The Writing Circle
I walked into the room not knowing what to expect.
I saw a post on Bluesky that shared a link to a gathering that was called The Writing Circle, which was held at the library that is in my part of Ottawa. The group met on the third Thursday of the month, at three o'clock.
Except next month, when it meets on November 27.
I first learned of this group in April, but because the family and I were preparing for our trip to Peru and I had other obligations on days when the group met, I decided I would wait until the group started again, if they did, indeed, start up again.
Because I was in the midst of writing my first draft of Dark Water, I was intrigued. Would this group of fellow writers—novice or experienced—be able to share ideas and provide constructive criticism to one another? Would the Writing Circle help me to be a better writer?
I saw that the group was convening again, this month, and made the decision go check it out. Being only 10 minutes away from home, I thought why not.
When I walked into the room, there were two people there. One introduced herself as the coordinator for the group, Elspeth; the other, I'm afraid to say, is a name I have forgotten: she only made a short appearance (I think she works for the library) before leaving me alone with Elspeth.
No one else joined the group when three o'clock chimed in.
We talked a bit about ourselves and our experience with writing. While Elspeth isn't a writer by profession, she writes reports as part of her job and turns to poetry and prose in her spare time.
As the leader of the Writing Circle, Elspeth brings themes to the meetings. For this meeting, the theme was trees. We read a couple of poems and then took five minutes to take something from the poems, as inspiration, to write something about trees.
Trees don't seek attention, though they get it all the same. Our eyes are naturally drawn to their beauty, whether their leaves wave to us in a gentle breeze or whisper as that wind is a part of them.
A tree gives us shade, gives us shelter from the rain. I gives us the very air we breathe. It keeps us alive.
A tree can dance with the sun, the beams peeking through like playful laughter. The smell of a tree through the year is as varied as the changing seasons: the moist musk of spring; the fresh sweetness of summer; the dry crackle of autumn; and the cool freshness of winter.
I know, it's crap. But it was a brain spill for which I was given no time to prepare, only the time to write it out by hand (and I haven't written with a pen and paper in a long time!).
As the person who came up with the theme, I'm sure Elspeth had some idea about what she wanted to say. In my opinion, that's not exactly fair.
Perhaps with more people—I was told there are generally six to eight people in the group—it would have been better. And when Elspeth asked me what I'd like to see in the group, I said I didn't think I could come up with expectations when I came with none to begin with.
I wanted to get a feel of the crowd before coming up with expectations. But in the meantime, I was hoping that we would share our writing without being put on the spot to come up with something.
I'm a thinker. I need time to come up with something to write. It's only then that I can get going, but only if that idea moves me.
In the past, with this blog, I would often force myself to sit in front of the computer, thinking that staring at the screen would bring words to me. I can't do that anymore: I need to have an idea before I start a post.
They're not always great posts but they aren't as spontaneous anymore.
We ended the Writing Circle a bit early but I promised that I would return. I want to see how the group works with several people before I determine if it's right for me.
The only inspiration I took from the first meeting was to write this post as soon as I returned home.
There's another writing group that will meet, tonight, in Kanata. I'm going to check that one out and will share that experience in a future post.
I've written for so long in a silo that I think it'll be good to get some perspective. And perhaps these groups are just what I need.
How about you? Are you looking for inspiration for your writing? Why not drop in, next month, and see what this group can do for you?
Happy Friday!
The Writing Circle is a work in progress. So glad you showed up, Ross! As you say, and this is true for me as well, "I've written for so long in a silo that I think it'll be good to get some perspective. And perhaps these groups are just what I need."
ReplyDeleteThe idea of having a theme for each meeting is common in many writing groups, and it gives people an anchor of sorts, or a place to start to write from, and I will say that I chose the theme of trees quite randomly. I had no expectations except to offer a springboard, to get the juices going. Now, if I were to sit down and write on this theme, I could be busy for a very long time, as I have so many experiences, fond memories, stories, photos, drawings, musical movements and questions about trees. A theme like this can be scary too, because it can bring you right back to early childhood. Trees have been part of our lives ever since we were born and they are one of the first things we saw when we were brought outside. Trees brought us into a place of wonder and awe when we were young, before we were shaped and moulded by school...
Here's part of what I wrote in 5 minutes during the group:
"As a tree stands, so I long to be grounded, in stillness
Long branches, shedding all my leavings now
So many gathered bundles of memory like squirrels nests dishevelled
or a colony of herons filling an ancient giant in Stanley Park;
I wonder how they fly.
I wish for the wisdom of trees,
for the dancing colours of a rainbow,
for the natural nourishing of the earth, the sun and the rain.
Grace and gratitude
Let me lean into your strong trunk,
Let me wear your loveliness,
the beauty that grows from quiet stillness."
I enjoy bringing creativity into groups, through various modalities of arts (photography, collage, movement and music, clay... the possibilities are endless!). As a semi-retired person, one of my priorities is to lead and participate in what I like to call play groups for adults. I also lead writing workshops from time to time, encouraging people to “Write Through It All” (write for pleasure, for growth and/or for healing).
I am actually more of an expressive arts facilitator than a Writer. What this means is that I work at creating space for people to find their creativity, to play with colours, images and words, and to connect with others in meaningful ways. I use the word "soul" in this context, as there is, I believe, a sweet spot within each of us, where our creative and gifts are abundant and where we connect with wholeness. I think the process of creating art or any kind of work is a wonderful mystery, and what I have learned through many group experiences (both as a leader and a participant) is that as we are willing to open our hearts and engage with each other, our creativity tends to grow and expand. The nature of the conversation is key, and the intention of being a safe space for allowing our creative energies to flow and our voices to be heard is what is most important. The core agreement of being present in a non-judging way allows mutual trust to build.
As I say, the group is a work in progress. It becomes a circle of mutual support and enjoyment as each person brings their particular gifts. There is time for reading something you have written, and the group is not a place for harsh critique (we do enough of that to ourselves!) but for listening to each other and if the reader would like some feedback, the focus is on responding to the reader, noting positive ways that the piece touched you.
Anyway, I do hope that others will join us next month, on Thursday, Nov 27 at 3:00 pm at the Ruth E Dickinson Library. Hope to see you there!