Creative writing activity. Week 5 Picture it in Words

To complete this activity you'll need access to some artwork. Some of these tasks are specific to the Cooper Gallery where local artists are displaying their 'responses' to the gallery collection. However it is flexible and you will still find this activity useful. Have a go!

Explore the artwork in the gallery and...

• Look for really interesting relationships between the Cooper Gallery collection piece and the new Hen piece. Choose a pairing. Can you discover a story/ poem in the space between?
• Landscape - timelessness - find a landscape depicted and put a character of your own in this setting. Use the juxtaposition to explore time - or whatever you like.
• Find a piece that tells you a story - write the ending first.
• Find a piece of jewellery you can link with a character in your head. Use a detailed description of the piece as part of a story/ poem. Present? Lost? Stolen? Found? etc.
• Find an element of magic you could explore.
• Choose an artefact and give it a strange / original purpose. Put it into a poem or story or...
• If one (or more) of these sparks something for you, see if you can find what one of these artists explored around it, then write...

veiled, broken china, window-sill

flower-girl, sewing-box, thorn tree

frame, coast, Green Man

vessel, memory, 'Royal, Courtier, Bishop...'

Activity by A. Hamblen.©

Creative writing activity. Week 3 Quirky views

1. Close your eyes and imagine a familiar scene. See the detail. Remember that you can include all your senses when you are imagining it.
2. Imagine the same scene from the persepctive of a young child held in the arms of an adult. What would be different about it?
3. Now picture the same scene from a particular angle in the room and from the eyes of a strange adult. When you've thought about it, take 3 minutes to write down three different viewpoints. Some of the ones that group members came up with were: A telegraph pole, a gun sight, a driving mirror, from under a table.
4. Now choose one and write a description or the events that you or your character might see from this quirky viewpoint.

A. Hamblen. Feb. 2008

Creative writing activity. Week 2 A story of love...

You can use the dating pages from your local paper for this or one of the messages below.

BAT, Nappy Valentine's Day! Chimp and newt need more Polrot please. Lub u very much xxx

BERRISFORD The Key is waiting for you. I love you. Benny. xxxxxxxxxx

BLACK KNIGHT The Princess in the tower loves you so very much now and forever. x

BURGESS Not sure how you've done it but somehow you got me - Good Work! Happy Valentine's Day. xxx

1. Respond to one of the Valentine's Day messages by writing a reply
2. Write a few sentences telling the story of a meeting with the person in the message
3. Six months on - how is the relationship going? A few sentences showing a scene between 'you' and the other person
4. Assume that you become partners. Twenty / forty/ fifty years on. You choose. Write another short scene

Creative writing activity. Week 1 Selective Memory.

'If you can look back on your life with contentment, you have one of man's most precious gifts- selective memory.' Jim Fiebig

This is especially true of family circumstances or incidents when onlookers provide witness statements.

• Think of an incident. This can be drawn from real life or completely fictional.
• You can be an observer or a participant. What did you do, see or say?
• Someone else was present either as an observer or as a participant. How would that person describe the incident?

Describe the scene including both people's viewpoints.
You can use speech or third person reporting- prose or poetry.

Jeannette Ayton: Jan. 2008

Hello and welcome

This is the official blog of the Barnsley Writers' group. http://www.barnsleywriters.moonfruit.com/

In this space you will find exercises to follow and samples of people's writing and responses as well as useful links and information.

If you are going to post comments on work please remember to make sure that they are constructive. Criticism- at least in this space- should be a tool for improvement, not a judgement.

All writing remains copyright of individual authors- please respect that.

All that aside I hope that you find the blog and site useful.