Saturday 30 June 2007

I Wish I Was a Robot

Soft as a whisper, naked, unprotected,

Fragile and frail, flimsy and faint,

Exposed and helpless, unsure and empty,

Weak, indefensible, hollow restraint.


A tearing, a rending, breaching this thin shell,

That punctures, perforates, then ruptures and breaks,

First piercing then leaking, bending and riv-ing,

Then failing and dying, death and decay.

Wednesday 27 June 2007

The Writing Room

The Writing Room

Hugh stopped the car at the top of the hill above Massingham House, once the home of Arthur Cray, poet, philosopher and man of letters. Cray was long dead and the house now inhabited by two great-nieces who had made it a shrine to Cray's memory with the intent to open it to the public as a 'literary heritage resource'.

He picked up his binoculars, surveyed the building and made a few notes about the setting. He sighed as he thought of the task before him, then drove slowly to his appointment.

The younger sister, Enid, answered the door. Hugh extended his hand for her to shake but she grabbed it and pulled him into the house trilling ''Mavis, it's the man from the BBC.''

Hugh extracted his hand and offered it to Mavis. ''Actually I'm a freelance broadcast journalist.'''

Mavis shook hands enthusiastically. 'So good of you to take an interest in our literary heritage project. Now what can I offer you? We have a very nice claret or is a gin and tonic more your line?''

''A cup of tea would be just fine, thank you.''

Mavis poured herself a large measure of whisky. "I'll put the kettle on in a moment."

Enid slid her arm through Hugh's. "You must see the writing room first. It's central to the whole project."

Hugh allowed himself to be led up a spacious staircase to the first floor. Enid threw open a door. "We've worked so hard on restoring this room, especially the panelling, and you're the first to see it.'

Hugh looked around puzzled. Little tallied with his research. He cleared his throat. "Is this the original room? It seems, well, rather larger than I expected."

Mavis smiled. "My dear, we've just extended it a little. Arthur's room was so cramped, you couldn't fit more than two people in it. No good at all for the visiting public."

Enid gestured enthusiastically. "We knocked down the adjoining wall, then transferred the panelling from a bedroom. It's now the way Arthur would have wanted it."

Hugh opened his notebook. "I see."

Mavis leaned towards him. "Arthur had a vision for this house and we have done our best to realise it."

"And was this vision recorded anywhere? In the diaries for example?"

Enid blushed. "We believe it was in a letter that got lost, but Grandmother told us all about Arthur's ideas."

Mavis gripped Hugh's arm. "It's oral history passed down the generations."

Hugh hastily made some notes. Mavis peered over his shoulder. "Show me what you are writing, young man."

Hugh proffered the notebook.

"I can't read shorthand."

"Well I'll translate. The writing room, central to the whole project, is beautifully panelled in carved oak. Cray's desk has the original inkwell and blotter."

Mavis beamed. "Now let's show you the restorations we've made to the reception rooms. It's all been done according to Arthur's vision."

Three months later, the sisters invited a select group of village worthies to listen to the radio broadcast on Massingham House in the series 'Literary Tours of England'. Enid ushered the guests into the drawing room and Mavis graciously distributed sherry.

A hush fell as Hugh's sonorous tones filled the room. "Visitors to Massingham House are advised to first consult Featherstone's 1935 guide to the area, for the illustrations are the only way to gain some impression of the original interiors. The building has been over-restored to the point one wonders if this is the same house at all. The famous writing room is the worst affected, being enlarged solely to accommodate visitors….."

Mavis leaped up and switched off the set. There was an embarrassed silence, then Enid spoke. "It's your fault Mavis. You never did make him that cup of tea."

Margot Agnew

Meeting 26th June 2007

Thanks to everyone who attended the Critique night last night. May I extend particular thanks to Alan Gaskell, our newest member, who has also been instrumental in setting up this site. Thank you Alan, and welcome to the group.

For those who were unable to attend, minutes will be circulated as normal but here's a brief overview of what was discussed:

Website / Promotion - welcome to the website! Here it is, and it will be what we make of it. Please feel free to contribute, tell your friends, your relatives, post it up on every lamp post! In addition to the website we're looking to put together some posters, nothing fancy but something we can post up in the local libraries and the like, to try and highlight our presence to any budding writers out there. If anyone would like to have a go, or would like to assist in any way in promoting the group please let me or Carol know. In addition, we are looking to liaise with Runshaw College, who will be running an advanced writing course this year.
Critiques - thank you to everyone who submitted work for critique, and to those providing support and advice.

Next meeting - the next meeting is on 24th July and is a Writing Burst night. Please come along ready to write! If everyone who attends could bring with them a suggested prompt this will give us a bit more variety to work from, whether it be an opening line, a theme, a photograph or magazine article - whatever you can think of! Thanks and see you all then. Bii

Tuesday 26 June 2007

Welcome to The Chorley and District Writers Circle.


We are a collection of like-minded individuals who share a passion for writing. Meeting once a month, we have members with varying writing specialities.
If you are interested in what we do please e-mail Belinda Farrell.