Women Weaving Words

Thursday evening we shared the space in John Lewis cafe with a much larger group of women who were knitting. Places for women to gather with ease is, ironically, not easy to come by. Hearing the other group occasionally in the background resonated with this month's theme: Free your Voice For several years I've been dipping in and out of researching into what happens to women's voices as they age. I've even written about it. Then there's the other difficult we experience - not being able to truthfully express our needs. The question, "what do you want?" can actually be quite off-putting and harsh. Want is too direct, whereas need is softer, more approachable. We explored a variety of writing prompts on somewhat tender themes at times, allowed light to be cast on areas that have perhaps been ignored or hidden for some time. Whilst the content was kept private, the support and connection within the group ensured a sense of safety for this explorat...

Our women's writing group will next meet on Sunday 30 September at 10.30am - see the Events page for more details.

Women Weaving Words will be a year old on 12 June! There have been such lovely opportunities to meet and share with so many women this past year, across a table writing. It's hoped you will be able to join us for our celebration write on Sunday 10 June - details can be found on the events page . The topics that have been used as inspiration have been varied and always produce a fresh perspective when shared in a group.

Interested in writing a screenplay? St Albans Film Festival has some workshops that might just tick the box for you. The workshops take place on Saturday 30 June as follows: 11.30 The Art of Screenplays by Robin Mukherjee 14.30 Running a Creative Company in the Digital Age by Lucy Baxter 16.00 The Art of Script Editing by Karol Griffiths Each workshop also includes a book (worth approx £16.99)

01 April saw the start of NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) - to find out more, click the image above to be taken to the main site. It's great to see the enthusiasm on social feeds of others sharing their daily writes - a poem a day for thirty days. Today is day 5 and I've still managed to keep the momentum. The enthusiasm will be taken through to the next women's writing circle on Thursday 12 April - see the Events page for more details.

This Thursday (15 February), we will be using the energy from the previous day with our writing theme being: love Join us! We will be meeting as usual in John Lewis Watford from 19.00 to 20.30 - it is free to attend but you are asked to make the purchase of refreshments from the cafe. Women Weaving Words welcomes all women who wish to put pen (or pencil) to paper. Whether experienced or beginner, our group visits a variety of prompts in each session which can help you to build your writing confidence and also add fuel and inspiration to your own writing projects. [Image: Pixabay]

Yesterday (10 January) was the first writing group of 2018 and it was such an enriching experience, gathering around several tables in John Lewis and writing. We were inspired by poetry from Louise Erdrich, Ellen Bass and @nakedwriting and the insights and discussions that followed each piece were wonderful. The focus was on reflecting on 2017 and our aspirations into 2018. Writing really does allow a deeper sense of reflection, which is why I feel it is an important approach to meditation. It simply invites you to start where you are, encapsulating that all important meditation instruction 'beginners mind'. We can only write in the present moment, which is where we find ourselves with our breath. I can't think of a more perfect way to have begun the year. [Image: Pixabay.com]

At the recent writing group (Monday 09 October) our theme was Autumn. Though this encompassed a variety of prompts. Autumn carries many flavours for women. Typically it is the change of season, but less considered are the many rites, archetypes and aspects of myth that this time of year holds. We recently moved through the autumn equinox and within women's cycles, autumn usually relates to the pre-menstrual phase. Even women who are no longer cycling, these phases still hold potency for us. It is a time when we may lack mental clarity and also have a sense of needing to slow down, perhaps even wanting to move into hibernation. The full moon this month was known as either the Harvest Moon or Blood Moon. In myth, spells were often considered during this month for protection as well as undoing spells associate with bad luck. We visited as a writing prompt through The Matriarch, being a strong women's archetype. See, there's far more to autumn than leaves falling f...

October's writing theme is Autumn. At first glance it would probably conjure up typical images of burnt oranges, deep reds and falling leaves. Don't be fooled though. Autumn gives us a wide spectrum from which to draw writing inspiration - some very unexpected. To find out more why not come and join us? We are meeting on Monday 09 October from 09.30 to 12.30 at Watford Quakers Meeting House, Church Road, Watford WD17 4QB. It's a very relaxed setting and welcomes new and experienced writers alike. Refreshments are provided and there's a fee of £5.00 payable on arrival (cash please - thank you). We look to meet on the second Monday of each month (diary permitting). Hope to see you soon.

Our second women's writing group is nearly upon us. For this month the theme that has been suggested is: Dreams. However, I have taken it a little wider to allow us to really get to grips with some juicy writing prompts that I've put together. Remember: no prior experience necessary - all women welcome. [Image: Google]

Our first writing group met on Monday 12 June. The theme for the morning, whilst not very imaginative, was Firsts / Beginnings. It proved to be an interesting topic for so many reasons, and when hearing of the many firsts of others attending, it really sparked many memories. In order to have beginnings, there's also endings, so this was the flip-side of the theme. Again, it proved to be very fruitful. The Watford Quaker Meeting House is the perfect venue, as we were in this delightful room (see image), which was extremely conducive to the writing process. Already looking forward to our next meeting on Monday 10 July. Keep in touch with other news via our Facebook page here

We now have a dedicated Facebook page which can be accessed here: Women Weaving Words