East Midlands Creative Writing Group Forum Group meeting, Brixworth, 27 A..

 Three of us met at Brixworth on Tuesday 27.08.13 – Allan, Alan and Mike. We reviewed the entries for last month’s challenge (all two of them). Allan’s challenge had been to write a piece in any form with the title Self-fulfilling prophecy. Both Allan and Mike had, coincidentally, chosen the myth of Oedipus; their pieces can be read on this website.  After discussion, everyone was declared the winner and so the challenge for the next month was a group decision. Alan suggested writing something in the style of Edgar Allan Poe; Mike had already come with the idea of writing a pastiche.                                          So we agreed that the challenge is to write a piece in the style of any author in any form with the title Sunday in the Park with George. The title is after the Stephen Sondheim piece which discusses how a work of art is created, with Sondheim reflecting in musical form the style of Seurat’s method of painting.                                     We then discussed the current condition of the writing group, its attendance, format, purpose and future. Everyone agreed we wanted the group to continue and so pooled ideas on how best to take it forward. Everyone made excellent, practicable suggestions. We agreed to see how we felt in a month’s time and to discuss again at the next meeting.                                                                                                           For light relief, Mike then read a piece he has prepared for another writing group which he goes to. It was a flash fiction about a hamster, a pencil and the planet Saturn with the setting of a bathroom. As the saying goes, much hilarity ensued.                             We had a long discussion about the relationship between the written word and film, using the horror genre as our vehicle. Everyone gave great contributions and, it’s true to say, we all got great ideas for future writing.                                                                   Alan related his recent experience of winning a competition to complete a novel another author had started but didn’t know how to continue and end. We agreed that the romantic adventures of a TV aerial installation engineer (the basic idea of the novel) was not the most enthralling story. Alan told us how he had completed it – it involved aliens, global massacres and probably the end of human life as we know it. Allan and Mike were in fits of laughter over the (dis)connect and how the original author was thrilled to bits with Alan’s alarming dénouement.  Allan led a discussion on six story-lines he was interested in developing, inviting our views. This was valuable for all of us as it brought to the group the sharing of ideas, accepting constructive criticism and testing out our brilliant brainwaves before we went on to waste time on unviable rubbish.                               And it led Alan to remind Allan of a project they were thinking of undertaking: a collaborative written novel. Alan pitched the idea, which Allan was intrigued by and for which Mike suggested practical and constructive criticisms. While everyone agreed the central idea was very do-able, Mike reminded Alan of a Star Trek episode which told the same story – but everyone agreed on the maxim, “It isn’t the story that matters, it’s the treatment.” The central apparently insurmountable difficulty with the story was talked through until a solution was hit upon.     We were at Brixworth from 7.30 until 11pm. It’s clear we could have been there all night except the publican was switching off the lights. It was a great evening.                                                                                                     Although Mike volunteered to write these notes, Alan and Allan have approved their content before being posted here.                                                                                             Next meeting at Brixworth, as per the schedule: Tuesday 24 September 2013.  

Sorry, folks, I tried three times to get back the paragraphs from my original notes but it seems this software can't cope with them. Where there are long spaces, please read as paragraphing. I hope it doesn't screw up your eyes too much. Mike.

A good summary Mike.

I'm in two other writing groups - off to one tonight and the other on Thursday, so like Allan, I shall bring ideas next time.