Author discusses characters at meeting
She went on to study further, eventually achieving a Master’s in English and teaching at Kingsmead College for many years.
Writers 2000 held a meeting at Inyoni Creek on Saturday, August 30.
Members enjoyed listening to fellow member, Ms Jill Jacques, and were also challenged with a writing exercise.
Ms Jacques shared that she has always had a love for writing and started at the age of nine.
She went on to study further, eventually achieving a Master’s in English and teaching at Kingsmead College for many years.
While she was there ,she produced a written history of the College. She has always been interested in the concept of ‘mindfulness’ and she wrote her book Living in the Moment on this topic.
“Mindfulness is about living in the present moment and about really being there in all you do,” she said.
Ms Jacques also runs courses on this topic and has a blog called Not There Then.
She shared her journey of writing her book and getting it published by Random Struik and encouraged members to go for it if there is a topic they are really interested in and want to write about.
In common with other authors who have addressed the group, however, she pointed out that once a book is published, “It is over to you to do the marketing.”
Ms Jacques then set members a challenging task on writing authentic characters and took them through an exercise in how to create believable characters.
“You need to identify your character’s core need. This is something that will have been created in childhood, so there will usually be a defining incident that this need arose from,” said Ms Jacques.
Members had to create two characters and write about how they would react in a particular situation.
“Always keep the behaviour of your characters authentic to their core needs,” said Ms Jacques.
Members thoroughly enjoyed both Ms Jacques’ talk and the exercise she took them through.
The next meeting of Writers 2000 will take place on October 4 and the speaker will be Ms Leanne Hunt, author of Jozi Gold.
This is an intriguing story set in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. Ms Hunt is blind and will also share her unique writing journey.
The meeting which will take place at the Inyoni Creek Clubhouse, Rand Aid Complex, at the corner of Wordsworth and Modderfontein Roads in Lyndhurst. The meeting will start at 2pm.
The meeting is open to members and anyone interested in writing.
There is a R10 fee at the door.
Contact the chairman, Mr Jake van der Wilden, for more information about the meeting or the group on 082 223 9353 or 011 616-0305. Alternatively, email anjo@internext.co.za for more information.
