For my writing group today, the writing group who started in the quarry and now meet in the Bay (the quarry is now a collection of artists studios, the Bay is a tea-room in what used to be the Tropicana Swimming Pool right on the beach) – for my writing group the theme for today was ‘Menu’. Inspired by where we are.
I seem to be sapped of imagination, all my thoughts involved in the editing of my next novel, so I wrote about the menu for June in my 1920’s Modern Practical Cookery book, which I have shared here. I was intrigued to find out what my friends had written…
- the first part of an extraordinary creepy story about two young girls who ‘won’ a trip to an exotic location where they were staying in a luxury spa and hotel, but cut off from any other guests…
- a memoir from days at school, a boarding school, and a sudden realisation about friendship, family, home and school, food, meals… and menus
- a story about a menu based around dishes served cold… and the best dish served cold? Revenge!
- a story with an unexpected ending, where the main character is trying to plan what and where to eat with someone very dear to her who is returning after a year away
- an amusing story from a seagull’s eye view and what was on the bird’s menu
- a very powerful poem which interpreted the word ‘Men you…’ It was very perceptive, and we all knew someone suck as the ‘you’ the poem was addressing.
- my literal piece about a menu for June
We had a great meeting, discussing all sorts of things to do with writing (and other things too) and then had the difficult decision of what to write about next time.
We looked round the tea-room and then the poet said ‘driftwood’ because there, hanging on the wall above our head was exactly that, driftwood no doubt picked up from the beach behind us.!
Here are some links to our books:
Macaque – Palimpsest of Ghosts: Collected Poems
Fenja Hill – What I did on my holidays: How to survive a disaster with nothing but a travel iron and a cuddly bunny
http://amzn.eu/bbQN8YE
… and me:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lois+elsden
Lois Elsden 