The Hague Online's 'Writer in Residence' Jo Parfitt is musing about . . .

Write Something New Today

OK, so it’s New Year. You have probably had enough of people asking you about New Year resolutions so it seems fitting that I suggest a few ideas that you could add to your To Do list. Any of the ideas below will feed the writer in you, making him or her stronger, richer and more inspired.

Top Ten Writer’s Resolutions

1 Pledge to keep a journal this year and write in it at least once a week.

2 Promise yourself that you will reach the end of your current project, that it may not be perfect but that you will reach the end.

3 Enter a writing competition. There is still time by the way to enter the Young Writers Competition.

4 Join a writers’ circle.

5 Attend at least one writing workshop or take a correspondence course.

6 Subscribe to a writing magazine.

7 Buy one book on writing such as On Writing by Stephen King or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.

8 Ask someone to read your work and give you constructive feedback.

9 Write a review of a play, film, concert or restaurant and send it to The Hague Online.

10 Go for a 20 minute walk, alone, with nothing but your thoughts for company. During this walk remember to pay attention, notice what you can see, feel, taste, hear and touch.

When you do something new or different it will inspire you to write something different too. Just as trying a new sport flexes muscles you didn’t know you had, writing a poem when you normally write articles or writing a blog when you normally write stories will take you into new and maybe frightening territory.

Let me give you an example: Just before Christmas I went to see a play called Seven, brought to the Nieuwe Kerk by the Swedish Embassy. This play came about as a result of seven playwrights interviewing seven human rights activists. The resulting interviews were melded together into an amazing performance where the actors, who had not met until the previous day, sat in a row, on a stage, wearing their own clothes, read straight from the manuscript. The stage directions were beamed onto a screen yet the actors never moved from their seats. It was powerful, painful and thought-provoking. I had never seen a play like this before and neither, it seemed, had the audience, who remained captivated throughout the show.

My friend Carolyn and I left the church filled with new ideas and promised ourselves that we too would try to write something different. Maybe we too could write a play? Today, our writers’ circle is attempting to do just that.

The Hague is filled with opportunities to see new theatre, dance, film and art. Next week is the Winternachten festival, again, packed with new ideas and sources of inspiration.

Try something new this New Year. You might surprise yourself.

If you wish to comment or express an opinion about this article please e-mail the editor@TheHagueOnLine.com