NIBS

Our fledgeling writing group now has a name. We are the NIBS. That is, the Nanpantan Improving Body of Scribblers!

We met for the third time last Wednesday (you might remember my last blog post, when I hadn't done my homework...) and it was great to welcome even more new faces to the group. I think we can safely say that this thing isn't going to fizzle and die any time soon!

I don't know whether it was the thought of holidays coming up (we finish school earlier than most folk in England) or the fact we've had such lovely sunny weather recently, but it was a really fun session. From the first exercise of telling a collaborative story (it started with a vicar who dropped the baby in the font during a baptism and ended with the baby sprouting wings and flying up to the church roof, to the dismay of the church wardens!) we laughed and grinned our way through the evening.

We wrote a dialogue in pairs that we acted out (with many a giggle - especially for the vicar who really wanted to be a ballroom dancer!), wrote outlandish excuses which explained why we were late for work (that flying baby played a role again, as did dragons, monkeys driving lorries filled with zoo animals and quicksand in the garden, to name but a few!) and we finished with stories that had to include making a drink (some of which ended up as comforting as the tea itself, and others which ended up used as a murder weapon...)

We are beginning to feel comfortable enough with each other to comment on what we hear shared - gently and with encouragement - and I think it's a testament to everyone present that even those who attend for the first time are willing to share. We don't force people to do so if it makes them uncomfortable or they don't feel confident enough. As we develop, we may have feedback nights, but it's not turning out to be the kind of group that's working with the sole aim of publication and needs critique. I think we just enjoy playing with words and validating the endless notes and scribbles we make, because it feels right and part of us to do so.

Having said that, yes, I'm a published author. But I like the fact that with this group, I can play for a while, experiment, and maybe get a glimmer of an idea that could be a short story or a novel in the future. I also enjoy sharing other author's writing and ideas; it never ceases to amaze me how many different themes stem from just one motif.

Next month will be quieter as we're well into the holidays by that point, and another member has offered to find the exercises. Which is good, because I tend to go only for the ones that appeal to me. We'll also be working on a website and we're already up on Twitter and Facebook as a community page. Our next meeting is the 13th August and I'm looking forward to my homework - rewriting a fairytale from the bad guy's point of view.

So I'm off now, to do some scribbling in the sunshine! Catch you later, fellow scribblers!