10:00

Bussell Highway, Margaret River, 11pm at night. A pride of drunken, excited young men spill from the Tav. Hattie O'Flannagan, who kept the Spice Cafe in town, had come out after dark to expose her teenage son. Her arms were folded into her cape and her henna stained hair was short and angry.

This was inspired by the first paragraph of Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell:

"The Rue Du Coq d'Or, Paris, seven in the morning. A succession of furious, choking yells from the street. Madame Monce, who kept the little hotel opposite mine, had come out on to the pavement to address a lodger on the third floor. Her bare feet were stuck into sabots and her grey hair was streaming down."

Well, taking on Orwell is a challenge! Down and Out in Paris and London was one of my favorite books in my early twenties, it was nice to re-visit it. I think this exercise is valuable. As daunting as it is to "rewrite" the words of wonderful writers, it does help to get the ideas flowing (my version is entirely fictional, no idea where it came from!). It is also a great way to study the flow and different possibilities for arranging a sentence.

Read this week's writing exercise and link up your own post here. If you are having trouble, check out Adam's piece (he also chose Orwell this week). Adam re-worked his paragraph four times and reading his post may help clarify the exercise.

Thanks for the writing exercise, Zanni!

The Mighty Mighty Rewrite...It's Write on Wednesday

2011-09-12T01:06:00.000+10:00

make sentences that go the distance

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. ~Mark Twain, letter to George Bainton

Wasn't last week's writing exercise super? You must have thought so as we had a whopping 53 linkers! I think I made it to all of the links. It took me a looong time but I wanted to visit all of the posts. If I missed your post, send me a gentle Hey! You Forgot Me!!

Thanks to Karen I now have myself a "One line a day" journal. It is satisfying to see one little sentence, one created with a bit of time and effort. Some of my sentences are better than others but I think the journal is a great writing tool.

Moving right along...

This week's writing exercise is brought to you by Zanni from All about being a mummy. I'm very pleased to be receiving so many great writing prompts. It does make my job pretty easy but I like to get your ideas because it means we get to try many different styles/exercises/prompts. It's easy for me to float around in the same area, picking similar exercises without realising it. Lets face it: two heads (or fifty three perhaps?) are really better than one. Keep them coming!

The Write on Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the exercises. Don't worry too much about right or wrong. The aim is to Get Writing. Do try to visit the other writers linking up and leave a comment. You can grab the Write on Wednesday button from my sidebar.

Write on Wednesday Exercise 14 - The Mighty Mighty Rewrite...

Zanni: I did a workshop with literary author Mj Hyland, who teachers Masters in Creative Writing at Manchester University. She asked us to choose our favourite book, take the first paragraph and then write our own content into the paragraph, keeping the structure, tone, language etc. It's really helpful!

No time limit. Let's keep up the focus on making each word count. Ready? Set? Write!

Write your paragraph, link it up to the linky below and visit the other Write on Wednesday participants. Let us know if you would like constructive criticism. The linky will be open from Monday to late Friday. It doesn't matter if you can't Write on Wednesday...any day is fine!

image credit

In the moonlight...

2011-09-07T22:22:00.002+10:00

The moonlight swoops, robbing her grandmother's beloved alarm clock of it's gentle green and immediately, Rosie's world turns the colour of muted silver...

Brilliant exercise, Karen! I found it difficult but it was good to focus on the construction of a sentence rather than the free flow of a stream of consciousness exercise. I had trouble getting started so I decided to take the idea from an earlier 5 minute piece, The Clock winked at ten to two. I wanted my sentence to sum up the mood of the piece - the feeling a child has when waking in the early hours to see familiar objects warped and foreign in the shadows. Does that make sense?

There wasn't a time limit this week but M2 is my buzzer, nap time is over and so that's it for me. I will be using this exercise often from now on.

You can click here to view Karen's exercise, link your own one liner and/or read how others responded this week.

image found here

A Great One Liner...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-09-05T11:29:00.001+10:00

*make each word count

I wasn't sure where to take this week's writing prompt. Last week proved to be a powerful writing and personal exercise.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how to follow it up. Enter Karen at The Rhythm Method. Karen's writing suggestion had me at "tiny little paper plane that must travel a big distance". The John Kinsella mention clinched the deal. John is one of WA's finest poets and I was lucky enough to study his Poetry Unit in my university days.

I warn you: this exercise may seem easy. Just a sentence, you may ask? No, not just a sentence at all. This will be another great challenge but I have been impressed at the bravery with which everyone is approaching the weekly exercises. If you have been watching WoW from the sidelines, it's time to jump in...

Karen says:

I have a 'One line a day' journal, where I write one or two sentences on what I did each day. I thought this would be a good prompt to show how much weight words can carry - they can whizz you from Melbourne to Sydney in one breath. Or from breakfast to death. Here are two fine examples from Sand, a collection of writings by WA writers Robert Drewe & John Kinsella:

"My strongest childhood memories are to do with the sand under my bare feet and the ground under my body." (Excerpt from Buffalo Sunday, Robert Drewe)

"The Last Explorer wears green pyjamas, embossed with tiny heraldic shields, buttoned up to his chin. A pink coverlet is drawn up to his chest." (From The Last Explorer, Robert Drewe)

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 13 - A Great One Liner...This week you need to come up with one good line to describe a part of your day. It can be 'real life' or fiction. But it must tell us 'who did what'. It has to be an amazing line, like a tiny little paper plane that must travel a big distance (figuratively speaking) with only a few folds ... Every word in that line must earn its place, or be cut as excess baggage. Let's get thinking about each sentence as though every word counts, like working one group of muscles to show how much weight they can carry.

*If you would like to focus on making every word count, check out Flash Fiction Friday - another weekly writing prompt and Community Writing Project. Thanks Adam for the suggestion.

Write your sentence, link it up to the linky below and visit other's Write on Wednesday participants. Let us know if you would like to receive constuctive criticism on your piece. The linky will be open from Monday to late Friday. It doesn't matter if you can't Write on Wednesday...Any day is fine...

image credit

The Contingency Plan...

2011-08-31T14:54:00.151+10:00

Week after week we lie here, bonded in nature gone wrong. An endless drift of medical staff sidling through the curtains. Any hour of the day is deemed appropriate. Each one represents to me the possibility of good news but they always come lacking. After 8 weeks in this place, it feels like the never ending story. Checking vitals. Talking expectations. Playing a waiting game of risk assessment. Statistics that mean nothing when you are the one in 1000.

But it's okay. I have a plan.

The Perth skyline stretches out beyond my room with a view. People are indulging in Christmas drinks in the bars of Subiaco below. What I wouldn't give to be late night toy shopping in Target right now... But it's okay. My contingency plan will steer the control back in my direction. I have an arsenal of Affirmations and I'm armoured with good vibes. I stay off the radar. Bogged down in a fox hole of library books on positive thinking.

I'm fighting. And waiting.

Each day, I allow myself time off from The Good Thoughts. My mind gets a break from the onslaught of white light in the form of the hospital televisions screens. GLEE and Celebrity Masterchef are good value. Will he choose the football team or GLEE club? Will Eamon build his Croquembouche? I feel better because I'm not the only one with problems.

8 weeks in a room with faceless strangers. I hear their stories through closed curtains. Lady With High Blood Pressure. Lady With Ruptured Membranes At 30 Weeks. Lady Pregnant With Baby Suspected To Be Incompatible With Life. They leave the ward one at a time but I don't hear what becomes of them.

Finally it's my turn. I keep up the fight. Through the three hour Emergency Cesarean. Knowing it shouldn't take this long. Then comes the conversation with the doctor afterwards and the Intensive Care nurses that come to me in the middle of the night to check if my body has decided to heal itself.

I keep fighting. Even at 3am, when the midwife tells me that God only gives us what we can handle.

The Hysterectomy word resurfaces. I feel the Inner Calm faltering. I'm angry at the doctors. At my body. At my Uterus and it's traitorous mood. But still, I'm not ready to give up on it. Not over one lapse in loyalty. I adopt the fighting tactics I use at home. I slam the door on my Uterus. Like a damn Jack In The Box, I pop back out again and again, each time with a few new words. Each time sounding a little more ridiculous.

Perhaps we could agree to make my Uterus sleep on the couch for a few days? To teach it a lesson. Give it some time to think about what it has done wrong.

It's a surreal experience, laying on a bed with wheels, moving through the corridors from hospital to ambulance to new hospital to new operating theatre. My medical entourage in tow. I'm the Pied Piper of the hospital. A Very Important Patient.

I am still fighting and still waiting for the next ambulance when Jen, the kindhearted midwife appears at my side, holding a small bundle. Born at 35 weeks, my baby boy is doing better than I am. Jen has gone against hospital procedure and wheeled my new little one down to me, hoping to boost my spirits before the next surgery. She places him on my chest and I feel him writhing about and sucking desperately at my neck. This is too much. It's like having my nose rubbed in it. My incompetence. I start to cry. What good is a mother who can't hold or feed her baby? The Junior Consultant motions for Jen to take my son away and he slips me a sedative instead.

