The workshop at our meeting on 5th March entitled ‘Dialogue is only talking, isn’t it?’, devised by member Janet Kates, proved more challenging than expected. The group worked in pairs; first we were given varied brief opening sentences eg ‘How are we going to stop him?’ and ‘I wanted you to save me’ from which we had to create a conversation between two characters. Working with a partner was a novelty for most of us, although it proved easier once a scenario was decided upon. After a break and a change of partners, the second exercise gave both an opening line and a situation eg ‘playing snooker’ ‘cleaning a gun’ and ‘feeding animals’. The inventive results, varying from humorous to serious, were then read out and proved valuable in encouraging us to think more carefully about how we use dialogue in our writing to make sure every word counts.
The group has welcomed six new members recently, which means that we may now have to instigate a waiting list. If you are interested in joining, please contact the Membership Secretary, Amanda Giles, on 01424 442707 or e-mail membership.hwg@gmail.com. You can also visit our website at www.hastingswriters.co.uk.
We are organising a ‘Poetry Today’ seminar on Saturday 28th April to be held at the Southwater Community Centre, St Leonards–on-Sea: Places £7 or £5 students. Author and poet Leslie Tate will read from eight contemporary poets, introducing their ideas, exploring their methods and celebrating their power to move us with beautiful and surprising language. Please e-mail hastingswritersgroup@gmail.com or tel 01424 442471 to book your place.
