Hot telephones, hot Arizona and hot pen

This was the dreaded monthly ‘Hot Pen Day’, when a word is selected at random from a book and all present have a set amount of time to write something inspired by and using the chosen word. Even so, there was a good attendance – 19. Apologies from John (car trouble), Rob (dentist), Heinke (airport), Pat (hospital) and Jenny.

Before we got down to the Hot Pen, however, we asked last week’s Leftovers to read their pieces.

Leftovers
Mary M kicked off with a revealing and rather intriguing sexual intrigue that involved phone sex and marital misunderstanding. Well received indeed!

Alan W gave us the first part of his reinterpretation of the Gilgamesh story, and employed some amusing turns of phrase. (The Epic of Gilgamesh was written some 1,500 years before Homer on clay tablets discovered in Mesopotamia in the mid 1800s and then decyphered; the story is incomplete).

Gerry gave us ‘A Taste of Freedom’ with a well realised description of a convict leaving an Arizona prison after five years. We all wanted to know more... and also wanted to feel the heat.

Nan read her first ever poem, a clever rhyming piece about going to the dentist and depleting her finances (must have known Rob was going…)

Stan gave us another amusing snippet about Granddad babysitting Danny.

The Hot Pen

The book used was Recoil by Jim Thompson. The words were either ‘lid’ or ‘until’ or both. As time had passed, only 7 minutes was allowed for writing.

Nik wrote a continuation of his last Hot Pen, still in private eye Pete Axiom’s office…

Alan G was summed up as ‘sod the accounts’, let’s go to the beach…

Maureen’s contribution was quite profound, fighting off ‘until’, the excuse for postponing life.

Christina read out a surprisingly long, and very good poem – ‘Until I met you.’

Lisa’s was expectant and deep.

Ian’s was an amusing cut above some, about a hairdresser.

Douglas’s piece was about being bedridden and not liking it.

Glyn was about a crafty DJ.

Brenda gave us a massive salvo in the battle of the sexes, ‘fits all sizes’…

Jane told us about a phone call, which coincidentally so did Mary K, though hers had the recipient being driven to distraction.

Mary S used ‘until’ as an empowering excuse.

Ann gave us her thoughts on shellfish, which she doesn’t like.

Anne opened Pandora’s box.

Heather was all concerned about getting the boiler fixed.

Mary M got into a stew.

Alan G wrote about apologists.

Gerry gave us a dramatic scene in a tense kidnapping saga.

Nan told us about a cemetery, which is often a source of ideas. ‘I’m not finished yet’ might be someone’s epitaph…

Stan gave us a further conversation between Danny and his grandfather; great stuff.

Overall, as ever, the Hot Pen showed what can be achieved in a very short time. A great many of the ideas brimming from these exercises could be transformed into short stories, or even novels! If ever a scribe has writer’s block, just pluck a word from a book and let the words flow – then go back to your ‘blocked’ piece.

Surprisingly, we had time for some fillers.

Fillers

Alan W finished off the Gilgamesh rewrite, with hints of global warming and of course the echoes of the Flood and Noah.

Anne gave us a thoughtful piece about tracing family history – going back to Adam and Eve and coincidentally the ark! This was highly amusing and posed an interesting thought: very few women are mentioned in the early pages of the Bible.

Christina read out her reflections on her magical cruise to the orient – South China Sea, Raffles, and the New China resort, among other places, though most of us were most curious about the crew who ‘pandered to our every need’.

Lisa read out a lovely poem about the approach of Spring, when those ‘winter books’ are put away.

Thank you all for making yet another session interesting and thought provoking. Until next week - if we can keep a lid on it…

Nik

New Look for TWC

You know me and computers!

Google offered some new template layouts so I went for it....

Perhaps this will inspire us to even greater literary achievements.

Rob Innis

Hunky monkeys and raging bulls, not to mention ferrets under a blanket

Twenty three people attended today’s meeting. Anne Potter, one of the instigators of the Torrevieja Writers' Circle about 10 years ago attended. Anne F told us about sending an email to Michael Winner in response to his avowed intention to leave his house to the nation, saying that she was changing her name to T.H.E. Nation and to please remember her when he was updating his will. He printed her comments in his column. Nik read out his review of Heinke’s book, which stated that it was written with a surreal eye and was a truly original travel book. It can be purchased via Amazon or more cheaply through Heinke. Nik mooted the possibility of producing an anthology of the circle’s work through Lulu.

Alan G read out a short piece on the subject ‘Are we there yet?’ about him and a mate going out for the day to Weston Supermare.