Finally, I'm calm. I listen to another new doctor, this one South African and with a Double Initial Name, just like my new son. The sedative stops me from seeing this as a good omen. It is as it is. The doctor explains that he will try to locate the vessel that refuses to clot. My entourage are concerned. They used a balloon in my last surgery to prevent my uterus from collapsing on itself. They think once this balloon is removed I will start to hemorrhage. I am told that if this happens I'll be immediately transferred downstairs for an Emergency Hysterectomy. I am 31.

But the sedative has pulled me across the line and I accept that I am down for the count.

Then...

Nothing...Within seconds it is over...The balloon is removed with an anti-climax. Everyone smiles down at me. The South African Doctor heads back to his Christmas Shopping.

I lie there, still in my dull, happy place. This is the best I have felt in weeks.

And at last, I'm not faking it.

A Masterclass with Kerri Sackville...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-29T00:18:00.008+10:00

Last week's WoW Exercise was an important one for me. I found myself writing about my own emotions (something I tend to avoid) but I also got to see everyone embracing the exercise, even with the extra work involved. I am enjoying reading the comments that are taking place each week during WoW - so many of you are stopping by each other's writing posts to offer encouragement, advice and support. It feels like we are building a great little writing community here. Feel free to post your writing links, competitions and /or questions on the Ink Paper Pen Facebook Page. Now, it is time for a new writing exercise...

Today's exercise (thanks to WoW regular, Jodi!) is from writer, Kerri Sackville, Kerri is the author behind When My Husband Does The Dishes and she is also a regular contributor at Mamamia. Kerri has kindly agreed to provide us with an exercise in Life Writing. I hope you all enjoy it.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 12 - The Fight. Kerri says: I am a writer of non-fiction (for now, anyway). In my book 'When My Husband Does The Dishes...', I wrote a memoir of marriage and motherhood in as honest way as I knew how. In interviews, I was constantly asked how I felt about revealing so much about myself, and how I knew where to draw the line. I always answered the same way. Every single thing I wrote in that book was 100% true, because without my truth, I had nothing to offer. However, the book didn't represent 100% of the truth, just as my blog doesn't represent 100% of the truth. There are personal details of my life, my husbands life and my kids' lives that I will never reveal, because we all need to to keep something for ourselves. And that's the key to writing good non-fiction - or one of the keys. You have to be honest, because without honesty, your work won't speak to people. You have to be fearless, because restraint in writing can be perceived. But that doesn't mean that you have to bare your entire soul. Choose what you want to share, choose what is relevant to your story. But make sure that what you choose to share is real, and true.

The exercise today is to write a story from your life. And remember: it has to be 100% true, but it doesn't have to be 100% of the truth. There's a difference. The keywords are: The Fight

There you have it! Let's keep to last week's brief and take our time with the exercise. Happy Writing!

P.S Would you like to know how to write and publish a book that can be read in one afternoon? You can read about the process that led to the publication of Naomi's magical realism novella "Airmail" by clicking over to Novel Spot...

Sink your teeth into Oliver Jeffers

2011-08-25T23:06:00.003+10:00

I am a huge fan of Oliver Jeffers. Lost & Found and How to Catch a Star are regular features of our Bedtime Routine. I am fairly certain that I love his books as much as my boys do. Jeffers is an author who inspires me to follow my own writing dreams. I only wish that I was more talented in the painting/drawing/illustrating department. Even if one day I achieve my goal of authoring a children's book, I know for sure I will never be like Jeffers. His illustrations are dreamlike and whimsical and although Jeffers has a wonderfully unique knack for storytelling, it is the perfect combination of his writing with his illustrations that make him an award winning children's author.

Last Saturday was National Bookshop Day and in celebration, my boys and I took a trip to the Margaret River Bookshop. As soon as we walked in I caught sight of the new Oliver Jeffers book stand! I wondered if its presence could be partially due to my persistent ordering of Lost & Found. I have made it my mission to make sure that every child in Margaret River has a copy and so, it is our birthday present book of choice. But on this occasion, we left Lost & Found on the shelf and instead purchased The Incredible Book Eating Boy

This is another simple but witty and unique story from Jeffers. "Henry loved books. But not like you and I love books, no. Not quite...Henry loved to eat books"

Henry eats everything from dictionaries and atlases to storybooks. The more Henry eats, the smarter he gets. This is great news for Henry, as his plan is to become the smartest person in the world. But before long, the book eating starts to take a turn for the worse and Henry must rethink his habit.

The illustrations are superb in detail. Like me, you may find yourself exploring the pages, even after the kids are tucked away in bed. The pictures have been painted over the pages of found books, giving the book an extra layer and texture. The fonts used (courier and handwritten) also compliment the book theme perfectly

I like the sense of humour Jeffers brings to his stories and The Incredible Book Eating Boy does not disappoint in this department. The disclaimer on the back is an example: DO NOT EAT THIS BOOK AT HOME. It's silly and clever at the same time.

This is a story that comes to life in your hands. Your kids will love the cute surprise waiting for you on the last page and will no doubt demand a second (or third or fourth!) reading. You wont mind - this is one for adults and children to share. Devour it together...

* I don't normally post on a Thursday (except when I am running late with my Write On Wednesday post!). But I'm always keen to discover new children's books so I thought I would link up a quick post about our newest book purchase with the kid's book review linky hosted by House of Prowse. Check out more book reviews here. Or, if you have a children's book review on your blog, why not link it up to the list?

Critiques for Kids

Take a Walk...The Battle Within

2011-08-25T00:47:00.001+10:00

The wind whips. The air stings my cheeks.

I look up to see his head bobbing over the hill. He is even tinier from this distance and my heart aches at his vulnerability. He is watching his own face, reflected in the stream that flows out from under the bridge. He is playing with different facial expressions, getting to know himself. Right now, he is a Monkey Baby. He told me so earlier and I know this is who he sees in the stream. Here in the South West the weather teases and taunts and a sunny afternoon can turn suddenly. A few meters away, the blades of grass start to bend backwards like dominoes, a green Mexican wave warning that I'm standing in the wind's path.

Moments before he was perusing the pebbles in the dirt trail, feeling free and alone. A big boy. He doesn't know it, but I don't let him leave my line of sight. He is getting away from me, further than I am comfortable with. I tend to my smaller son who is still strapped up safely in the pram. I'm putting an extra layer on this child, an extra barrier between him and the weather. In case I am not enough. I pull the hood over his blonde bald head but my eyes don't leave my big boy. Not even for a second. And all the while a battle rages in my head. Give him freedom. Don't lose him

The wind hits my face in small rapid smacks, coming at me from different directions. Egging me on, bored, trying to capture my attention. My big boy hasn't lost his baby curls yet and in the distance I see that the air seems to blow through each ringlet softly. But me? I'm walking against the wind, fighting it with each step and it rips my hair across my face, blurring my vision. I hold my breathe until I can pull the hair off my face and see my big boy again. He has stopped and is staring upwards.

I catch up to him and I see it too now. The rainbow arched across the sky, protected by black strong clouds. I release the breathe. How long has it been since I let myself breathe? I call out in excitement to my monkey baby. Look! A second smaller rainbow, cradled perfectly inside the first. The wind soothes now, it strokes my eyelids gently, removing the worry and tension of the day. My monkey baby runs back to me and climbs into the pram. 'Let's go home now, Mum" he says.

Thanks Karen - I really enjoyed this exercise. I don't feel that I achieved what I wanted to with my sentences but it was good to feel more absorbed in the writing this week. There are a few sentences I am happy with so perhaps I can use them again later. We really did see a double rainbow although I couldn't capture it in the photo!

Link up your own writing or read what others wrote here

Take a Walk...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-22T00:17:00.001+10:00

Let's take a leisurely stroll

Can you believe we are back already for another week of Write On Wednesday? This week we have an exercise taken from Mark Tredinnick's "Little Red Writing Book" as suggested by Karen at The Rhythm Method. I'll jump straight to it...

Read the excerpt from Tredinnick's book below:

"To write well is to make your sentences well. Whatever you want to write, it's sentences you're going to need to master. Your task is to get to the end of each sentence, one after the other. But not just any old how. You have to get somewhere and take your reader with you: and you want to get there well - elegantly, economically, gracefully, reasonably. You don't want to trip, and you don't want your reader to stumble. .. a sentence is just like a gravel path through a forest. It's a track, not a road; it's a trail, not a footpath. You want it to feel finished, but not mass-produced. You don't want it to be anonymous. You want it to have a bit of personality, preferably its own, which will resemble yours. You want it ... to rise and fall. And you want it to take a sensible, and reasonably straight, path to wherever it's meant to be going. So, if you have something to write, concentrate on your sentences and take them one at a time. Put down the burden of the whole huge book, the suite of poems, the letter, the report or the essay. Don't carry that monster on your back. When walking, as the Buddhists say, just walk. When writing, just write. Specifically, write that sentence. And then write this one. Walk it elegantly, and let it suggest, let it even express, everything you mean to say, in the way it tells its own short story - for every sentence is a short story. The way it takes the bends."

