A problem that writers often have is that their profession isolates them. Yet the nature of writing does allow time to mix with others. It is possible to write well for about two to three hours per day. You can write for longer than that if you like, but it won’t be any good. The source I credit with this information is Denise Mina, the Scottish crime novelist, who said this at one of her readings. You can do administration or marketing if you wish with the rest of your day, but give the writing itself a rest.
One thing I do is go to a day-time writer’s group of which I am a member, and which meets in a café which has an excellent ambience. It doubles as a picture gallery and the artwork on the walls is frequently inspiring. And mixing with people of a like mind is rewarding. We take it in turns to lead the group and this is what I did when I took my shot this week. I prepared a sheet with some haiku which we discussed. These I took from a book called The Haiku Hundred, which was published by Iron Press. You will find them below.
Haiku
watching my daughter
watching her daughter washing
her dollie’s white socks
Louise Beaven
In the village pond
the full moon is shaken by
the first falling leaf
James Kirkup
the champagne bottle
decked with roses and ribbons
awaits mid-day’s tide
James McEwan
Morning mist dissolves,
Overhead a skein of geese;
red haws glint in sun.
Constance Parr
Gift amaryllis
forgotten behind cupboards
punches through its box.
Peggy Poole
Well before midnight
on my watch face tomorrow’s
date already here
David Andrew
HAIKU - a verse-form from the Japanese. A three-line poem consisting of five syllables, followed by seven, followed by five.
SYLLABLE - a portion of writing containing one vowel sound.
This is what I came up with, which I share.
Soldier monument
-no need to hold that gaze still.
Branches stir in the breeze.
I was looking out on a war memorial which had the statue of a First World War soldier on it. I’ve no doubt you could take this exercise somewhere and come up with something far better. Please do!
One thing I do is go to a day-time writer’s group of which I am a member, and which meets in a café which has an excellent ambience. It doubles as a picture gallery and the artwork on the walls is frequently inspiring. And mixing with people of a like mind is rewarding. We take it in turns to lead the group and this is what I did when I took my shot this week. I prepared a sheet with some haiku which we discussed. These I took from a book called The Haiku Hundred, which was published by Iron Press. You will find them below.
Haiku
watching my daughter
watching her daughter washing
her dollie’s white socks
Louise Beaven
In the village pond
the full moon is shaken by
the first falling leaf
James Kirkup
the champagne bottle
decked with roses and ribbons
awaits mid-day’s tide
James McEwan
Morning mist dissolves,
Overhead a skein of geese;
red haws glint in sun.
Constance Parr
Gift amaryllis
forgotten behind cupboards
punches through its box.
Peggy Poole
Well before midnight
on my watch face tomorrow’s
date already here
David Andrew
HAIKU - a verse-form from the Japanese. A three-line poem consisting of five syllables, followed by seven, followed by five.
SYLLABLE - a portion of writing containing one vowel sound.
- We read these together and discussed them.The ones we liked most were the ones with the most concrete language.We wanted an image we could see clearly in our minds.We also liked a last line that was telling in some way.We thought nature a good subject for haiku; it is the most traditional Japanese theme.
- I set an exercise.We were sitting in front of an open window looking out onto a park.This was an early October day, which was grey and rainy.I suggested that they write down everything they could think of to describe the park – and in concrete terms.
- We put this to the side and chatted before coming back to it with clear minds.
- We read carefully what we had written.We’d been describing a whole scene up till now but we looked through this and took one aspect to write about.Taking our phrases about that narrow focus, we re-arranged and polished them as we shaped them into a haiku form that made one impression, and that had a last line which might suggest a significance, though we reminded each other we must not SAYthis, but SHOW IT.
- We shared our haiku and discussed them.
- We finished drinking our coffee and cakes, and chatted.
This is what I came up with, which I share.
Soldier monument
-no need to hold that gaze still.
Branches stir in the breeze.
I was looking out on a war memorial which had the statue of a First World War soldier on it. I’ve no doubt you could take this exercise somewhere and come up with something far better. Please do!