SSOA's writing group facilitator announced there'd be no writing prompt this week. What did she mean? That we were to slack off, give up our need to continually practice our writing agility, pretend for one week that we were not real writers, that writing wasn't in our blood? That's what one member of our Tuesday evening group, Robert Carrick, must have been thinking - and when it came down to the line, he couldn't resist the urge ...
No prompt this week?
There is no prompt this week!
And so, at least for today, there will be no wringing of ideas in my imagination, no tracing threads in the space between conversations. I will not be jotting down thoughts into my phone as the barista pours my coffee, nor mining my memories for dormant emotions and forgotten sensations. Characters that I could bring to life to articulate my dreams, or answer a question posed, will be left to wander for a while in landscapes that, for now, remain uncharted.
I cease conscious thought and listen to the scuffing of countless footsteps on the concourse, the echo of a busker ringing out a song, the faces of approaching figures in their woollen winter coats, and the backs of those walking ahead of me rolling their bags behind them. The sun glints off a glass tower, warming my cheeks as it reflects into the shadows of the square. The smell of warm spices rises from the street vendors as I walk, and the wind whirls the crumpled brown leaves of the trees in my local city park and sweeps them across the pavement towards a park bench, where I sit poised to write, alone and unprompted.
Robert Carrick
This SSOA blog showcases the work of emerging writers attending our weekly writers' meetups. You can make contact via ssoa.com.au if you'd like to join us.
Copyright: text - Robert Carrick; photos - cv williams & Wix.
Comentários