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 11 - Take a Walk: "Come back home and write what you encountered. Try to write so that your sentences feel the way the walking felt." Let's toss the 5 minute sprint aside this week and instead take a lingering stroll through our exercise. Participants are encouraged to write a first draft (the point being to get it out on the page), then to go through and edit their piece before posting. We're aiming to get from one place to another, taking the reader with us - economically, gracefully, elegantly.

Perhaps start with the usual stream of consciousness exercise if you are having trouble getting started. But then stop and take a look. Edit your sentences and try to get them "feeling" the way your walk felt.

This may seem challenging. But remember, as always, try to enjoy the exercise. Post what you can and rise to the challenge. After all, that's what we have to do if we want to write and write well. Don't forget to thank Karen for the writing exercise. I think I am going to have to buy a copy of The Little Red Writing Book!

As always the linky will be open from late Monday to late Friday. Please try to visit as many of the other writers linking up as possible.

Need inspiration? Read this: If someone tells you your writing sucks, keep doing it. Make it better

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Piqued!...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-17T13:28:00.000+10:00

...She turned over the small worn piece of card. The back was blank. Just the same discolouration and a few more ink stains. She had assumed it was an old business card. But then, there wasn't a name. There wasn't a number. Just the two letters, in delicate cursive. And a tiny asterisk to finish off. PP*. The letters meant little to her. Initials, perhaps? Had she seen this card before? Had she dreamt of it? No, it was its scent, a smell she knew but couldn't pinpoint. There was an image in her head now. A garden filled with red flowers. She rummaged in the jewellery box, she must have missed something. Her fingers felt the soft lining of the box again. But as she ran her hand over the red satin she realised something was stuck in the corner. Something so red and soft that it blended into the lining perfectly. No wonder she had missed it before! She used her nails to pry the lining away and pulled out a red petal. A single dried Poppy...

I didn't use the word "Piqued"!

I thought about not posting this and trying again to get the actual word into my writing. But then, for whatever reason, this is the first writing that came from the word. I set the timer on my phone and wrote this on a piece of paper before getting out of bed in the morning. I made the mistake of googling the word "pique" last night and ended up with websites about pique knitting and Pique Genealogy (it is a last name too apparently). So I was thinking about names and family secrets and all sorts of tangents before going to bed and obviously this is where this writing came from. I think I made the mistake of over thinking the writing prompt!

I can't wait to see how you have all used the word. I try not to read any of your writing posts until I have written my own piece now as I find it sometimes influences the way I approach the prompt.

Thank you so much Felicity for sharing your Word of the Week with us! It was a definite challenge.

Link up your own writing post or read the response of others here. If you are linking up, please try to visit some of the other links. Don't worry if you can't get to everyone but the more the merrier....

A Gift of Serendipity....It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-15T10:51:00.000+10:00

curiouser & curiouser

Hello again! I hope you all enjoyed last week's Think with Character Exercise. Thank you for your lovely comments and support. I found the week's exercise to be very worthwhile - I feel like a story is slowing unfolding for me (even though I am not sure what that story is just yet!).

We are trying something different again this week. We are connecting with the lovely Felicity from Gifts of Serendipity.

I have mentioned before that Ink Paper Pen was inspired by Life in A Pink Fibro. But the idea for Write On Wednesday rose from The Blogging Ripple Effect. The first stirrings occurred after conversations with Karen. I realised that there are many others like me: people who love to write and are bored of just talking about writing.

Then, the final kick up the backside came after reading the creative posts from Felicity (in particular her Two for Tuesday, Word of the Week, and Letting My Bluebird Sing series). Felicity inspires others to create. So, Write on Wednesday was the combination of ideas, conversations and daydreams. WoW began just 10 weeks ago and since then, I feel like The Ripple Effect has continued and led me to make great connections with many wonderful writers. I am very pleased to have "met" so many enthusiastic like minded souls.

So, enough explanation...Let the Ripple continue...This week Felicity and WoW are in cahoots. We are going to use her Word of the Week as our writing prompt. And it is a doozey! (Felicity posts her Word of the Week series on Wednesday so WoWers are getting a lucky sneak preview...shhhh!)

Please feel free to follow on from last week or start afresh. I sound like a broken record, saying over and over that I would like WoW to work for YOU, but that's me - I like to stress the point!

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 10 - A Gift of Serendipity... Take Felicity's Word of the Week. Write it at the top of your page. Set your timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the Word of the Week. Stop writing when the buzzer rings.

Felicity's Word of the Week is...

Piqued:
A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride.tr.v. piqued, piqu·ing, piques

1. To cause to feel resentment or indignation.
2. To provoke; arouse: The portrait piqued her curiosity.
3. To pride (oneself): He piqued himself on his stylish attire.

Enjoy! Try to have fun. You don't need to focus on the meaning of the word too much. No matter what you write, the point is to Get Writing and link your piece up to the linky below. Don't forget to say hi to Felicity and thank her for her gift...

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Think with Character....When she was good

2011-08-10T16:10:00.001+10:00

When she was good...

Drama and conflict lurked beneath those curls. The black, bouncy ringlets curled down her back, and each night her mother would gently and patiently try to tame the tiny ringlets. Each night, she would cry and scream with a mixture of anger and pain as her mother used a teasing comb to patiently and gently separate the tightly wound strands of hair. This nightly battle proved worthwhile as each and every morning she woke to beautifully maintained perfect corkscrew curls. Her tiny dimple danced in her left cheek and somehow, despite her excitement seeking personality, her pretty neat clothes were always immaculate. She had an eye and ear finely tuned to nature, a talent which led her to discover wonderful things. And wonderful things to discover her in return. She thought nothing of cuddling a complete stranger or jumping from the highest branch of the tree. She trusted the world. And best of all...she completely and faithfully believed that magic was real...

Whew...I don't know how long I took to write this as I had a great deal of trouble setting the alarm on my phone for some reason. It went off every minute and so there was a lot of distractions. I'd probably like to edit this piece a bit. I decided to expand on the young girl from last week's piece: The clock winked...At ten to two. After tying my last 8 WoW posts together, I was surprised to find that there are a couple of different stories that could be connected. I am thinking of tying Billy Bad Matches in with the above character somehow. Though I am not quite sure how I will do this just yet...

Write your own character piece, link it up or read the writing of others here. If you are taking part in WoW, please do try to visit the other writers linking up.

Hope you enjoyed this week!

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Think with Character...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-08T15:46:00.007+10:00

what's your true character?

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught.” J.C Watts

This week I thought I would add the advice of Kate Grenville and tweak it for our online purposes.Long term WoWers (9 weeks already, guys!) have begun to build a collection of writing pieces. The exciting bit is that many of us may find that we have an ongoing story, whether intended or not. This is the idea behind Kate Grenville's The Writing Book: that you can turn a group of stream of consciousness exercises into a bigger, connected story.

You might not want to use WoW for the purpose of building an ongoing story. This is fine too. Some of you may be using WoW simply for blog post ideas or just for fun. Feel free to keep turning up for the weekly exercises, there is no pressure to write a manuscript so take these exercises as seriously or as lightly as you like!

If you are interested in working on an ongoing story, look at all of your WoW posts so far (print them out if it makes life easier). Then go to town with a highlighter. Look for common themes, characters, styles and plots. Don't discard bits that you think are disconnected. You might find they fit in somewhere down the track.

For Exercise 9 I thought we would focus on a character. I have listed two different ways of doing this. It may depend how much time you have up your sleeve as to which approach you take!

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 9 - Think with Character. Choose a character from your writing posts. You can still do this exercise if you are new to WoW - select a character from another piece of your writing or simply work through the exercise from scratch. Now, think about the character in regards to their: gender, age, occupation, physical appearance and mood at this moment. Is your character in the city, the country, inside or outside? Do they live in rich or poor surroundings? Alone or with others? Answer all, some or one of these questions. Now, set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words about your character that come into your head. Stop when the buzzer rings. This may be one week where you feel you need to throw the timer and take your time. Do whatever works for you. You may also like to consider: Complexion, Style of dress, Hair colour/style, Speaking voice and likely vocabulary, Strengths/Weaknesses, Mannerisms

OR for a different approach

* Look at how your character fits into quotes like the one at the top of my page. For example, what does YOUR character do when nobody's looking? You can find more quotes about "Character" here.

