7.28pm on the evening of AWC’s AGM is always a nail-biting time, as the incumbent president or, in this case, presidents, do a quick headcount around the room and wonder if the meeting has achieved quorate. Thankfully, for Carrie and me, we made it…just. Phew!
Carrie opened with a welcome and we swiftly moved through the various necessary reports which give our members a clear picture of the health and wealth of our club. Thanks were extended to our Committee members, workshop leaders, bloggers, competition entrants et all.
Two Committee members stood down from their roles and two nominees were proposed, seconded and unanimously voted on to the Committee to replace them. Welcome – Fiona McF as Membership Secretary and Matt as Publicity, Media and Archivist.
For our sins, the double act of Carrie and I was also unanimously voted back to serve a second year as Presidents.
Once all the boring business was finished it was time to exhale, grab a cuppa, have a natter before bringing down the gavel on the last writing exercise of the club’s 2023/24 season.
Members were asked to pair up with a writing buddy. Each pair was given a slip of paper with a prompt to kickstart the creative process, sharing the task of writing a short script – a conversation between two characters. The timer was set for ten minutes of confabulation and writing. After much debating and scribbling, volunteers were asked to share their work.
Prompt – “Two super competitive work colleagues are attending their office Xmas quiz – both think they know the answers but can’t agree.” Fiona A and Greta captured a hilarious scene of two workmates arguing over the date of the launch of the first space shuttle – was it 1981 or 1980 ? Did it happen the same year as the Olympics or not?
Prompt – “Two people/a couple are trying to decide where to go on holiday – they both want to go somewhere different”. Maggie B’s adventurous character yearned to splash out on a trip to the Galapagos Islands, see the turtles on the beach, or a sail around the Greeks Isles – but her penny-pinching partner Matt suggested a holiday at Butlins or a ferry to Arran would be best.
Prompt – “A wedding planner has been hired to organise a bridezilla’s wedding – how will he/she cope with her unreasonable demands?” Wedding planner Marion had her hands full with Carolyn’s demanding bride who wanted to be married in a replica of Vegas’s Little White Chapel with Elvis Presley conducting the ceremony – NOT an impersonator, mind you…this Bridezilla wanted the REAL Elvis.
Prompt – “Two old schoolfriends are catching up with a gossip at the hairdressers – then they realise the woman under the drier was their nemesis/school bully.” Carrie and I created Mavis and Marge who reminisced about green hair dye and the Bay City Rollers then contemplated perms that might make them look 20 years younger. Then they spotted Sadistic Sadie under the drier.
Sadly, we had run out of time to finish it off so everyone was left with a cliffhanger, wondering what torture Sadistic Sadie had inflicted on the auld school pals. Maybe we could finish our script off over the summer? Share it at the first feedback evening after the Ayr Writers’ Club reopens in September?
Opening night is at the Mercure Hotel on 4th September, when we will bring down the gavel again on another jampacked programme of creativity, motivation and inspiration.
Hope to see you there!
Linda Brown