Writing Group: Final Meeting

Our writing group met for the third time. It has begun as a four week tester to see what sort of response there was. I won't make the last one, but hope it continues in the New Year. The older gentleman wasn't there this time. I don't know why, but did wonder. We had two writing activities in the class. The text in red is what we were prompted with and then had several minutes to write. Exercise 1: Long before I was born... candles were the lights on Christmas trees. You would think the hazards that this particular invention was dreamed up with might also have considered the tinder dry branches coupled with the harsh drafts that always accompanied those hauntingly dark and musty castles. As one might suspect the trees caught fire 7 out of 13 times according to local folklore, bringing with it the added bonus of no post Christmas tree clean up. I can't say I was there to witness it, but I suspect that old wives tale of a tree catching on fire during the winter solstice bringing an increase in the birth of male heirs might suggest those trees were not set on fire by an unguarded burst of air, but rather a sneaky slight of hand when no one was there to witness. It was quite mysterious how I came across this knowledge and curious custom at all. Finding myself poking around in an old attic in one of the aforementioned castles I discovered a large trunk with boxes of candles and their holders that clipped onto the tree. Next to it was a scrap book with handwritten dates that documented all the male births that corresponded to all the accidental fires. Exercise 2: Imagine a made up photograph. You are either looking at it or you are in it. Describe where it is? It is outside in a plaza in the city of Florence. Spring time is verging on summer. The sky is blue with the occasional cloud and the pigeons are strutting around in gangs looking for a free handout. Who is in the photograph? A young girl's blurred side is visible from the lower half of her face down to her hips. She is wearing a green fuzzy sweater and a dark tweed skirt. The moment captures her quick swing in a direction as her hair flies up to cover her face. Grabbing her left arm as she turns away is a male arm and hand. His face is not in the shot, but his arm wears an expensive black jacket. What is going on in the background? In the background are tables of people sitting at the outdoor cafes and restaurants chattering amongst themselves. Almost hidden among them is another young woman who is watching the scene between the pair with a look of knowing. What is just out of shot? Just to the right sits an older woman on a bench looking distressed. Her eyes are glassed over and she seems to not be aware of the business in the square. Describe something that is said or something that happens a moment after the shot. A moment later, the young woman grabs her arm away from the man, quickly scans the plaza and bolts as fast as she can towards a side road covered in cobblestone.