Are you a scribbler?

writing-group-1If you’re a writer or ‘wannabee’ writer, you may want to consider joining this new writing group.

We will focus on honing writing skills through ‘short short stories’ (also known as Flash Fiction). We’ll focus on various aspects of writing including, grammar, punctuation, word usage, phraseology, point of view, style and more. It’s always more fun to have a goal when embarking on something new. Our goal will be to produce an Anthology with our writing collection and—publish it! We will also register Oliver Scribblers with the Federation of BC Writers.

For those not familiar with Flash Fiction here is a very brief description:

A Flash is a story with beginning, middle and end in approximately 1000 words or even less. It’s not just a matter of writing something and then trying to reduce the number of words. It’s deceptively complex. It involves painting a picture that encompasses a mystery or a twist with an emotional impact. It means selecting the right words with the right shades of meaning without strangling the plot or characters.

Writing Flash is not a fad, it’s an art. Some contemporary Flash writers are Meg Pokrass, Sherrie Flick and Stuart Dybek. One of the masters is Hemingway. Here is an example of Hemingway’s famous six-word story. ‘For Sale: baby shoes, never worn’. The last two words evoke a powerful image —grieving parents coping with tragedy and writing this classified ad.

Developing skills to write Flash is an excellent basis for other writings – novels, memoirs, family histories, business letters, letters to editors, essays and biographies.

If you are seriously interested in sharpening your writing skills, join Oliver Scribblers. The tentative plan is to meet once or twice a month for a couple of hours in the morning. The venue will depend on the number of people in the group. All the details will be decided at the first meeting to be scheduled later.

I’m a member of the Federation of BC Writers (FBCW) and you can view my profile at

http://www.bcwriters.ca/member-directory/#action=Listing&value=11504&searchID=12011&cid=1226&did=100

Use this one February 2010

Simply click on the address and it will take you directly to my profile.

Oliver Scribblers – Head Scribbler -Vi Brown vi.oliverscribblers @ gmail.com

Welcoming Potters, Photographers and Writers

potter-and-clayThe Oliver Community Arts Council hopes to foster three new arts groups this fall.

Over the years, several locals have expressed their interest in pottery, photography or writing, but no groups exist to support their creative endeavours, and no single individual has taken on the task of starting a group from scratch. To meet the need, the OCAC has decided to take on a facilitative role in getting these groups started.

aa040053The arts council is putting out a call to any people wishing to join a pottery, photography, or writing group to add their names to a contact list. In late fall, the arts council will co-ordinate and host an introductory meeting for each group at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre. They hope to “seed” each new group with arts council members who have special talent in the art form. These facilitators could provide some basic artistic instruction, offer guidance in starting a new club, and be a liaison with the arts council. Although still under discussion, the OCAC Board is hoping to offer some incentives to new groups, such as free rental for initial meetings at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre or a free one-year membership in the arts council. 482203

Currently member groups include the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers, Double O Quilters, Federation of Canadian Artists, Friends of the Oliver Library, Oliver Arts and Crafts Sale, Oliver Country Market A-Fair, Oliver Sagebrushers, Sage Valley Voices Community Choir, South Okanagan Amateur Players, and South Okanagan Concert Society.

 Other ideas for arts groups are welcome.

Interested in being part of a brand new arts group in Oliver? Contact the Oliver Community Arts Council at olivercac@gmail.com or at OCAC, P.O. Box 1711, Oliver, BC   V0H 1T0 

Let us get you jump-started!