That's it from me. Write your post and link it up below, then pop around to comment on the other writing pieces. Most of all, enjoy and have fun with it!

JUST IN: CHECK OUT THE LATEST POST AT LIFE IN A PINK FIBRO. COINCIDENTALLY, IT IS A "HOW TO CREATE CHARACTERS" POST & INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KYLIE LADD

The clock winked....At Ten to Two

2011-08-03T17:06:00.000+10:00

The clock winked....at her. She was sure of it. She had kept one eye open, squinting about her cousin's room, unable to make out anything beyond the dark outline of the wooden bookshelf in the corner. Blanketed in the unfamiliar darkness, the only light came from the dull glow, burning in the chest of the orange and black Bambi nightlight. Bambi's light fell on the objects around her, the bookshelf she was perched upon, a book spine or two. And the small, old, green alarm clock. They had been neighbours forever, Bambi and the little clock. For years, the clock had reflected in the warmth of Bambi's glow while the clock, in turn had comforted Bambi with it's soft reliable tick tocking.

The little girl didn't know of their past. They were both old, she thought. But so was everything in this strange house. One eye fixed with determination on the clock, she willed herself to stay awake. Its button nose. Its arms spread like raised eyebrows at ten to two. If she squinted she could see two tiny eyes, slightly under the eyebrow arms. Now, the shadow of the clock's mechanical wind up stretched across the wall behind it. Had it sprouted fairy wings? she wondered. Just then, again as her eyes were closing, she saw the sudden movement. A wink. And a flap of wings...

There we have it...I think this piece came from memories of staying the night with friends and family as a child. I remember different rooms being impossible to make out in the dark and imagining all kinds of creatures and magic in the shadows. I saw a Bambi night light similar to the one above in a shop recently - strange that she should end up in today's story!

I promise to get around to all of your writing pieces as soon as possible. It was difficult enough to convince my little boy to let me have 5 minutes for the writing exercise - M1 seems to be craving a little extra one on one time today and is determined to get me in a game of marbles. But I'll be back later this evening. Looking forward to reading what you have come up with!

Link your own writing or read the other pieces here

The clock winked...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-08-01T17:03:00.002+10:00

funny how time flies

Last week's WoW provided suspense in the form of a simple red crayon, a non fiction pitch for National Tree Day and a lovely, honest post about soldering on with the writing craft. I think we are all starting to know each other better with each week and I am loving all the support and encouragement. I'd love to claim responsibility for the timeliness of our Sit Under a Tree and Write prompt but sadly, I did not know yesterday was National Tree Day. Perhaps you knew when you provided the photograph prompt, Kristy?

Despite not being satisfied with my own writing, I enjoyed last week's exercise. It was worthwhile for me in the comments. I thought it was interesting that many of you read it as a fantasy piece, when for me, it was about fear. I think this is why it is important to have others read your writing. People interpret our writing in unexpected ways. Plus, I ended up with lots of new ideas after reading what you all had to say - thank you!

Moving right along to this week's writing exercise...I have selected the new writing prompt at random. I googled "writing prompts" and found Creative Writing Prompts. For no particular reason, I picked number 34 and this gives us the writing prompt: The clock winked...

Short and sweet! But, I think we are finding from week to week that each prompt sparks different ideas for each individual. And this is part of the fun, don't you think? The prompt already has me thinking of a song I love...

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 8 - The clock winked...Write the words "The clock winked" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings. Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

* Next week we will do an exercise on characters (as requested by Janelle). Try to take a look at your writing pieces from previous weeks. You may find a recurring character you would like to work with.

Check out Creative Writing Prompts. They list a whopping 346 writing prompts. In my sidebar, I now have a list of writing prompt websites. Visit them to try writing exercises at home. Or you might find a prompt on one of these sites that you think would work for Write On Wednesdays. Let me know if you do and I'll schedule it in...

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Sit under a tree and write...Rickety Bridges

2011-07-27T16:53:00.000+10:00

She stood still, looking out at Rickety Bridges. The maze of wooden bridges crisscrossed over each other, the shallow stream bubbling underneath. She knew each bridge would always lead her back to the tree. The thick limbs on her tree twisted and bowed downwards in a special way, making it the perfect marker. Funny, as she knew the tree wouldn't appear on any map. The people who had mapped the local area all those years before were not interested in her magnificent tree, they marked the massive bush land with one big green patch of colour. The bridges and tree did not exist in their eyes. Nor the tiny engraved cross that scarred the tree trunk still. She smirked at her child like self. X marks the spot. She had read too many Babysitter Club Mystery books back then.

She took a breath and took the first steps onto the bridge that lay closest to the tiny cross marker. Somewhere down this rickety wooden walkway lay the opening to the bush. She walked along the old familiar path. The midges still swarmed above the muddy stream, the frogs still kept out of sight, making their presence known only through their continuous croaking.

She stopped to listen beyond the call of the frogs. She'd caught a sign of movement up ahead. Something was moving on the bridge in front of her, coming towards her now, black and frantic. She braced herself, reaching one hand out to take hold of the branch hanging above her. The dog bolted passed her, running too fast, clumsy and panting. A lead hung from its collar, bumping along each panel on the bridge as it ran....

There you have it for another week of WoW. I went slightly over my 5 minutes this week too. Again, it took me a minute or so to get started. I don't love what I did today but there are elements I could work with. The photo reminded me of a place near our house, a maze of bridges into the bush. I would like to work on this piece again but need to get a better description of the area...I was hoping to write a children's piece this week but it ended up in a much darker place for some reason.

Thanks Kristy for the challenge! I'm really hoping to try the exercise again, next time while sitting under a tree...

Link up your own piece and/or read the other writing posts here

Sit under a tree and write...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-07-25T09:57:00.001+10:00

A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree.

Spike Milligan

Hope you had fun with last week's writing exercise. I'll be keeping a closer watch on status updates from now on! Everything from feeling good and coffee shop rants to sacrificial offerings - who knew Facebook would provide a minefield of writing ideas?

I have decided to stick with the timed theme. The majority of responses to last week's question was to stick with the 5 minutes. However, Sif suggested we write the first 5 minutes for comment but have the option to continue writing an "if anyone is interested in more" post. This could work well. Please do so if you find your writing needs to continue beyond a buzzer. Jodi and Sarah have approached ongoing pieces of writing in recent weeks. You might want to consider doing the same. Find a way to make WoW work for you.

Janelle and I were talking about work shopping our writing on our Facebook Page. I have noticed over the weeks that many of you share writing interests and styles. I'm hoping that WoW will help you to make connections with other writers so consider exchanging email addresses with WoW members that share your writing goals. You can then look at swapping longer pieces of writing for support and feedback, with more privacy. There is no pressure to do this, of course. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Now, it's time for Write On Wednesday!
This week we have an exercise based on a photo by Kristy at House of Prowse. Kristy took the photo above, emailed it to me and suggested we use it as a starting point for a writing prompt. I thought it was a fabulous idea, especially as it will provide a huge challenge for me. I'm not a visual person at all. But I'm determined to give it a go...

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 7 - Sit under a tree and write: Find yourself a quiet spot. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Take a look at Kristy's Tree Photo. Write the first words that come into your head. Keep writing whatever comes into your head. Stop when the buzzer rings. Do this exercise over and over if you wish. If like me, you struggle with visual prompts, perhaps try sitting under a tree to write. I have heard that changing your usual writing place can spark new inspiration. Try it and see. Do both if you please!

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback.

This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to get better at writing. I don't have all (any?!) of the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments!

Keep the prompts rolling in, guys. Thanks Kristy for the photograph and idea. Don't forget to visit House of Prowse to see what she comes up with this week...

Status Anxiety...I made love pie

2011-07-20T10:52:00.000+10:00

where is the love?

My Facebook Status prompt is....I made Love Pie

I made Love Pie....Violet recalled out loud and smoothed her skirt over delicately before gingerly climbing into the passenger side. "Just a sec, Mum." the younger version of Violet said, trying frantically to brush away some of the food scraps threatening to take over her mother's immaculate outfit. She made a mental note to dust bust the car this afternoon. "Sorry for all the mess, Mum". Lill said. "Oh, don't clean up for my sake." came Violet's standard reply. She flicked a small piece of rice cake from her daughter's shirt as she spoke, a slight look of distaste crossed over her face. Lill channeled her frustration into the ignition, the small red car roared and lurched forward. Violet looked at her, interested. "Treat a car with love, darling. It's the only way you'll keep an old thing like this going beyond its age." she said intently to Lill, waving her hand around in the air as she spoke. "That's what kept my marriage to your father going all those years. It was the pie. The Love Pie." Sure, thought Lil as Violet began to reveal her recipe for Love Pie. Car tips. From someone who has never driven a bloody day in her life...

