I hope you enjoyed writing the haiku we explored last time. Personally, I find them quite compulsive and, if I’m not careful, find myself composing haiku all over the place: on buses, in meetings, even once in the bath! I discard most but still enjoy the process and discipline.

Our theme this week is “sleep”. Given that we spend approximately half our lives asleep, it should be a good source of material for writing. How well do you sleep? Are you one of those people who can sleep anywhere? Or are you an insomniac who spends half the night awake, thinking and worrying about things? Into whatever pattern you fall, sleep plays a significant part in your life. Our sleep patterns often change depending on what age we are. Young children can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Teenagers apparently need limitless hours of sleep – often barely out of bed before they’re yawning so much it looks like they’re ready to retire again. Parents of small babies get so little sleep that it begins to feel as unattainable as the Holy Grail. I can remember that when our children were small, I would have given almost anything for a good night’s sleep. Now that I’m older, I find myself waking up at all the wrong times. We have a digital alarm clock so that, at 4.17am, I know precisely how much sleep I’m not getting!

The Chinese art of feng shui tells us that there are certain factors that encourage or inhibit sleep. The best position for a bed is diagonally opposite the door. The occupants of the bed should have a good view of the door. If not, a mirror should be positioned so that it reflects anyone entering. However, mirrors should not face the bed. Chinese people believe that our souls leave our bodies when we sleep and will be confused and alarmed to find themselves in the mirror. A more prosaic way of looking at this might be that most of us are not at our best when we first wake up and would not like our unkempt selves to be the first thing we see on waking.

Beds should be made of natural materials and, ideally, be raised off the floor with enough space for air to circulate underneath, so get rid of all that junk under there, as it might be keeping you awake. Bedrooms should not become storage areas or offices. Try to keep wardrobes and drawers clear of clutter. Clothes strewn over a chair for days on end are yet more clutter and may worry us because we know we’ll have to sort them out eventually. Avoid electrical equipment in the bedroom but if you have an electrical alarm clock put it on the opposite side of the room from the bed so that you will have to get up to turn it off. Telephones (including mobile phones that double as alarm clocks) don’t belong in the bedroom as they stop you relaxing, especially if you often receive late-night calls.

In the Veliko Turnovo writing group, we found sleep to be a fascinating topic, which produced many different responses. Some members wrote about their own experiences of insomnia while others explored questions surrounding dreams and their meaning. One new member produced a beautifully structured poem about her dream meal (which was calorie free!)… Let’s hope it’s as fruitful for all of you.

Exercise
Describe the following (three minutes for each):
1. Your childhood bed (or bedroom)
2. Last night’s bed
3. Your dream bed

Answer the following questions as fully as possible:
1. How do you sleep?
2. What positions does your body get into during sleep?
3. Who shares your bed?
4. What do you wear in bed?
5. What do you take to bed?
6. Who or what else is sleeping in your home?
7. What helps you sleep well?
8. Describe the texture of your sheets, blankets or duvet.
9. How does your bedroom smell?
10. What colour is your bedroom?
11. What furniture is in your bedroom?

Select an answer to one of the above questions and write on in more depth for three minutes. The paragraphs about feng shui may help you with this exercise.

Sentences
Write five sleepy sentences
Write five restless sentences
Write five dreamy sentences
Write five waking sentences
Write five comfortable sentences

Choose two sentences from each of the above categories and then put them together in an expanded form.

Best night
“My best night’s sleep was…” Write on this for five minutes.

Finally
Read through everything you’ve written about sleep. By now, you should have a lot of material to work with. Expand the bits you like best into a poem or piece of prose.

The VT Writers’ Group
This group meets weekly in the Veliko Arts Centre, 36 Ivan Vazov Str, Veliko Turnovo. For more information call Eileen Sutherland on 089/ 989 64 42