S.C Newland - Writer

  A couple of weeks back in the Tavistock Writers Group, Bob suggested an exercise to write a piece of poetry or fiction without using pronouns. After reaching for the bottle and a general slapping of heads, several of us gave it a go. What's that? What are pronouns - you know those words that take the place of a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over, making sentences less cumbersome and more fluid. Here are some common types of pronouns: Personal Pronouns : Refer to specific people or things. Eg: I, you, he, she, it, we, they Possessive Pronouns : Indicate ownership or possession Eg: my, your, his, her, its, our, their Reflexive Pronouns : Refer back to the subject of the sentence. Eg: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves Demonstrative Pronouns : Point to specific things. Eg: this, that, these, those Interrogative Pronouns : Used to ask questions. Eg: who, whom, whose, which, what Relative Pro...

Discovered there was a writers' group in Okehampton on the first Tuesday of the month, so with time on my hands I went up there to check it out. Good points: it was in a pub The London Inn. Free coffee!!!! Nearly fell over. Had to turn it down as already enjoyed breakfast and coffee across the road in The White Hart. Still, one to remember next time.  The group is run by a lady called Perdita who also runs Moor Imagination creative writing courses. She led the writer's group of five wannabees, two guys, three ladies. All with differing interests from world-building syfy and horror to poetry and short stories. The session today focussed on giving and receiving feedback which is something I struggle with. Perdita guided through various 'tools' ie: questions that might generate constructive feedback. It was fun. There was a break on the hour before moving on to the final 45 mins. This included a 5 minute writing exercise using the prompt: 'No one is scared of little ol...