Post by Old Dragon (Al) on May 6, 2004 23:06:53 GMT 1
FOCUS ON THE TRIUNE WRITERS GROUP - part 1
The Triune Writers' Group has evolved from the original project that commenced in 1971 with the sole aim of encouraging writing as a form of personal therapy for young people in recovery from various forms of abuse or addiction related problems. This including effects of parental addictions or behaviour on the member and their family.
Today the group is still primarily oriented towards therapeutic writing and members are encouraged to write openly about their experiences in the hope that others will benefit from reading their stories and realise that they, too, can receive help and overcome their problems.
Most current members were attracted to the group for this reason - myself included and in 1997. At that time I was the youngest member, aged eight and a half years, and full of crap. Entering my first workshop session, head buzzing from a mixture excitement, anticipation and a deep sense of awe, was quite an experience. Then my perception of writers was somewhat warped. It came as a shock to discover that fellow members (regardless of age) were not god-like super-beings - even though some did appear to dwell upon different planets.
What in particular stands out in my mind from that first encounter with other group members is a deep sense of belonging and relief. At last I’d found others with whom I could relate and communicate. People from whom I could learn and that were prepared to accept me as an equal, despite all my defects, age and inexperience. Friends who’d help me to untangle the web in which I felt myself to be trapped.
The atmosphere at group meetings is very down to earth and one of the very few rules is that ‘Egos must be left outside the door - else risk being shot down’. The present age range of members spans three (soon to be four) generations and includes two people who joined at the group’s inaugural meeting. But age and length of membership are considered irrelevant, which is very refreshing, and all are encouraged to contribute towards running the group, agreeing to undertake responsibility for whatever tasks are needed and they feel best equipped.
Besides magazines such as Writers News and Writing Magazine - which are read from cover to cover and kept for future consultation - members have access to a growing library of approximately 2,000 books on self-help topics, writers’ reference works and many other subjects. There is also a great deal of archive material written by past and present members, plus a wealth of practical articles and exercises available on the group’s computers.
Impressed? You’d not be the first, but what usually surprises most people is the discovery that the group has never received any grants or outside funding whatsoever. It is entirely self-supporting through the voluntary contributions of its current members, be that in cash or kind.
To aid the development of writing skills members do quite a lot of structured writing and role-play exercises, utilising tape recorders to capture ad-libbed and natural dialogue, and to assist in the evolution of plots and storylines. Recordings are later discussed and the results often incorporated into written individual or group projects - such as the script for a docudrama entitled REVELATIONS, which is currently under consideration by a production company.
...continued in part 2.
First published in Writing Magazine - 2000
© T.R.P.D. – Ari
The Triune Writers' Group has evolved from the original project that commenced in 1971 with the sole aim of encouraging writing as a form of personal therapy for young people in recovery from various forms of abuse or addiction related problems. This including effects of parental addictions or behaviour on the member and their family.
Today the group is still primarily oriented towards therapeutic writing and members are encouraged to write openly about their experiences in the hope that others will benefit from reading their stories and realise that they, too, can receive help and overcome their problems.
Most current members were attracted to the group for this reason - myself included and in 1997. At that time I was the youngest member, aged eight and a half years, and full of crap. Entering my first workshop session, head buzzing from a mixture excitement, anticipation and a deep sense of awe, was quite an experience. Then my perception of writers was somewhat warped. It came as a shock to discover that fellow members (regardless of age) were not god-like super-beings - even though some did appear to dwell upon different planets.
What in particular stands out in my mind from that first encounter with other group members is a deep sense of belonging and relief. At last I’d found others with whom I could relate and communicate. People from whom I could learn and that were prepared to accept me as an equal, despite all my defects, age and inexperience. Friends who’d help me to untangle the web in which I felt myself to be trapped.
The atmosphere at group meetings is very down to earth and one of the very few rules is that ‘Egos must be left outside the door - else risk being shot down’. The present age range of members spans three (soon to be four) generations and includes two people who joined at the group’s inaugural meeting. But age and length of membership are considered irrelevant, which is very refreshing, and all are encouraged to contribute towards running the group, agreeing to undertake responsibility for whatever tasks are needed and they feel best equipped.
Besides magazines such as Writers News and Writing Magazine - which are read from cover to cover and kept for future consultation - members have access to a growing library of approximately 2,000 books on self-help topics, writers’ reference works and many other subjects. There is also a great deal of archive material written by past and present members, plus a wealth of practical articles and exercises available on the group’s computers.
Impressed? You’d not be the first, but what usually surprises most people is the discovery that the group has never received any grants or outside funding whatsoever. It is entirely self-supporting through the voluntary contributions of its current members, be that in cash or kind.
To aid the development of writing skills members do quite a lot of structured writing and role-play exercises, utilising tape recorders to capture ad-libbed and natural dialogue, and to assist in the evolution of plots and storylines. Recordings are later discussed and the results often incorporated into written individual or group projects - such as the script for a docudrama entitled REVELATIONS, which is currently under consideration by a production company.
...continued in part 2.
First published in Writing Magazine - 2000
© T.R.P.D. – Ari