The topic for the evening was ‘Life Story Writing’ when speaker Chrissie Hall encouraged and inspired us to ‘dig deep’ to capture memories, and to revisit and record our own life stories. She is an experienced specialist Life Writing Facilitator, Tutor and Mentor who leads creative projects, relaxed courses and retreats for groups. So, she delivered a very lively, interactive talk to the group.
As she suggested, we all have had our own experiences of people, places and events in our lives which have helped to make us the people we are today. She mentioned memories of best friends, of riding a bike, parties, school dinners and being sick as good examples to draw on. Creative writing can be very therapeutic, even if it drags up uncomfortable periods of our lives, the bad times and difficulties too, which we might have attempted to forget and bury deep in our minds. As Chrissie spoke about these familiar experiences, many of the group could relate to the same or similar thoughts. Above all, though, in creative writing we should be ourselves, and when we write it down, it need not be an essay.
Have we considered why we were each named as we are? Did these names relate to family members, to film stars of the day or for other reasons? As an example, she went into schools during Covid to help out with the children of keyworkers whose parents were not around to care for them. Some wrote that the most exciting memory of that period was being able to make a lot of noise when, on a Thursday evening at 7pm, all were encouraged to open their front doors and make a din using cutlery, wooden spoons, etc. to bang on saucepans. This gesture was a thank you to the NHS and other care services for all they were doing to save lives. Another memory of theirs was hearing the familiar sound of ambulance sirens, especially with the absence of traffic on the roads.
We were told that there is an ongoing project called the ‘Mass Observation Project’. Anyone can contribute items from their diaries as a means of recording events for social history purposes, maybe about homes, village life and families.
All in all, it proved to be a very thought-provoking and enjoyable evening.
The next event for the group is to be a day out at Cromford Mills on Wednesday, 24 June. This will enable us to do our own thing on arrival, followed by a 2-hour boat trip on the canal. With no meeting during the month of August, our next get together will be on Wednesday, 2 September, when we will have a return visit from Anna-Louise Pickering, this time speaking about ‘The Art of Saving Lions’. As ever, if anyone is interested in coming along to our meetings, do please have a word with Trish, Marilyn J., or me.
It would be good to see new folk joining us in the Parish Room on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm.
Wendy Drake