Report of the final meeting of 2012

Well then, here endeth 2012 for the Scribblers. It has been another good year although one with fluctuating membership.  It is pleasing to get a steady trickle of new members and I hope they have enjoyed the experience. The year ended last night with a four word exercise and a small get together and a good time was had by all.

The members attending were Angela A, Angela L, Beryl, Liliane, Martin, Tony,Dick, Dave, Caz,myself and a Scribblers welcome was extended to Barry M, who attended for the first time.

We began our four word session with Dick whose four words were RESOLVE, TRAIN, FAVOURITISM and TREE.  His piece centred on a chap who was intending to get to London from Norwich to attend an audition but circumstances conspired to make him miss his appointment.

Liliane was next with her NURSE, PERCEPTION, HEALING and WARDROBE an amusing tale of the crotchety Mrs Ponsonby-Smythe and how the good nature of her private nurse was sorely tested when the old lady was insisting there was a man in her wardrobe.

Next came Martin with INVIGORATING, IRRITATING, SUBMARINE and PALACE. These were a few lines in his own style, of Tiger, the cat, who lives in a manger in the Holy Land and was present when Jesus and Mary came to visit.

Then we had Barry M's STOCKING, MERRY, POINTLESS and PARANORMAL. This was a short tale of an old man who was reminiscing to his son of the days of old when milkmen used to come chinking up the path and how he had be hearing the same noises from his bed on the 7th floor of a high rise.

Next we had Beryl with PARATROOPER, PATIENT, PACIFY and QUICKLY. The chap had always wanted to be a paratrooper but discovered in training that he suffered from vertigo. His second job was a security guard / night watchman and then we were told how he rescued a potential suicide by climbing out onto a high ledge.

We then had Angela A with PERSISTANT, CRYSTAL, INNOCENT and TRIVIAL. This was concerning the 27 year old mystery of the purloining of the decoration from the top of Harrods Christmas Tree each year.

Caz three words were ORPHAN,ZULU,PRETENTIOUS and MORONIC. A short story of a reporters trip to meet the Zulu chief with his obnoxious cameraman who turned out to be brilliant at his job.

Tony had IMPATIENT, OFFENSIVE,PARALLEL and ANGEL. This was a tale of 'The Lord of the Angels' a fantasy tale for Christmas.

Angela L had HOPE, SNOWMAN, CONFIDENT and PARACHUTE. A story of Ben and his mum on a trip to Lapland to meet Santa. Ben did not believe in Santa because he always wished for his daddy to be home but never was.

Dave had DOCTOR,ANGULAR, MONKEY and MARSUPIAL a tale of a farmers visit to Dr Monkey with stomach pains and the doctor proposing to swap the man's potatoes for bars of what the farmer thought to be chocolate but proved to be Ex-lax.

As for me, I had DESPAIR,REQUIREMENTS, FERN and HOPE. I gave the meeting a few words on the agony of a man looking for work and applying for a job well above his station, with some success.


I would like to wish all our members, those who can attend and those who can't a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.The next meeting will be on the 8th January and will be another four word exercise for a short time after the AGM.

Happy Christmas and see you in the New Year.

Barry

Some of the Scribblers at last night's meeting.

2012 draws to a close

Our final meeting of the year was held last night with a healthy attendance and a very interesting and entertaining four word creative writing exercise. Suffice to say out little party was a wonderful way to close down our year.

Details of the meeting will follow.

Last Meeting of the year...TONIGHT

Be there! Room at the Top, Felixstowe Library 7.30pm tonight.

A new competition

Belper Short 
Story

Competition

To celebrate Belper’s first Literary Festival, as part of the wider Belper Arts Festival, we are launching a short story competition which offers aspiring writers the chance to have their work published for the first time.

Entrants may submit, by 1^st March 2013, an original, previously unpublished fictional story on any subject or genre. The maximum word limit is 2500. There is an entry fee of £5 per story.

The best story will be published  and will receive a prize of £200. Second prize is a £50 book voucher kindly donated by Scarthin Books.

To obtain an entry form, please contact Kathy kathyf100@hotmail.com or Joan jo.hardy52@gmail.com

Coming soon...

Our last meeting of the year is really creeping up fast... it makes me wonder where all the time has gone... all those stupendous meetings... so... we're letting you get away with homework this time. Instead there will be a short four word writing exercise. You know what to do! Provide four words, each on a separate small slip of paper, bring along something to write with and the rest will be left to your creativity.

The writing exercise will be shorter than normal as we wish to end the evening with our little party - so please feel free to bring along some nibbles or snacks etc., but please! Not too much!

Hope to see you in The Room at the Top at 7.30 next Tuesday 18th December.

Keep Scribbling!

TRIBUTE TO A TEXAN LEGEND

It's twenty four years on and twenty four years gone,

Since December six, eighty-eight,

And his final song had echoed out

Within his homeland Texas State.

The voice that passed away that day,

Was more than desperate and sad -

He'd never sing alive again

And that, my friends, was all so bad.

Yet in our minds, our hearts, our homes,

Melodies linger on and long,

Down the volume, he'll still be heard

So high above his mourning song.

A man whose life was full of grief,

His wife hit by a killer truck

Claudette died on her motorbike.

Then another tragedy struck.

Two sons died in the burning flames -

Gone were Tony and Roy DeWayne -

At his Hendersonville homestead.

Just how could he survive the pain?

Deathly anguish and bitter thoughts,

Replaced with professional calm

He rose again above his grief,

His loyal fans were in his palm.

Each song he sung, a masterpiece

The Texan sang so beautiful,

Etched on the world's eternal disc

Voice unquavering, powerful.

Listen to his ballad "Claudette",

His "Crying" and his "Blue Bayou".

Then "It's Too Soon to Know" and yet

If "Only the Lonely" weren't true.

"In Dreams" of his "Pretty Woman",

Was he "Running Scared" from "The Crowd"

Way down to his "Sleepy Hollow"

To write and sing, vibrant, aloud.

Record, perform, on stage his act,

Immense applause that will not end.

As the world pays great homage to

"'Roy Orbison"' - Texan legend

(c) 2012 Dave Feakes