Women Weaving Words

The title of this post harks back to when I used to teach baby yoga classes in my community. Every group would finish with a rendition of this rhyme, whilst everyone flew their babies high above them, amidst lots of laughter. Our in-person writing circle could no longer continue, due to constraints at finding a suitable venue for us to gather, and that would allow us to continue for free. After much deliberation, I moved the group online in March 2020, and so far, it has been a great decision. For me, there's less rushing around after finishing work and trying to arrive on time and create a welcoming space. Now, I feel relaxed, refreshed and can even be wearing my PJ's. But what's so wonderful, is that women are more open and expressive in the sharing of their writing. Perhaps the safety and comfort of their own surroundings encourages them to be a little bolder? Who knows, but I do know that it has made the experience richer. As always, check out the even...

I've just finished putting together the prompts for Thursday's writing circle. As always, there's so many that I've had to leave to one side as time will be pressing us once again. Remember, the groups is free to attend, however you are asked to make a small purchase of a beverage from the cafe before joining us. We meet at 7pm - first write is at 7.15pm.

Pop the date in your diaries - our next writing circle takes place at our usual meeting place: John Lewis Cafe - see events page for more details

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...

After an absence of several months, the women's writing group returns on Thursday 06 June at 7pm. More details on the events page [Image: Incidental Comics ]

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.

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]

Another successful writing circle this morning (on St Andews Day). The theme was 'objects' which took us in a variety of directions. One attendee bought a poem to share, which we used for some inspirational writing at the end of the morning. The poem can be viewed on the link below: Miracle on St David's Day - Gillian Clarke

On Saturday 18 November I spent the day at Canterbury Yoga with a group of 19 wonderful women. The workshop had been arranged back in February, following on the heels of a successful workshop in Stamford in January, so it had felt like a long wait until the day finally arrived! The day was planned to give all present, irrespective of experience in yoga, meditation or writing, an opportunity to dive deeper and also to leave feeling deeply nourished and relaxed. I am delighted to say that the feedback has been overwhelming, and all who joined me reported many benefits (which can be seen in some of the feedback below). If you would like me to bring a Women's Stories workshop to your area, please do get in touch .

I am currently enjoying Jackee Holder's Paper Therapy course and have to say, it is jam-packed with so much, not only on the benefits of writing (which we all know is fantastic right?) but so many writing prompts and directions in which to take your journal writing. In addition, Jackee is regularly feeding back on all that is contributed online. If you often find your enthusiasm fades with online courses, or you feel that you have to contribute something, have no fears. There's absolutely no pressure to contribute online, you can work privately at your own pace and the lessons on the platform are available for 6 months following the end of the course. To find out more on Jackee's offerings, please visit her website here She has an absolute wealth of knowledge that she so generously shares.

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.

Today was the monthly women's writing group and the theme was Reflection. As in previous sessions, the interpretation of the theme from writing prompts was very varied and the writing that was produced was wonderful. To add a little variety, I introduced a video towards the end of the session to invite a different response and to also show that we can take inspiration from just about everything around us. Whilst I'd love to share what was produced, I can't due to confidentiality of the group, but suffice it to say the work shared will have a resonance for a while to come. In keeping with the theme of reflection, the group were invited to pause at the end of each writing exercise and take a few mindful breaths. Then, after reading through what had been written, they then wrote a reflection sentence based on one of the following prompts: "Reading this I notice _____ " "Reading this I am surprised by ____ " Interestingly, further jump off po...

On my recent family holiday to Devon, I had the pleasure of revisiting Plym Wood, which captured my heart a couple of years ago. It is a magical woodland (to me anyway) and offers cycle pathways, many, many walks, as well as areas to simply sit to meditate and of course write! Here I am really writing wild - in fact the writing created at the time this photo was taken has proven to be very helpful for a personal writing project I'm currently engaged in. Of course, we don't need to go great distances to enjoy the elements of nature to nourish and inspire us. We can of course make a pilgrimage to our local park area - go at different times of the day to avoid the 'busy' periods, unless of course you need support with characterisation, in which case, you will want the busy-ness it offers! Writing prompts are all around us and we can take our cue from just about anything our world has to offer.

Monday's women's writing group was themed on 'Dreams, Hopes, Visions'. It bought together a wonderful group of women, who each wrote so differently, but with strong themes coming through all the prompts that we used. We can use the prompts in any way we see that serves us in the moment. Sometimes writing from the personal and at others it may be fiction or poetry that emerges. Either way, it produces a rich blend that has once again left a resonance, an echo if you will, of words and sentences that were shared. The theme has not yet been set for our next group meeting on Monday 21 August , but whatever is decided upon, I'm sure that again it will provide depth and insights for all who attend. You are welcome to join us. We meet at Watford Quakers Meeting House, 150 Church Road, Watford WD17 4QB from 09.30 to 12.30. There is a fee of £5.00 which is payable upon arrival.

I recently attended Julia McCutchen's 'Conscious Writing' retreat in Glastonbury. I was filled with trepidation as it was taking place on the same weekend as Glastonbury Festival. Despite some hiccups at Castle Cary station, I arrived full of enthusiasm for a weekend of writing and anything more would be a bonus. It was an incredible weekend as Julia helped us navigate our way through the seven core principles of conscious writing, which are: Presence Alignment Authenticity Balance Simplicity Intuition Connection The weekend was a perfect blend of sessions and free time. It was also fantastic as I got to meet lots of wonderful women who I'm sure will become life-long friends too. In addition, I took part in my first open-mic evening!  If you've never attended a writing retreat I cannot recommend doing so enough. It really is an opportunity to delve more deeply into your writing process and gain results and insights along the way. For those in...

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