A Hiatus in the Creative Writing group

This week, when the appointed hour (for the Creative Writing Group) arrived, no one came. I waited a little more than 15 minutes, but no one showed up.
The week before, I had cancelled the class so that any member who wanted to attend the activity in the lounge (at the same time) could attend. The week before that, the attendance had been minimal (only one other person besides me.) So I have cancelled the class for next week, and told the activity co-ordinator here to leave the Creative Writing class off future weekly agendas until further notice.
I am sorry to see the group end, but in all honesty, I am a bit relieved, as even I was having a hard time with ‘writing to topic’ each week. I have asked myself why I could have enjoyed the writing group in West Vancouver so much, while this group was only marginally successful. I came up with a few reasons.
First of all, the leader of the West Van group was a paid leader. Our writing group was one of the several little jobs that made up the patchwork of part-time gigs that supported her. Secondly, we had a larger group in the writing class. The regular membership was always around 12 people. Also, they were adventurous writers, who were not afraid to depart from memoirs and write something really creative (poetry, short fiction, etc)
Even tho the group was held at the Seniors’ Centre in West Vancouver, the seniors in the group were a lively bunch, a far cry from the residents here who participated.
Well, a hiatus in our writing group will not stop me from writing, be it in my blog, or just for myself. At the moment I am awaiting the publication of a piece I wrote about Leaside High School (in the 1950s), which is going to be published in the next issue of a local periodical called Leaside Life. I just hope the editor sends me a copy of the published issue – which I think will be an April issue.

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