I'm getting in early this week. The boys are playing nicely together so I decided to grab the 5 minutes while I can. I went over time this week, by about a minute or so. I feel I should mention that this post is fiction! I will be back to read the other writing posts later in the day.

Join in with W.o.W and/or read the other posts here.

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Status Anxiety...Write On Wednesdays

2011-07-18T16:15:00.003+10:00

One of the main purposes of W.o.W was to get everyone in the habit of noticing writing ideas. Anywhere and everywhere. These ideas might lead to bigger writing projects, they might be something we choose not to pursue. But I like to think that with each exercise we take a step further down our writing path. This week's writing exercise rose from the ashes of last week's prompt. I love this, because for me, it shows that one idea can lead to so many more.

Sarah Mac from People Don't Eat Enough Fudge decided to use a song lyric posted on her friend's Facebook page for her last W.o.W exercise. Naomi at Under The Yardarm left a comment on the post saying she thought a Facebook Status Update could make an interesting writing prompt. Sarah agreed in her reply and I decided to go with it. We now have a Write On Wednesday Facebook Page so it also seemed a fitting prompt for this week!

Before I get into the exercise, I'd like to check how everyone feels about doing the 5 minute timed exercises. This still suits me because it can be difficult to find just 5 minutes! But what would you like from the exercises? The options are to keep the 5 minute exercise, make it longer (or shorter?) or do away with the time limit. Let me know in the comments below...

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 6 - Status Anxiety: Log onto your Facebook/Twitter page and write down the first status update you see. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after your prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings. Do this exercise over and over if you wish. If you don't do the social media thing (there's bound to be some who haven't succumbed!) email me and I'll send you a status update from one of my social media accounts. If you feel uncomfortable about using one of your friend's status updates, consider using the most recent update on Lamebook, the home of the funniest and lamest Facebook status updates.

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback.

This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to get better at writing. I don't have all (any?!) of the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments!

There you have it. Enjoy. Thanks to Sarah and Naomi for providing this weeks' writing inspiration! Feel free to post a link to your writing post on our new Facebook Page.

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Write The Music...Billy Bad Matches

2011-07-13T19:34:00.001+10:00

I have been trying to find 5 minutes all day. I was fairly certain of the song I wanted to use as my writing prompt. Its main chorus has been buzzing around my mind since early this morning. I have lots of favorite songs. But I knew I had to go with the song in my head after I saw the same words spray painted on the back of a Kombi travelling in front of us this afternoon. The boys and I were returning home from a very stressful child health appointment (the standard 18mth and 3 year check up - a double whammy, what on earth was I thinking?) when I caught sight of the WICKED Kombi. In bright green spray paint, the words "From Little Things Big Things Grow". Then, finally, I found 5 minutes to have a crack at this week's W.o.W exercise. 5 minutes while I waited for the pasta to boil for tonight's dinner.

Write the Music

"Gather round people, let me tell you a story..."

...he called to his family in the dark. He loved the peace of this time. A peaceful memory, passed down from another land. A story that had made the long ocean crossing, tucked safely away in the corners of his grandfather's grandfather's mind. Straight down the family line, like blood and his dickey finger, passed from one generation to the next. A silent gift. No Chinese Whispers in his family story, that's for sure. He rubbed his hands together, just as his father had done when he was small. He coughed for his own added touch. Never change the words. But add something personal, something for your own children to copy and then, add their own quirk. He cleared his throat now. Their eyes reflected back at him in the light of the fire. Like kangaroos caught in the headlights. Waiting. Anticipating. A breath holding moment. It was time to begin. He spoke in a deliberately gruff voice "This is the story of a man they called Billy Bad Matches. He lived on the corner of Lowther Street."...

And then the buzzer rang! Billy Bad Matches is the name of a character who once lived in my mum's home town in England. I'm not sure how he came to feature in this piece of writing but that's the beauty of these timed exercises, I guess!

Hope you all enjoyed this week's writing exercise. Thanks again to Janelle for this week's writing prompt. Don't forget to visit the other writers joining in with Write On Wednesdays. It's not too late to play along - the linky is open until late Friday evening!

Write the Music...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-07-11T16:01:00.001+10:00

but he could sure write a lyric...

I was really excited to receive an email from Janelle at Me and Mia. Janelle has been playing along with W.o.W since its first week and she contacted me with some ideas for writing exercises. Brilliant! One month in and I feel like we are all getting to know each other and our writing better and better. Hope you all feel the same...

This week marks the start of a big life change for me and my little family (a good change, I promise!) and I find that music is playing an important role. I have a few old favorites that I like to play when I'm dealing with change - it's like talking to an old friend. This is why I chose the below exercise from Janelle's list of suggestions. A little bit of music to get the writing flowing...

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: First of all, I am not a big fan of rules. Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises. But please try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays to leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 5: Write the Music - A bit of choice this week: Pick your favorite song and write down the first line of lyrics OR turn on the radio and write down the first line of lyrics you hear. Then set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head after your writing prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish.

Extra Credit: After you do the exercise, try it again but this time play the song while you write. Could be an interesting way to get the creativity going...

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback.

This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to write more. I don't have all (any?!) of the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments!

The linky will be open until late Friday

And a big thank you to Janelle for this week's exercise. Don't forget to pop by her blog this week!

Gill xo

image credit

Blundstones & Riding Boots

2011-07-06T18:53:00.000+10:00

"I can't stress how important it is that we behead this fiend."

... He was hamming it up, teasing her. She gave up, just for a second, and sat down on the wooden bench. Grey smooth wood, flat and too thin for a seated bench, flimsy looking but somehow it held her up. Her legs were giving up and she hated this new feel of cold wet hands, dirt gritting inside her fingernails and mud splattered on her jeans. She thought of her boots, worried about the state of them, they looked like riding boots, lovely dark brown red with a buckle on the outer side. Designed to look country and tough. But they were made for her wool leggings and over sized grey woolen Country Road cardigans. Not real farm wear. She looked over at him, this real country boy in those god damn Blundstones. No nonsense. Stupid idea this was. Her readers would never want to read about this failure. A dead animal, not by her hands, she was just the woman in the fake riding boots, about to faint.

Ahhh! That's me for this week! I found this week tough, tough to get 5 minutes and tough to get started. This is my second attempt. I couldn't get further than the prompt the first time around. Now to start reading all of your posts...

Happy Write On Wednesday!

Gill xo

A Masterclass with Allison Tait...It's Write On Wednesday

2011-07-04T17:21:00.004+10:00

MasterChef does it so why can't we?

A Masterclass, that is...I am very pleased to hand this week's Write On Wednesdays over to Allison Tait of Life in a Pink Fibro. I am sure most of you are already familiar with Fibrotown but if not, you must head over for a visit. Allison is a freelance writer and her dream is to be a novelist. I asked Allison to give us a writing prompt: the first line from her current read. Excited? I will shuffle off now and leave you and this week's W.o.W exercise in Allison's capable hands:

"I can't stress how important it is that we behead this fiend."

In my spare time, I sometimes write romance novels. I love telling people this. They laugh, they raise their eyebrows, they look surprised. Then they want to know what nom de plume I go by - and can they help me make up a better one? My latest effort, written with another author, is on the desk of the Senior Editor at Harlequin, awaiting a 'yay' or 'nay'. Here's hoping for the former!

Romance is a very specific type of writing. It's all about emotion. About showing the reader what's happening, not boring her (and they're nearly always 'her') by telling her what's going on. About giving the reader a heroine she can relate to, and cheer for, and not be too annoyed by. And the hero must, of course, be To Die For. It's an enormous amount of fun to write (which is why I do it between other projects, as a sort of 'release valve') and it makes a lot of sense for writers - there is no other market in writing that has such a huge (and constantly growing) audience.

To write it, you have to read it. At least occasionally. Hence the first sentence from The Untamed Bride, by Stephanie Laurens - an Australian author who regularly tops the New York Times bestseller list. Have fun with it! And if you'd like to know more about romance writing, check out the website for the Romance Writers of Australia (http://www.romanceaustralia.com/)

Thanks Allison!

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 4: A Masterclass in Fibrotown: Let's keep the timed theme. Write Allison's prompt at the top of your page. Set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head after your writing prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish.

Some of us are starting to see recurring themes/characters (Feisty Girl, for example) in their writing pieces so feel free to continue on from your previous posts. And consider exploring the world of flash fiction competitions...a great genre for aspiring writers like us!

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback.

This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to get better at writing. I don't have all (any?!) of the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments!

image of Stephanie Lauren's novel The Untamed Bride

Find yourself a buddy to flash with...

2011-07-03T01:39:00.001+10:00

image credit.

