What do you think about clowns, performance,
complicite, the fourth wall, and red noses? And what's all this got to do with writing?
For the AMED Writers' Group, Rachael West introduced a session about writing inspired by her
three-month stint with the GreenTop Circus in Sheffield. Rachael is a qualified engineer who is passionate about drawing upon the creative process in constructing and creating our environment.
Rachel writes:
'The Engineer Who Ran Away to the Circus...and lived to tell the tale
Soon to be touring conferences around the world, if only her amazing skills are recognised by a world that doesn't always know true brilliance.
The Engineer will be visiting the AMED writer's group on June 18 to share her adventure of running away to the exotic city of Sheffield to indulge in kebabs, expensive public transport and a fulltime circus course. The Engineer will very generously teach you some tricks of the trade and promises to try her best to stay away from Power Point presentations and charts. As a small consolation, she does ask that several of you bring a technological device which can connect to the internet, which is where her tales have been recorded. There will be no triple integrals to solve, but you may have to write, play and sing. And tell her what she can do better next time because engineers...well, engineers are engineers even if they have run away to the circus.'
If you'd like to join in the post-performance discussion, why not visit Rachael's
blog here? Paul Z Jackson, who had a ringside seat, also wrote about his experience and reflections afterwards
here. Or add your thoughts here, in this AWG Discussion. If you're afraid of heights, remember - there is a safety net!