Most Inkpot members would agree that our little group, which meets in a pub once a month, offers more than just creative writing. It’s an outlet, a safe space in which to express ourselves in confidence – to seek guidance, advice and more often, encouragement (and not just in our writing.)
So, when our group disbanded last month, we turned to ‘Zoom’ and had our second successful virtual meet last night. It’s tricky to master, with plenty of stopping and starting, time-delay issues and people dropping off and dropping back in (plus refills of tea, wine and chocolate – oh yes!), but we did manage to share some pretty remarkable stuff.
Our homework included making a collage of words and phrases you find around your house. Two members created stunning pieces (one entirely from an issue of Top Gear and a glue gun). Another locked herself in her toilet (home-schooling drives you to it) and amused herself finding contradictions on labels of bathroom products. One lady metaphorically pulled apart common brand names and created characters in an operatic tale.
The second exercise was entitled ‘unpacking’. A teacher wrote about the bag full of marking gremlins which load him down as he arrives home in gale force winds (nice use of pathetic fallacy there). Others wrote of their fears about frozen food defrosting, social dilemmas, family issues – or just stuff…
One member came to the group with a beautiful captured moment spent listening to a story with her young family in the garden, which is for the first time still and peaceful, owing to the reduction of traffic in the road which runs alongside them. The poem is gorgeous and lingered with me long after we’d finished up.
It was such a treat to enjoy so much creativity and be allowed just a glimpse into what matters to each of our members. I woke up feeling refreshed, invigorated, excited even – about possibilities, silver linings and how privileged I am to have this little pocket of escapism which I can delve into whenever the mood strikes.
For more information about Inkpot or starting a creative writing group in your area, do get in touch.