Glyn continued his story, this week concerning Sheree the lady who works in the NAAFI and the apprentices’ attempt to impress her with their intelligence. Their main purpose in talking to her was to look at the wondrous sight of her heaving chest. As she walked away they watched her rear saying ’You could crack walnuts with that!’ The juke box was playing ‘Poetry in Motion' by Johnny Tillotson, which summed up their thoughts on Sheree. Very amusing as usual! We wondered how Sheree knew that the boys were watching her rear, as she couldn’t see it, and Heinke said “Maybe her cheeks were burning.” This punnitis is catching! I wonder if you can get tablets for it.

Brenda continued the part of her story about the second diary and Belle’s search for Minerva. Belle asked her older sister if she had heard of Minerva and discovered that her sister had had a mastectomy. She went to visit her and was impressed by her sister’s courage. Brenda received some good advice on how to improve the story.

Ian had written a short poem about colours, instigated by the redecorating he was doing at home. It was a clever mix of colours and emotions.

Mary K read out a story she was considering sending to People’s Friend, following the guidelines they require. It was about a lady going to work in a café near the beach. A man comes to the beach every day looking for his wife who drowned in the sea. She plucks up courage to speak to him and tells him how she used to be sad but now enjoys her work in the café. The next day he comes into the café and says “What time do you finish work?” It was thought that as there was scope for quite a few more words, there was room for a little more dialogue early on in the story.

TJ read out his article that has been printed on the blog of the Inland Magazine. It was a clever story connecting Ernest Hemingway, bull running at Pamplona and Sally the Satnav. TJ had set his satnav to remind him where hotels were by a tone mooing like a cow. It culminated in him following the bulls with his girlfriend in the car beside him, and the satnav calling out ‘moo’ and him thinking that the bulls were coming back to get him. He never knew there were so many hotels in Pamplona!

Pat read out a poem about Pussy Willow chasing after Hunky Monkey (don‘t ask!), finding Hunky Monkey in a caress with Wilma, a fire starting and her ending up in the arms of a fireman. Ooh I love a man in a uniform!

Douglas continued his story, which turns out to be something to do with nuclear clean energy. Kaplinsky arrives at an office building that says SCIENCE on the door. Dr Lester Brook, who he is giving the info to, turns out to be blind. Later on the security man looks at the tapes and sees 2 lab assistants leaving the room and going to the accommodation block. Dr Brook needs to be found. We await the next installment. It was thought that Douglas cleverly gave out information leading to the reader’s realisation that Dr Brook was a blind lady.

Another good meeting finished with a few people left over to read next week. Let’s hope it is enough to prevent us having a lot of time for hot pen!

Cynthia

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Rob Innis

Come on you Poets

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Good Luck

Rob.

Soldiering On Through Last Night´s Dream.

Heinke Woodbridge (pictured peering out from behind her front door) has at last had her book "Camping With Wolves" published! Congrats Heinke. Have a copy at my bedside and will begin reading anon.

The other pictures are supposed cleverly to represent the themes for this week, which were "Soldiering On" and "My Dream Last Night. Not that we are expected or obliged to write based on the weekly subjects but it can help when you´re desperate for inspiration.

Cynthia wrote on the "Soldiering On" theme. It was a very moving piece about a war widow of today who is treated with heartless indifference by the military authorities following her husband´s death on duty in Afghanistan.

Chris´"Soldiering On" described people growing older and carrying on in the face of disappointment and disillusionment.

John´s poem "Prime Cut" described a dying soldier in Afghanistan. Very good, it was thought.

The dream theme was tackled by:

Jenny, who wrote a poem in short, breathless phrases, which was more a nightmare than a dream. Made you get goosebumps.

and

Nan, who wrote about a man whose invention of a pill to replace food caused more trouble than he´d expected. Everyone felt that, although it needed to be worked on and altered, it was an interesting and important theme and Nan was encouraged to go back to the drawing board.

The other members wrote on different subjects.

Glyn continued his army apprentices saga featuring Pauline of the lazy eye, whose tears ran down her shoulder when she cried, and the diverse accents of the group of lads. As usual, hilarious.

Alan G gave us another episode in the life of Spike the dog, describing his relationship with the local slapper bitch, Mabel, and the love of his life, Mandy (a spaniel, I think?). Very funny.

Lisa had written a beautiful piece about a woman who has had cancer meeting her daughter and grandchild for a picnic.

Mary S and Mary K have become confused in my notes ( Sorry Ladies!!) so I´m not sure who did what. One wrote a poem called "Woman of the World" and the other wrote a short eulogy to Heinke on publication of her book, called "Tall Story" about two giraffes dancing the Tango.

With his unerring ability to make a groan-like joke, Nik remarked " You´ve got a neck".
( A pause for a collective slow handclap and hiss....)

Stan gave us a spot-on nostalgia piece where a grandad, talking about how he met his wife, describes Teddy Boy attire, DA hairstyles and the local dance.

Douglas had us all wanting to hear more with his private eye tale - to be continued next week.

A good meeting.

Chris J

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Rob Innis