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Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

24 September 2024

Posted by Harley Truslove

Train Stations & Sleepwalking


We began our session with Ali’s box of wonder - empty! Except for blank dominos which our writers had to fill three of out each, writing one statement, one question, and one mood.


Ali then got our writers to stand up and hold out their hands, giving everyone an item when their eyes were closed (for example a magnifying glass, a star-shaped bell, and a slinky); then she dealt out all of the dominoes so everyone had a random selection.


The idea was to write a script-style monologue for a character who had just woken up as if from sleepwalking with the item in their hand. Ali challenged our writers to include the question and statement in the writing, using the mood domino as a tone indicator. 


First though, we discussed where our characters would wake up. A few ideas were floated around, such as an old manor à la a classic murder mystery and a city in the evening with the neon lights all lit up. In the end the group voted for a deserted train station in the early hours.


Our writers gave us hackers on the run, kittens being smuggled in overcoats, and a man named Archimedes coming back from a failed job interview. Everyone was then paired up and challenged to write a couple of lines of dialogue between the characters they had written. Here’s one below:




Maya enters the train carriage. A is inside. 


Maya: Hey, is this seat taken?


A: Ummm. Yes, let me just move my rucksack.


A moves the rucksack. There are angry meows.


Maya: You’ve got a cat? That’s so cool!


A: No, no. Why would you think that?


Maya: Oh. No reason…


The cat reaches a paw out of the bag.


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