So, we are marooned here – on our sunny little island, floating like an emerald on a sparkling sea. The Isle of Wight has become our creative writing topic for the next fourteen days, and each of us needs to produce a contribution for our first book.
But what to write?
The Island has nine towns: Ryde, Brading, Newport, Cowes, East Cowes, Yarmouth, Ventnor, Sandown and Shanklin. Then there are villages, such as Freshwater, Newchurch, Arreton, Shalfleet, St Helens or Bembridge. Any of these could be the setting for a short story – preferably one which could happen nowhere else – or the inspiration for a poem. Or why not write a short non-fiction piece about the history of your chosen place?
Then there are the many tourist attractions to be found here, which could be the source of a piece of humorous writing set in the modern day, or a nostalgic childhood memoir: Blackgang Chine, Robin Hill, Monkey Haven, the Steam Railway, the model village at Godshill or the alpaca farm in West Wight.
The Island is stuffed with historical landmarks which may stir you to create some great writing. As well as some wonderful old churches and charming manor houses, we have intriguing historic places such as Osborne House, St Catherine’s Lighthouse, Carisbrooke Castle, Brading Roman Villa, Quarr Abbey, Fort Victoria, Appley Tower or the Pepperpot – oops! I mean, St Catherine’s Oratory. If you haven’t been anywhere lately, why not plan a visit in the next couple of weeks? Seeing the place in winter could give a new perspective to your creative writing. Think about what these buildings meant to the people who built them and lived there in the past, or their significance to the Islanders and tourists who visit today. Perhaps focusing on one particular part of the building, such as a beautiful window, elegant fireplace or time-battered turret, will catch your imagination and spark a story.
Of course, we have many Island events which could give you a setting for your plot – the Garlic Festival, Sandown Carnival, Wolverton Manor Garden Fair, Mardi Gras, the Round the Island Race, the Island Highland Gathering or Walk the Wight.
With parts of the Island designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, enjoyment of the natural world could be the theme of your piece. One of those hidden beaches the grockles never find, country walks at Bonchurch or Whippingham, the Lavender Farm, fossil-hunting trips in West Wight, riding the chair-lift at Alum Bay, sailing at Cowes or bird-watching at the nature reserve – it’s all good, as long as it’s specifically happening here. Or maybe you could create a poem about the Island at night, with ferries sliding silently over the Solent like vast, illuminated wedding-cakes, and the lights of Portsmouth glittering across the water, so close, yet far away.
And of course, you may have something to say about the Isle of Wight as a whole, or the experience of living on an island – a contrast with mainland life, the ferry journey (don’t forget to set your watch back to 1975), Island dialect, or a feeling of detachment from everyday life, family and friends on the mainland. Whatever you choose, you should find our multi-faceted isle a rich source of ideas.
The next Island Writers meeting is 3 December at Ryde Library – so get writing!
