GET WRITING

Here's one the group had fun with. Write for ten minutes, non-stop, starting with the line "My mother always told me..."

Pick up a news headline from print, television or the internet, and write your own non-fiction piece in 500 words or less.

Write a 250-word article venting your depression, anger, or outrage on an issue or person you feel strongly about. If you feel like whining, do it with flair and use good imagery.

A group activity - each participant submits three or four quotations, epigrams or interesting facts on slips of paper ahead of the actual outing. Go to a museum or art gallery and set aside a solid block of time to spend there eg 2-3 hours. Each person draws one or two of the slips of paper from a hat then goes off to browse. Linger where you wish, leave yourself open to what you see, keeping in mind the quote(s) you've selected. Find a corner and write something - a poem, the beginning of a story, even a journal entry. After the alloted time, the group gathers together again and each person reads out what they have produced. Once at home, do whatever shaping and framing you want and bring the result to a future group session for critical feedback.