I am a little bit proud of myself this weekend. On Thursday, I entered my first ever Writing Competition. I entered a piece of flash fiction to The Bridport Prize, a short story and writing competition. Maybe I can say a final goodbye to Secret Squirrel? Well, don't know about that. It was an anonymous entry. I was given a computer generated account number and ended up entering under the guise of "Author ID: 88888"*.

It would be awesome, shocking and super duper to win. But I am quite chuffed to have just entered. It feels like I've jumped a metaphorical hurdle. I have to mention that I hated hurdles in high school, the real kind, not only metaphorical ones. I would slink up to the line, begin my run....and stop dead as I came to the first jump. Every. Single. Time. It was like a terrible dream, one where you are trying to run (or jump) but your legs refuse to cooperate. You find two dead weights where you know your feet should be.

Sometimes it is about needing a push. Real or metaphorical. It was thanks to the (gentle) push of a friend that I even knew about the The Bridport Prize, let alone managed to enter it. I have mentioned before my joining of the Writers Group That Never Was: this was the inspiration behind Write On Wednesdays. But it was also the inspiration behind Write Night, a once a week meeting between me and a lovely friend, Little Chef. Little Chef writes a food blog (please check her out and say hi) but she loves to write in general. So once a week we text each other a writing prompt, meet in town for a glass of wine, write and talk writing. It's a wonderful motivator.

Since we started Write Night, Little Chef has submitted a series of poems to a publisher and recited her poems in a public reading.We have now both entered The Bridport Prize. I hope this doesn't sound like I am blowing my own trumpet. I am telling you about our little Write Night because I think a buddy to flash (your fiction) with is pretty damn worthwhile. It's the push you need to get out there.

So to pass on the "push" I have added a few of the upcoming writing comps to my sidebar. Check them out. Enter them. And let me know if you do!

Gill xo

Longed for him. Got him. Shit.

Margaret Atwood flashes too.

It is worth exploring the world of Flash Fiction , a short form of story telling and a wonderful way for writers to learn to be economical with words. I was reading the pieces in this week's W.o.W exercise and realised that many of you are flash fiction writers in the making, if not already. Check out Smokelong Quarterly for more information.

* Can't remember the actual numbers but I hear 8 is lucky in Asia.

Two Fat Ladies & A Dog

2011-06-29T10:15:00.002+10:00

when she reached it. The dog whined eloquently. Steel...

Steel cap boots lay under the table. She picked them up and held them close to her chest. Little flakes of dried mud stuck to her white shirt. She had never been someone who could wear white carefully. The dog continued to whine but he was softer now and she wondered if he knew the moment deserved to be a thoughtful one. It was calming and peaceful, as long as she stayed like this, as long as the boots, the mud and the dog could hold up their end of the bargain. Well worn were these boots and they smelt like damp seaweed. Potent, yet she breathed it in. The dog had stopped whining and had flopped under the table, taking the place of the boots and he placed his head sideways across his paws. She watched him sleep with both eyes open. Always watching and waiting and always on guard for her. She tapped the toe of the right boot, her fingers drumming gently and she saw the dog's ears prick up as he caught her steady rhythm.

My writing prompt for today was taken from the 8th sentence on the 8th page of Dirt Music by Tim Winton.

Want to play along? Read the writing exercise for this week's Write On Wednesdays here. Get your writing prompt, write your own post and link it up to the W.o.W Online Writing Group here. And of course, take a visit to the other people linking up and leave them a comment. The name of the game is to have fun with your writing as well as offer and receive some moral support from fellow word lovers.

Oh and look forward to next week's exercise...we have a special guest with a very interesting writing exercise for us all. It's a good one and it might be a writing genre you haven't yet considered.

Gill xo

Two Fat Ladies...It's Write On Wednesdays

2011-06-27T16:05:00.001+10:00

lucky 8's

It's time for another W.o.W writing exercise! We had 24 people join in last week! Brilliant. I hope everyone enjoyed the "I remember..." exercise as much as I did. I mentioned that I would try to do the I remember exercise daily throughout the week: I got a 5/7 so I am reasonably pleased with myself. Lets see how I go this week...

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: First of all, I am not a big fan of rules. Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there is no right or wrong. But please try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays from my sidebar if you fancy doing so.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 4: Two Fat Ladies (88!): I am sticking with the timed theme. It is much easier to find a spare 5 minutes than a big chunk of time to write. Grab the 8th book from your bookshelf. Open it to page 8. Scroll down to the 8th sentence. Write this sentence at the top of your page. Set your timer for 5 minutes and write the first words that come into your head after your writing prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. It will be interesting to see where all our different prompts take us.

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give you some criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback. For example, you might want comments on your use of language or you might want to know if it is worth extending on an idea that comes from your piece. We are all taking part in W.O.W for different reasons so this may be more important to some of us.
This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to get better at writing. I don't have all the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments
This is not supposed to be hard, make it fun.

*The first official referral to Write On Wednesdays as W.o.W is credited to Karen@therhythmmethod. Let's bump World Of Warcraft down the Google list with a Write On Wednesdays takeover.

I have adapted this week's exercise from The Huffington Post (I like the number 8). You can find more creative writing exercises here if you are interested. Let me know it you would like to try any of them for W.o.W

The Boogeyman & Blyton

2011-06-26T15:43:00.000+10:00

the Boogey Man comes in many forms

I have told you about my childhood love for Enid Blyton. On a recent trip to my parents, I was digging through their bookshelves, hoping to discover my very first Blyton. I was pleased to find it quickly. My childhood copy of The Enchanted Wood, sitting beside The Children Of Cherry Tree Farm. My uncle had a second hand bookstore when I was young and I loved visiting him there. It was in his shop that I first came across Blyton and also where I found a second hand copy of The Enchanted Wood. Looking at the cover brings back memories of a chapter a night with Mum. Except for Friday nights when Dad was on Blyton duty.

I knew that I would read these stories to my boys. I thought that six would be a good age to start our climb up the great Faraway Tree together. But having discovered my old copy, I knew I couldn't wait three years. Last week, on a rainy cold afternoon, M1 and I curled up on the couch and I introduced him to Jo, Bessie and Fanny. M1 hung on every word. He stared off into space but I knew that he was listening. He wasn't put off by the lack of pictures. Isn't this all part of the fun? Imagining your own images to match the story?

But my Mum is concerned. She is worried that the Giants, The Angry Pixie, The Red Goblins or The Magic Snowman will be too scary for M1. A fair concern really - we are talking about M1. The same child who freaked out at a friend's house recently during the Hairy Maclary DVD. He didn't like *Scarface Claw, the cat who spends his days stalking and terrorising Hairy and his doggy pals. The same child who loves to have The Gruffalo as his bedtime story but is terrified at the thought of the DVD version.

I also wondered how he would take some aspects of The Enchanted Wood. So far he has embraced the story, big bad snowmen, creepy gnomes and all.

I read somewhere (if I could only remember where!) that viewing distressing images has a much greater effect on our brains that reading or hearing about them. When we see a terrible event or image, even if it's only on TV, we react as though the terrible thing is happening right in front of us, even to us. Perhaps that is why hearing about The Gruffalo's terrible tusks and terrible claws is exciting for M1. But seeing the terrible teeth in his terrible jaws is horrifying.

I remember having nightmares for weeks after seeing a scene in The Wizard Of Oz movie. The lady on the bike suddenly transforms into the wicked witch on a broomstick, all green and warty. It was pure evil to me. I was near hysterical. At the same age, reading The Witches by Roald Dahl was exciting, thrilling and fun. Even with those bald heads and super smelling noses and purple spit.

I was scared but I could cope with it.

There must be a fine line between good fear and bad fear.

Do children's stories need to be scary to be good? What's worse: a scary book or a scary movie?

* I'm thinking that Scarface Claw is simply the best name ever for a neighbourhood terrorizing cat...

I Remember...a girl

2011-06-22T11:42:00.001+10:00

now, THIS would make an excellent last name for a teacher
image found here

I remember a girl. A girl with red curly frizzy hair. A real red Afro. She lived a few doors up and was in the opposite Year 3 class. I had a teacher called Mrs Perry and the next door Year 3's had Mr Perry. They weren't related. Barely friends, I would imagine. He was short, sporty and sleazy. Those short shorts. 1980's football shorts. He had this super thick moustache and a nervous twitch in his eye. He did teach the bad year three class. Maybe that's where the twitch came from. His eye would flick, switch, twitch and tick and I remember him teaching us Kanga Cricket on the back oval. I still don't understand the rules to that game, I was too distracted by his twitch. Makes me wonder what came first. The twitch or the naughty kids. Maybe twitchy teachers shouldn't be allowed to teach? Is it a weakness? It's like krptonite to their teaching powers, surely. Like teachers with unfortunate names. Richard Head. I really did know a guy who was taught by Mr. Richard Head. He was their Principal for goodness sake. If a twitch is kryptonite what's a bad name? It must be hard for kids to focus on their timetables and spelling when they are being taught by a twitching Dick Head.

