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...

  What better way to spend Halloween than reading the childrens modern classic 'Room on the Broom'. Some wonderful characters, a classic Witch and a ginger cat; always reminds me of the Four Musicians of Bremen - Brothers Grimm fairy tales, eg: the big scary thing at the end. Julia Donaldson does a wonderful rhyme and Axel's art is full of quirky woodland creatures.

  Watched this Netflix movie tonight: Lonely Planet (2024) starring Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth. Drawn by the premise of a plot revolving around a writers' retreat in Morocco. Well, if that is what happens sounds like these things could be a hoot. Not much writing, lots of parties, drinking, tours and odd games - unfortunately, that was all happening in the background as the main focus was on Laura Dern's character attempting to finish a book and Liam, well he was dragged there by his girlfriend and really just looked bored most of the time until he found Laura. Nice locations. Gave an insight into a possible successful writer's life. As a movie - two stars out of five from me. But if you like cerebral romance this could be for you.

It's National Poetry Day here in the UK. This years prompt/theme is: Counting. Poetry is not really my bag, but I thought I'd get into the spirit and came up with this ditty: Counting On You When the sun fails to come up, When the walls close in, When the weather turns sour, When the mood monster closes, When the day is done. I know I can count on you to lift me into life again. SCN 03/10/24

Hooray! Yesterday, I attended the first session of the Tavistock Writers Group in the library after the group's summer break. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends: Bob, Roger, Hannah and Alex. We usually number around half-a-dozen or so, and were pleased when two new prospective writers appeared: Carol and Giles. Bob leads the session with each of us reading out our latest work. It runs from 2pm to 4pm, fortnightly on Saturdays. My 100-word micro-fiction story: 'Lifecycle of the Lyonesse Moth' was well received, and everyone enjoyed Roger's 'Autumn Leaves'. Each one of us follows our own choice of writing, from short stories', to poetry and even memoirs. Comments are positive with helpful suggestions for improvement. Bob ends the session with a prompt often referred to as 'homework' to inspire creativity for the following meeting. It's wonderful to be a part of a creative atmosphere.

  Well, never expected to find inspiration in the life of Thomas Hardy on a visit to his home Max Gate at Dorchester today. Free entry to the Nat Trust property brought an interesting morning. Stories brought to life by the guides and info on the walls were quite enlightening and often amusing, From annoying peeping toms loitering outside his home eager for a glimpse of the less-than-reclusive author to his belief, allowing plants to grow without pruning and his love for this dog 'Wessex' painted a very interesting portrait of the man. Already have several ideas running through my head. Look out for them soon.