September 2023 Meeting Minutes

 Hightown Writers’ Workshop Meeting

Tuesday 26th September 2023, 7.0pm in Peepo’s Spirit Room

Chair:  Sue

Present:  Irena, Liz, Jennie, Adam, Ann, Sue

Apologies:   Paul, Marie, Stuart, Jayne, Tony, Alex

We began with our warm up exercise which was to choose a button from a selection that Sue had brought along and write something inspired by that button.

Adam chose a pink, translucent button imaging that it was an exciting find in an archaeological dig – who had it belonged to? Irena chose an amber coloured button which evoked a powerful and moving memory of a trip to Poland with her Father. Liz’s choice, a white button, had been on an elderly woman’s nightdress and the missing button eventually led the police to her murderer. Jennie wrote a lively poem about her love of dance as the silver, shiny button she chose reminded her of a jumper she had once worn when dancing. Sue selected a small pink button and wrote about her aunt who used to knit baby cardigans which had tiny buttons, before her eyesight failed. Ann chose a turquoise button which was on a dress which her protagonist saw in a shop window and couldn’t afford – did she eventually manage to buy the dress?

We then discussed the Anthology, particularly the title. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this. We narrowed down the titles to the following two:

Write On! Celebrating 10 Years of High Town Writers

A Bit of All Write! Celebrating 10 Years of High Town Writers

Please let Liz know which one you prefer or if you have another idea you would like to put forward. Also, please check the draft copy of the Anthology and let Liz know if you notice anything you want changed or would like included.

Thank you to Liz for all her work on this.

Finally, we shared our writing. This month’s theme was to write no more than 1000 words including the line, ‘I wasn’t going to give up that easily’ in the middle of your writing.

Ann thrilled us with her first piece of fiction about DC Chalmers on her first stakeout, (read about how it turned out on this blogspot). Adam’s romantic fiction, (which also can be read on this blogspot), was about two young people meeting at St Pancreas and travelling on Eurostar. Irena shared a few of the beautiful haiku she has been writing following the Haiku Workshop she attended. Liz made us laugh describing her first experience of skiing with her family and how she struggled to stay upright! Sue had coincidentally also written about a skiing incident when she had spent her first morning skiing with her boots on the wrong feet! Jennie read her thought- provoking piece about a young man struggling with his identity and his touching relationship with his Gran. Finally, Liz read us Stuart’s atmospheric piece, The Smoke Dance, about how his protagonist was drawn to a woman called Duana and her faith in the smoke.

Theme for next month: Tuesday 24^th October 7pm in Peepo’s Spirit Room

Write a piece inspired by the following:

There is a crowd of people. So many that there is barely room to move and people are crushed up against each other…

Chair: tbc

Mid – month meeting upstairs at The Crown – Thursday 12^th October 7pm Meeting to work on tenth anniversary publication etc .

Chair: Liz