There you go. Can I point out that I am an early childhood teacher? Just in case it sounds like I am having a go at teachers! This was my first "I remember..." exercise. Not sure where it came from. It didn't turn out to be about the girl I first remembered at all. This is why I love these exercises. I was quite lucky with the ending, I wrote the last two words and the buzzer on the microwave rang a second later. I have managed to do the exercise the last two mornings. Hopefully, I'll make my goal of doing it every day this week. Stay tuned.

Looking forward to reading all of your pieces.

You might notice that a few things change around the blog and/or that I take a little while to get to your piece. I WILL get there. I have had a bit of a blogging drama crop up and I am trying to deal with it as best as I can. Hopefully, you can all pop around to each other's posts as much as you can today to make up for my absence.

Happy Write On Wednesdays!

Gill xo

I Remember...It's Write On Wednesdays

2011-06-20T15:16:00.007+10:00

I remember....my typewriter
image found here

Well, almost. It is only Monday but I thought it best to keep posting the exercise with plenty of time for our writing. Does Monday suit everyone?

The Dialogue Detective exercise was lots of fun. I know many of us found it difficult, both in finding time to play detective but also in the exercise itself. So, I especially loved reading the post and comments over at Stella Orbit's Blog.

It made me think hard about listening. And I think this is the point of the exercise, I am not tuned in to the writerly frequency. The one where you eavesdrop consciously and deliberately on dialogue. This is my homework. Stella Orbit

Writerly Frequency. I adore this. For me, this is the point of Write On Wednesdays. To tune in. To practice. Without it we can't get better. It IS homework. This week I think we will go for an exercise that doesn't require (unless you fancy it, of course) any stealth missions. You may have come across this exercise before. I think it has featured in every writing workshop I have ever been to!

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: First of all, I am not a big fan of rules. Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there is no right or wrong. But please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays if you fancy doing so.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 3 - I remember: Write "I remember" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Use "I remember" as your prompt and write down the first words that come into your head for 5 minutes. Stop when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. I will try to do it every morning this week. I'll let you know how I go...I am hoping that the thought of having to tell you all about my progress will be the motivation I need to keep at it!

Things to think about:

If you would like the other members of W.O.W to give you some criticism on your writing pieces feel free to mention this at the end of your post. It would help if you can specifically pinpoint the areas for feedback. For example, you might want comments on your use of language or you might want to know if it is worth extending on an idea that comes from your piece. We are all taking part in W.O.W for different reasons so this may be more important to some of us.
This is a learning process for me too. I started W.O.W because I wanted to get better at writing. I don't have all the answers so please contact me with your ideas and comments
This is not supposed to be hard, make it fun.

*The first official referral to Write On Wednesdays in its acronym form is credited to http://therhythmmethod.wordpress.com/. Let's bump World Of Warcraft down the Google list with a Write On Wednesdays takeover.

Dahl's Marvellous Childhood

2011-06-19T17:01:00.000+10:00

Last night, I started reading "Boy: Tales of Childhood" by Roald Dahl. I was given this book as a present at least 20 years ago. Back then I didn't mind reading it. It was okay. At age 10 I was still enjoying stories set in make believe worlds. I imagine that many Pre-teens are similar to me in this way and like their books filled more with magic chocolate makers and less with appendicitis related deaths. Even my younger brother, who preferred to haunt the non-fiction section of the local library, tended to keep his distance from Dahl's books of an autobiographical nature.

Yesterday I was scanning my bookshelf for a new old read and my eyes fell upon the firm spine of "Boy". Sitting right next to the equally firm Going Solo. I picked up Boy and flicked through it briefly. It's clean crisp pages looked inviting. "Boy" was finally getting some attention. He was coming into his own and standing out next to his older booky siblings. Looking strong and appealing next to his dog eared, tattered sisters "Matilda" and "The Witches". "Boy" was no longer dwarfed by his (very) big brother, "The BFG". Two other brothers, George and James (of Marvellous Medicine and The Giant Peach fame) had not even made it to the bookcase. They were last reported Missing In Action. (The subjects of a "You had it last", "No, YOU had it last" roundabout conversation between my younger brother and I.)

Second time around I am loving "Boy: Tales of Childhood". Slightly more ~~cynical~~ experienced in the world, I can read the opening chapters, which are devastatingly sad at times, with more interest than my 10 year old self did. There are still small children dying of measles but it was the early 1900's and life was different.

Reading about Dahl's life and learning about the remarkable real life things that surely became the inspiration behind his stories is great fun. It is not a difficult book to read and it is short which suits my life at the moment. For me, reading about school boy Dahl's experience as a taste tester for Cadbury's is especially exciting. This personal anecdote is thrilling to me because it shows how real life inspires dreams. Dreams then inspire stories and the stories then inspire generations of children. That's an important little piece of book history for me.

"Boy" is taking me back to my own childhood. I'm wondering which of my real life experiences are stories waiting to happen.

But I am willing to look to the future for stories too. We have our own Chocolate Factory here in Margaret River. Unfortunately, they do not make Everlasting Gobstoppers or Sweets That Look Round. Still, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my interest in becoming the Official Margaret River Chocolate Factory Product Taste Tester.

All in the name of research, of course...

Dialogue Detectives: Balls, balls, balls

2011-06-15T18:24:00.000+10:00

This week at Write On Wednesdays we are playing Dialogue Detectives. The main aim was to practise writing realistic dialogue by copying down an overheard conversation. I ended up going out for dinner last night with the family and was able to copy down the conversation (as I heard it!) from the table next to us.

I'll set the scene for you:
Six young pretty things have walked into the bistro restaurant. One older man is with the group. Possibly the Father, maybe even the Grandfather of one of the Pretty Things. He is one cool looking grandpa. He wears mismatched clothing - but it is mismatched in a carefully considered way. A Bright orange tie worn over a green shirt. He has a tartan hat set at a rakish angle. He sits in the middle of the Pretty Things. They revolve around him. Coming back to him from the pool table in between shots - not the usual way old people are treated by the young and beautiful. He has credibility. Maybe he is not a relation. Maybe he is a celebrity. Maybe it's the hat. It is a well thought out hat. They seem to know each other well. Their voices are loud and happy and they talk over the top of each other in an excited but casual manner. .

So, yeah, I get sick of losing and I start just sliding the balls in. Sneaky like. When no-one is looking. I get so sick of losing.
Laughs.
Don't you play?
I do. I just don't get into it.
What are these again?
Little risotto balls. They look yummy. They are yummy. Cheese rice balls. MM MM. Yum. Do you know if they make you fat? No no no,I mean like are they good for you?
Don't know. Nah. They wouldn't be..But not baaaad bad like MacDonald's bad. Just fat bad.. Cheesy bad. Bad little demon balls.
More laughs.
Espresso Martinis, then?
I'm so getting 2 shots. That was mine! You sunk a big....That's my ball, Sophie.
What? Why? No, way. I had 2 shots owing already.
That matters, how? Nah. My 2 shots.
So we are even then! 4 each.
But they cheated? That's my ball, Mariah! Eedjit.
Little explosions, aren't they? Explosions of cheese and rice. A secret recipe. Get it from the kitchen. It's not really a secret. Not a good one. Only risotto balls. Everyone has risotto balls.
Look at you all, phones out. What are you doing? Eating that junk while playing about on your phone. No one can do nothing without doing shit on their phone. I'm going to make this place a no phone zone. No one can do without their phone. Ready. All phone's down on the table now, when I say go. Ready. Steady. Go. Ha, you've got no credit left!
SUCK balls!
Everyone laughs.

That's enough balls for me. We pack up the boys and leave the Pretty Things to their Espresso Martinis. I'm not feeling youthful these days. Perhaps it is time to get myself an interesting hat.

Well, that was my contribution to Dialogue Detective. Link your own piece up to the linky here!

Gill

Dialogue Detectives at Write On Wednesdays

2011-06-13T13:19:00.000+10:00

be a detective image found here

Here we are. The second round of Write On Wednesdays! Let's get straight to it, shall we?

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: First of all, I am not a big fan of rules. Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there is no right or wrong. But please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays. You can grab the button for Write On Wednesdays if you fancy doing so.

I thought I would start off with a little explanation behind this week's writing prompt. Just so that you don't think I have lost my mind and am inviting you to take part in an act of madness. This week is supposed to be fun. It doesn't take too much work from you in regards to writing and it is a wonderful exercise in two ways. First of all, the exercise can open you up to writing ideas that you could not imagine in your own little head. Not in a million zillion trillion billion years could you think up the strangeness of real life. Secondly, it can help you in a writing area that can be fiddly and tricky...Dialogue

Naughty Mumma was a naughty mumma indeed last week. She touched upon the exercise I had planned for this week in her comfort in the coffee shop post! She wrote "Your mother forces food down my throat and your brother always hits on me" after overhearing this conversation in a cafe. This piece of dialogue could become the idea behind a short story, a poem or even a blog post. You see where I am going with this??

