Category Archives: inspiration

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201803

Writing Exercise (from Teri Brown): Teri handed around scent vials during our meeting. Maybe just stand at an open window (on this lovely spring day) and see what smell reaches your nose. Then write for 10 minutes and see what story reaches the page. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201803

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201801

Writers’ Mill Minutes Jan 21st 2018

Our first meeting of 2018 was fairly sparsely attended with only 12 people present. We blamed the weather, and invite anyone who wasn’t there to weigh in on the questions below:

  1. What do you want to achieve this year? (Feel free to add your goals to the box at February’s meeting.)
  2. What do you want from the Writers’ Mill this year? (Feel free to email admin@portlandwritersmill.org with your requests.)
  3. How important are speaker engagements to you?
  4. How important is it to have regular critiques?
  5. How important is it to have regular writing exercises at our meetings?

Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201801

Where Inspiration Comes Sliding Through – notes on a talk given by Carolyn Martin

Where Inspiration Comes Sliding Through – notes on a talk given by Carolyn Martin

How do you start a poem (or a story)?

  • Put pen to paper?
  • Put finger to keyboard?
  • Write and/or change the first line of something you remember, then see where it goes.

Continue reading Where Inspiration Comes Sliding Through – notes on a talk given by Carolyn Martin

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201711 Where Inspiration Comes Sliding Through with Carolyn Martin

Writers’ Mill Minutes 11/19/2017

Wow! What a meeting. Twenty-four of us were there to listen to, work with, and be inspired by Portland poet, Carolyn Martin, whose return visit was so popular we’re already asking when she can join us again, again. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201711 Where Inspiration Comes Sliding Through with Carolyn Martin

Writers Mill Minutes 201703

Writers’ Mill Minutes March 19 2017

Twenty people enjoyed a fantastic workshop from Nancy Linnon (http://www.themovingpen.net/) on March 19th at the library. A gifted speaker, teacher, editor, writer, writing coach and more, Nancy came armed with excellent handouts including a great list of resources, and she invited us, right from her very first question, to look more deeply for stories in our own lives and those of our characters. Lots of members left energized and excited to realize they just might have a story worth telling in their past. Continue reading Writers Mill Minutes 201703

Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin – from her talk in February 2017

Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin

Carolyn began her talk with some groundrules:

  1. Don’t believe everything you hear unless it resonates in you.
  2. Ask lots of questions
  3. Daydream – she once went to a poetry reading and became distracted by a poem she needed to write … called Purgatory!

Continue reading Writing and Appreciating Poetry with Carolyn Martin – from her talk in February 2017

Writers Mill Minutes 201702

Writers’ Mill Minutes, Feb 19th 2017

We may have started the year late but we started it in style with a wonderful February meeting where everyone participated, everyone had something to say, and everyone learned something. Carolyn Martin’s talk was such a success we’ve asked her to return in November, so if you missed this one, make sure you don’t miss the next one! Continue reading Writers Mill Minutes 201702

Writers’ Mill Minutes 201609

Minutes from Portland writers mill, Sunday September 18th

Nearly 20 members, plus a few guests, were at the Cedar Mill library on Sunday September 18th to listen to Brian Doyle’s presentation on writing. We had an amazing, wonderful time, and I shall do my best to make sense of my notes at the end of these minutes. Continue reading Writers’ Mill Minutes 201609