Writers' Club - March Wrap Up

In the beginning...

Everyone is busy these days so it is necessary to prioritise from the most important, through to least important on your list of things to do. Most people have a list, whether they write it down or not. Because we all come from a variety of backgrounds, we naturally measure our priorities differently.

This was one of the main issues raised at Novel Tea 'n Pages first Writers' Club meeting held on Saturday, 12 March, 2011, where a small group of people who love to write or who would like the opportunity to write met up and discussed their objectives and hopes.

Finding time for the 'luxury' of writing is not always the top of people's priority lists. But, as they say, if you value something, you will make time for it. Some members crossed this bridge when it came time to commit to participating in a writing group situation. Some members were at a crossroads, tossing up whether they should commit to such an activity or not. For whilst writing for them was a priority, it was way down on the list of must dos. Were there perhaps, more important things they should be doing for their families, they questioned. Luckily, they had very supportive spouses who encouraged them to come along and try it out for themselves.

How many of us feel like this? It is very common for women especially, feel this way. These are very real issues faced by some who want to write but find it hard to justify the amount of time that will be spent doing it, especially when there are so many other ways to 'fill up' our life.

There is no doubt family is important, and that is totally another topic for conversation.

However, it is also very important to have some balance in your life. A lot of people sacrifice themselves for the good of the family and then wonder why they sometimes feel resentful, or feel like they have no time for themselves. Everyone needs, and should allocate time for themselves, to do something they really enjoy. There are lots of options out there, but specifically today, we are discussing writing.

Today, was a good outcome though. For those who may have felt some reluctance decided to come along anyway at the encouragement of their spouses, and were decidedly happy they made the effort. They discovered that once they committed themselves to the first meeting and wrote down their objectives and desires for writing, it enabled them to spend some time thinking specifically about what they hoped to gain and to write down their aims. This brought a delicious sense of fulfilment and purpose, and gave them direction. It inspired them.

The role of writing groups:

Writing groups play a very important role for writers. They are the perfect way to keep writers accountable and help them schedule regular writing sessions and it gives them a purpose to show up.

Writing can easily be regarded as a hobby. Some people play sport, some paint and so, why not write? If you love it, then it could be the perfect outlet for you.

There are several important reasons for bringing writers together:

• Writing is inevitability a solitary activity so, joining a group is an excellent way to share your interest with others who understand the pressures and joys of being a writer. 
• It is also important to receive constructive feedback on work in progress. It is often difficult to remain objective about your own work and whilst friends and family are always keen to lend a hand, unless they are in the writing industry, it is hard for them to give helpful and focused feedback that is required.

A good writers' group has the capacity to provide a strong, supportive and knowledgeable group of friends who can deliver honest objective and constructive feedback on each other's work in a supportive environment.

It is hoped that Novel Tea 'n Pages can grow to be a supportive and friendly group of writers who can be there for each other along the various journeys our members take. There is room for beginner writers and critiques, and well as the experienced. We all have to start somewhere and it is our hope to develop critiques and writers who are sensitive to all.

Today was the start of what is hoped...a wonderful journey for many.

So, until next time...

happy writing...

April 2011 Book Club: 'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert

About the Book:

'From the way Elizabeth Gilbert’s tale begins --- with our heroine in Rome, fawning over a sexy, young Italian --- one could be forgiven for thinking that Eat, Pray, Love might just belong on the chick-lit shelf next to Amy Sohn’s Run, Catch, Kiss. But first blushes can be deceiving, and from the book’s introductory quote --- “Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth” --- we know Gilbert’s not out to deceive. Not her readers and, most important, not herself.

In what could be construed as a coming-of-age story for thirtysomethings, Gilbert leaves behind an excruciating divorce, tumultuous affair, and debilitating depression as she sets off on a yearlong quest to bridge the gulf between body, mind, and spirit. Part self-deprecating tour guide, part wry, witty chronicler, Gilbert relates this chapter of her life with a compelling, richly detailed narrative that eschews the easy answers of New Age rhetoric. In the book’s early pages, a flashback finds the smart, savvy, successful Gilbert on her knees on the bathroom floor of the Westchester house she inhabits with her husband, wailing and wallowing in sorrow, snot, and tears (“a veritable Lake Inferior”), awkwardly embarking on her first conversation with God.

During the interminable wait for her divorce, Gilbert accepts a magazine assignment in Bali, where she meets a ninth-generation medicine man “whose resemblance to the Star Wars character Yoda cannot be exaggerated.” He evaluates her palm, forecasting her return to Bali --- a prediction that resurfaces when she hatches an escape plan from pain: “to explore the art of pleasure in Italy, the art of devotion in India, and, in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two.”

Drawn by the beauty of its mother tongue, Gilbert arrives in Rome dead set on a self-restoration remedy rooted in pleasure and chastity, a peculiar pairing she describes as the antidote for decades spent sublimating herself to lovers with the dedication of “a golden retriever and a barnacle.” For Gilbert, luxuriating in simple pleasures means sounding the curtain call on personal demons --- in this case a good-cop, bad-cop routine starring loneliness and depression --- and allowing her own desires (gelato for breakfast!) to take center stage.

Pleasure triumphs, and our protagonist is prepared for the next leg of her journey: an ashram in India, where racing thoughts eventually yield to successful meditation and a cast of supportive characters, including a plumber-poet from New Zealand, an ever-amiable, sage Texan, and the Indian tomboy she scrubs the temple floors with as part of her devotional duty.

