Blog Revival 20th March 2016

After having been off the air for some months, I have received several ‘follows’ which have inspired me to pull my finger out. Hello everyone!

I have joined a writer’s group at the Sandy Beach Centre in Sandringham, Victoria, where we meet once a week. We are an eclectic group of people with vastly different interests. Our teacher, Claire, a poet, introduces different genres and writers each week. We share our work and write constructive ideas on one another’s work. It’s a very supportive atmosphere, but it has made me realize just how much I don’t know. I feel like a novice, as so many are far more advanced than I am. This is a good thing, as it keeps me trying harder.

When I last wrote a post, I mentioned a film, Poets’, in which Chris and I had been invited to participate. If you blink you’d miss us! The film was shown in Rosebud at the Short Film Festival and won its section. It will travel Internationally and be shown in Cannes. Congratulations to all concerned, especially the poet, Andrea Louise Thomas and the young Director, Liam Kelly.

A rather important mile- stone was celebrated this February, my seventieth birthday. This inspired me to travel to Tasmania with my eldest daughter to visit relations. Instead of coming home, I continued onto Canberra to spend time with my other two children and their families. This time I ensured I had an extra day to catch up with former work colleagues and friends. Nothing replaces old friends!

Sharing work on the Internet has drawbacks. Some competitions require unpublished work, and therefore I’m saving my short stories, hopefully to compile enough for a book. I did enter one recently in the Ely Writers’ Day, Short Story Competition, U.K. and it was highly recommended. This was a great surprise and a thrill.