Our Write Your Life Workshop for Seniors Week proved a big hit with 25 people keen to write their life stories. Local writer Charlotte Calder spoke about writing and how to get started. Officeworks also supported the event supplying information about photobooks which can incorporate both pictures and text.
Charlotte brought along many personal objects to spark the creative process with china, toys and even a rusty old piece of chain jolting people’s memories.
She also gave tips about using descriptions, getting down the details to describe events, locations and memories. Everyone was encouraged to write down their memories to preserve history for their friends and family. Pictured with workshop presenter Charlotte Calder and Peter Douglass is local Bill Marshall, who has already penned his memoirs.
Here is a writing exercise for you to try:
Think of a word, something about you, a memory. Just write this word down.
And here is Peter’s response:
I chose the word tractor.
Now think about the event around that word and write just a few lines about it. Think about the senses, how did you feel, what did you smell?
A Renault tractor, big worn tyres, rusty and dressed in the dust and grease of it’s life.
Les brought this relic to Stabback Street and had been folded over the engine tinkering with it for days.
The noise when it finally coughed to life! Blue smoke! You would have thought it had been holding it’s breath, waiting for this moment.
For days it had been yellowed and rusty, deflated and old, now it was smoke and noise, angry and eager.
Right then I knew I had to drive it….
What memory did you think of?