By the time Gilbert arrives in Indonesia, she has shed her grief, realizing her own ability to control her reaction to life’s events. She is strong, enjoying a succession of simple days spent with the medicine man, a Javanese surfer dude, and a woman healer. Bicycling around Bali, she finds balance and, as the title suggests, love. Happiness, Gilbert comes to realize, “is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.”'


Notes from: Reading Group Guides

Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers' Club - Writers' Workshop

Saturday, 12 March: Writers' Workshop.
9:00am - 11:00am
Chandler Qld

Saturday, 12 March, 2011, Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers' Club will host its very first Writers' Workshop. This workshop is open to all Book Club members, however, we are an open club and welcome new members.

Once a month Writers' Workshop will meet every 3rd Saturday of the month, and will complement Book Club, every 1st Wednesday of the month. It is open to anyone who loves to write or is interested in the writing process and would like to develop their skills, share and receive constructive feedback from an objective group of individuals.

New members are most welcome.

This is a great way to meet with other like-minded people, share your passion or writing projects and grow in skill together.

The Process:

Our first meeting will be a time to meet with others to share the objectives we'd like to receive from a workshop each month. This is the time we will share our ideas and indicate the projects we will be working on. Members will participate in a short writing exercise to help improve their skills and encourage spontaneous writing.

Why attend Writers Workshops?

Meeting up with others is a great way to share your craft, ideas and passions, rather than keeping it all to yourself. Writing is meant to be shared. It is a great way to discuss and learn more about the process and gain confidence. It is also an excellent way to mix socially and grow friendships.

If anyone is interested in joining, there are a limited number of places left for the first Writers' session. Please contact Deb Smith via blog (comments), face book (inbox) or email for further details.

So, if this sounds like you, please contact us. We are looking forward to meeting some new writing buddies...

until then...

happy writing...

March Book Club: Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomon

Novel Tea 'n Pages' first book club meeting for 2011 kicked off on 2 March. It would be correct to think that it feels like months since we were all together because it has been.

It was very encouraging to have almost every member turn up on the night and this only added to the diversity of discussion that revolved around our first book for the year, 'Mr Rosenblum's List' by Natasha Solomon, a first time author.

Reading an author's first novel can sometimes be full of pitfalls and errors, however, it can also be an extremely worthwhile experience. Coming from a teaching background I sometimes equate the first novel as I would a 'demonstration' lesson, meaning the best of the best with the skills you have. First time novelists are a bit the same, mixing the best of their best with the skills they have learned so far. This can go three ways. An ordinary attempt, a good attempt with something lacking or, sometimes it can deliver a lovely surprise to a reader. Like biting into a mysterious bar of chocolate and having a delicious and gooey sensation ooze into your mouth which you weren't expecting. Are you hungry yet?

Well that's how our club members felt about Natasha Solomon's first novel. We were all pleasantly surprised.

The book was well received and everyone enjoyed it and commented that it was a charming (some used the term, 'cute') book with many issues woven throughout that made good fodder for a reader to chew over. It was a great choice of book to start the year off with.

Some of our members are from South Africa and have, as Jack Rosenblum and his wife, Sadie did, made the big move from their own country to a new country. In their case, from South Africa to Australia where the differences in culture has sometimes appeared subtlety, but sometimes felt gargantuan.

During the night it was interesting to hear members speak of their own thoughts and experiences compared to the fictitious Mr & Mrs Rosenblum. Funnily enough there were many similarities where members could relate to some events and situations the Rosenblum's found themselves in. Even though the story is set postwar, some of the issues the Rosenblum's encountered still happen in today's modern society.

The author is quite authentic and fresh in her portrayal of some of the relationships that developed between different characters. She did not write in a predictable fashion and managed to get the tone in the story 'just right'. One perfect example for instance was when Jack began to slowly build his golf course one hole at a time. The tone the author used authenticated the laborious efforts he put to the task causing us to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of what he was trying to do. As readers, the author guided us in such a way that we could empathise with Jack at the slowness and hardship he went through to build his first hole, only to have it torn down by the legendary 'woolly pig'. We felt his pain and frustration along with him.

Some of the more poignant parts of the story involved the relationships between the characters, especially Sadie and her husband, who had endured a long, yet somewhat lonely marriage, Sadie and her daughter Elizabeth, and the relationship between Jack and Elizabeth. The author layers the depths of these relationships well and keeps things real and sometimes very raw. Many of us who are about to, or who have gone through the empty nest syndrome will relate very well indeed to many situations that arise between Elizabeth and her parents.

The author raised some valid issues and problems that included assimilation and conformist trends versus holding on to homeland culture. These are problems that often confront people who adopt a new country. Often immigrants face many dilemmas on treading the fine line between fitting in and holding onto the freedom of being who they are and their homeland's culture. It is in this area that Sadie really struggles. Jack does not wish to look back from where he has come. He is full of energy and is only interested in fulfilling his wish to be a perfect English gentleman, at all costs. Jack is very persistent in many areas of his life. His ability to persevere is an endearing quality, although sometimes can appear to be quite painful. Sadie however, longs to remember her heritage, her parents and family and introduces the tradition of baking like her mother to help her remember.  For her, the journey is much more painful and slow. Sadie struggles to leave her family and her past behind as she tries to make a new life in London.

Although the tale, and some call it a fable, encounters some complex issues, the language is simple and enjoyable. This is not a difficult or challenging narrative. The story is splattered with interesting characters that carry the comedic storyline well and keep the reader entertained.

This book is highly recommended by our members, especially if you enjoy a light and entertaining read.

So, until next time...

Happy reading....