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 2 - *Detective Dialogue: For this exercise you need to be a little bit sneaky. And brave. You need to be around at least 2 other people (or a small child who will happily chat to himself and/or imaginary friends). Write down a conversation/ dialogue exchange as you hear it. Feel free to write down things that accompany the dialogue (E.G. gestures, interruptions, accents) but don't worry about this too much. It is more important to capture the way words are used in natural speech. Try not to let anyone know what you are doing. It might alter the natural flow of their words (it could also be a tad embarrassing for you!). If you can get out to a park, cafe or shop like Naughty Mumma, then this is a wonderful chance to get some new writing ideas and get some practise in dialogue writing. If you can't get out (and I know this is a reality for some of us) you can copy down the dialogue between your partner and your child. Or the conversation between two of your children or even one side of your partner's phone conversation. If you are really stuck, turn on the TV and copy down the dialogue between a couple of TV characters.

Please don't be afraid! Writers have to be Life Observers, don't you think? Life Observers, Dialogue Detectives, call it what you like (although I would recommend keeping your distance from the name Peeping Tom).

There is plenty of time to join in. The linky will be open until Thursday evening so please pop back later to link up your post!

Things to think about:

It is sometimes difficult to write naturally when you know that you have an audience. It IS important to have the courage to publish a post but to get the most out of Write On Wednesdays, practise the writing exercises over and over again: you may find you get a different response when it is for your eyes only.
This is not supposed to be hard, make it fun.

* This was the first Writing homework I was given by my favorite tutor during first year uni.

Very Pleased To Meet You. It's Write On Wednesday!

2011-06-08T02:13:00.000+10:00

It is so easy for one sense to drown out the others. Little noises that should be soft and subtle are like fingers down a blackboard to me. Sounds are following me from room to room. I sit at the laptop in my parents' kitchen. Giggle and Hoot are singing My Best Friend and I can't block out the sound of their happy high energised voices. I abandon the laptop and wander about the room, like a dog looking for the best spot on the mat. Walking in circles and pawing at the ground hoping to find the place that is just right. I try slouching on the couch, this time clutching at my notebook and pen. More noise pounding in my ears. Creaking floorboards and people making drinking sounds. All I can hear are distractions. So I lie on my back on the bed, with my head hanging off the edge, I'm upside down and trying to see the world in a new way. It helps for a little while but I can't write upside down so I swing my head back onto the bed and am flat out on my back again, hearing the dishes clattering in the sink, a dropped fork, a phone ringing and the obnoxious hum of the boiling kettle. I would tell all of these noises to shut up - if I was a different person. Funny that on other days these same sounds can ring out harmoniously. Today, the life noises aren't so soothing: it's just static. A big fat diversion for the senses. Girl Interrupted. There are no smells and nothing to see here. Feeling edgy, tetchy and numb to anything but sound. My fingers are ready to type but that's it. I'm dumbfounded. There is just noise. One sense drowning out all of the others. This is me right now, looking for a dark cave to hide in, or just a way to turn down the volume.

Gill xo

Oh, I struggled with this one! I decided that I would take my own advice and write about the distractions. Would love to know how everyone chose to approach this exercise? With a stream of consciousness or a more planned piece? Now, the exciting part: Read the writing exercise in yesterday's heads up post and add your post to the linky below. Then follow the other links to pop over and visit the other Write On Wednesdays members...

Very Pleased to Meet You: A heads up on Write On Wednesdays

2011-06-07T16:58:00.002+10:00

"Few serious writers wait for inspiration to strike: they find it better to make regular work habits and stick to them, even if they're not in the mood" Kate Grenville, author of Lillian's Story

Welcome to the first edition of Write On Wednesdays! Yes, yes, I know it it Tuesday. I thought it would be nice if we have a little extra time to come up with a piece of writing - I am assuming that we all have Very Important Things to do. Children to feed, day jobs to go to and the odd husband or partner who needs a little bit of attention too. I think it is important to remember that you might not always like what you write for these exercises. But if you do the exercises regularly, you will not only be getting in lots of writing practise, you will start to find new writing ideas, sometimes in the most unexpected of exercises. I used the Kate Grenville quote to start my post because I think it sums up the point of Write On Wednesdays perfectly.

The Write On Wednesdays Rules: First of all, I am not a big fan of rules. Feel free to get creative with the writing exercises - there is no such thing as right or wrong here. But please do try to visit lots of the other members of Write On Wednesdays. If you fancy the button for Write On Wednesdays, you can grab that and pop it in your post or sidebar.

Now, let's get started!

Stretching the Writing Muscles: Start with the following exercise each week: Write for 60 seconds without stopping. Set a timer and simply write. Do not take your pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard!) - even if you are writing "I don't know what to write" for 60 seconds. Do not judge what you write. It is then up to you to decide whether you post this warm up exercise or not.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 1 - Very Pleased to Meet You!: Write about yourself as you are in this moment. Use the five senses to do so. The main idea is that we should get a little more insight into YOU after we read your piece. Here are some (optional) questions to get you started: How do YOU look right now? What colours/fabrics/accessories are you wearing? What can you see? Consider lighting, shapes, objects. How do YOU sound right now? What can you hear? What can you smell? Does the smell remind you of anything? Can you taste anything? How do YOU feel? Comfortable? Tired? What are you touching? Is it cold, hot, smooth? What is your posture like? Slumped? Sitting? Standing? What does your posture say about your mood?

Things to think about:

It is sometimes difficult to write naturally when you know that you have an audience. It IS important to have the courage to publish a post but to get the most out of Write On Wednesdays, practise the writing exercises over and over again: you may find you get a different response when it is for your eyes only.
This is not supposed to be hard, make it fun.
If you get distracted from the task, write about the distraction.
Write in your natural style: even if that style is to make fun of the whole exercise!
Try not to worry about technique and grammar. This is where editing comes in. The writing exercises are designed to unleash your creativity.
IF YOU ARE STUCK: set a timer again and write on the subject without stopping. There are always some thoughts in your head to write down, right? Unless you are Buddha and have achieved Inner Calm.
I will post my response to the exercises first thing on Wednesday mornings - if you are really really stuck you can have a look at my post before you write yours. However I am learning as much as the next person so bear with me.

There you have it people. Get Writing! The linky is now open (next week I will have the exercise and link on the same page - I'm still figuring all this out!) so link up your post here!

Gill xo

This week's exercise is based on the Self Portrait writing exercise in The Writing Book by Kate Grenville

Write On Wednesdays: The Online Writers Group

2011-06-02T15:42:00.000+10:00

Hello! I am interrupting my ~~sort of~~ regular posting today to invite you to join in with Write on Wednesdays - an Online Writers Group and linkylink specifically for word lovers.

You may remember that I recently worked up the courage to join a Writers Group here in Margaret River? I was very proud of myself. For about three days. Then I received a phone call. The group may or may not hold it's next meeting "sometime in the winter". I am not one for rigid planning. I tend to lean more towards a go-with-the-flow attitude. But even I knew this was too vague. I could not kid myself into feeling that joining the Maybe Sometime Next Winter Writers Group was me taking a few steps towards the Writing Dream.

So: if the Writers Group wont come to the girl, then the girl must go to the Writers Group. The tiny seed of an idea was planted in my mind. An email exchange with a bloggy friend (one who understands and shares a similar dream) was the water the seed needed to grow. Then, a ray of sunlight burst down on the seedling in the form of encouragement from Brenda (a lady who is wonderfully supportive of all things bloggy). With some help, the idea to start an Online Writers Group grew from a vague maybe baby idea to a reality.

The aim of Write On Wednesdays is much the same as a real life Writers Group: to share and support each other in the art of writing. Together we can recharge the writing batteries, get inspired, maybe come up with a few new ideas, but, most importantly, Get Writing. Oh and of course, it is just as important to have fun with it.

Each Tuesday evening I will post a writing exercise, theme or style. We all then write a piece to fit. Link it up to the linky (which will be every Wednesday here at Ink Paper Pen) and then pop about reading each other's interpretation and offering a few words of encouragement.

I am the first person to feel anxious about openly sharing my writing with people Read my first post if you need convincing! But if I want to write, I have to write - and I have to let others read that writing. It is that simple.

I hope to have the first linky running via Ink Paper Pen on Wednesday, June 8. I would love you to join in. You can join the group Write On Wednesdays over at Digital Parents or simply check in here on Tuesday evening and Wednesdays.

Oh and lastly, a HUGE thank you to Liz at Mumstrosity who put together the Write On Wednesdays button. Check it out above and in the right sidebar, isn't she clever?!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Gill xo