General Chat

That's good Ann, it will be interesting for you to read and see if you write 'like your dad'. :-)

I have some of my mum's poems and bits on her chilldhood and when she had my brother and I. Yet another thing that I must get around to doing!, copy them to PC and print, as much of it was written after she developed parkinsons and the writing is tiny.

I'm available for stuff to be sent to me, know at this
time of year it's difficult as folk have other things to
think of but, the offers there. :-)

Emma

Emma you haven't really been missed out at the moment. Only our stalwarts, Jan and Dermot have been sending out and I think they stopped when you asked to be let off for a while. I have just given your e mail addy back to Jan as she had lost it. I think we have been drifting a bit for a few months but we said we would try and 'pull ourselves together' in the new year.

If I do send anything out and I may in the next week or so, I will send to you of course.

It would help, if anyone is reading who used to read/write would come on the thread and state if they are still interested. I know BC is thinking. (I can hear her from here Lol). But any others?

In the next week or so I wonder if we could come up with a Christmas story or poem or factual information about Christmas?

I have a story I wrote a few years back, may have put it on Genes way back before the writers group formed so will look it out and see what I think.

Rose re the papers, theya re all a bit daunting so I shall have to make myself get down to reading them. One folder amused me. Dad seems to have written to his local MP regularly poor chap, My dad had an opinion on everything, but it is interesting to see what he wrote about and that he actually always got a reply from the poor fellow plus often a ministerial reply too. Bet he was a thorn in the side to them :-D :-D

Will have a go at the Christmas one

Good Jan. you did get the email addy list didn't you?

I can't join in anything until the New Year as am up to my ears in stuff and carol singing etc :-D I haven't got a creative thought in my brain right now <3

*bows gracefully through Exit 7 :-D

BC XX

I think we knew that BC, pity but no probs. It was really to try and keep us alive and for those who wanted something to 'play' with.

This verse of my Dad's written in 1967 took my eye.

Grumble

So you think the world owes you a living
Not so my friend - just not true.
The world does not owe you a living,
The owing is all done by you:
Look round and see what is offered,
Sea, land and sky, flowers too.

Friends, love, adventure are proferred
Free, untramelled to you.
What ails you, incessantly wailing
that things don't go right for you?
Just remember, you fall by your failing,
And rise by the good that you do.

Ann, I love that verse from your dad, thank you.

Very true. :-)

Emma

Yes, Ann I did get the list, many thanks, I also loved the verse by your Dad

Very apt today too I thought :-D

You asked about Christmas facts so here are a few

Did you know ?..........Robins have a redbreast because it is said that one landed on Jesus shoulder during the crucifixion, and the blood dripping from the crown of thorns, stained the robins breast....also during Victorian times post men were called robins because of their red uniform.

Did you know ? ........that Mistletoe is part of a pagan ritual....it was brought to weddings as anyone walking under it was bestowed with fertility. Scandavians believed it was a peace plant, and it was given to indicate a truce.

Did you know ? that mulled wine goes back to the Roman times, but it is thanks to Dickens that it became popular here because it appears in several of his novels.

Did you know ? that it was against the law to kill a wren on Christmas Day.

Did you know ? that mince pies go back to Henry V who had a passion for wine and food, in fact he was a glutton. It was originally a dish served at his coronation, and he liked it so much that he had it as a main Christmas dish, it was due to the crusaders that brought back spices etc that it became a sweet pie.

Did you know ? The word carol actually means a dance or sing song of praise and joy, many are Winter Solstice celebrations, when people danced around in circles to celebrate the shortest day of the year.

Did you know ?.....that Baubles were first made in Germany in 1610, made from pieces of glass left at the end of the day, but baubles only became popular in the 1850's.

I thought I would struggle and send out a Christmas contribution. A bit of a non event as I am no good at poetry, but I tried. :-D

SparklingAnninGlos - a splendid composition. Well done!

Just a general comment for the current GR Writers Group: I cannot remember the reason for e-mailing our bits & pieces rather than publishing them here on this thread which would then be seen by every GR member. It might encourage additional interest.

Just wondered.

I would not mind putting my work on here...how does anyone else think



Happy Christmas to you all

Jan

I think when it was originally formed the writers group was to encourage some of us that hadn't to write. We would write a piece and accept advice and criticism. We wrote a lot of short stories and some of us did try to get them published in magazines. I actually over time wrote two full length novels, I would not have wanted to put them on here really, I have not tried to get them published but if I di I think the fact that they had been read by so many people would prevent publishing.

I would prefer things to stay as they are. :-)

Hello to all former members, just nudging this up because it has been mentioned that some would like to get back to writing.

If any of the former members would like to think about returning, and/or if you have any ideas about changing the way we worked etc please add? I have suggested that Ann takes my place as 'co-ordinator' if she has time and inclination, so there will probably be a new thread to try and attract new members also.

I thought some of you might have this thread in your 'watched' threads so will see that it has been updated, and anyone new who might like to join could see the way the group has worked in the past. :-)

Thanks Rose, I am happy to take on a new group and hope 'old ' members will rejoin us. At the moment I am on holiday but back next week when I will put up a new thread. Meanwhile please add any thoughts on here.
We welcome anyone who aspires to write, no matter how amateur, and prose, stories, factual, anything but also poetry. Shame that we have lost an excellent poet member, well actually two.

One thing that is important though, which we deviated from a bit before, those taking part should be open to constructive criticism/remarks and not take offence. We do or did have people willing to read but not write and if we are not open to criticism we won't learn or better our style. I do feel strongly about this so hope nobody objects.

Please add your ideas and say if you are interested here for now. Thanks.