The Gauntlet Group Goes Riding
Gauntlet [gônt’l?t] (noun) A small gaunt.
Gaunt [gônt] (noun) An angular hag.
A gauntlet is therefore a small angular hag. To throw down the gauntlet is to toss a bony crone off a horse, leaving the nagged tosser gauntless. However, by doing so, the tosser exposes him/herself to an accusation of degauntability or groundlessness. To counter this, the discarded hag must be turned around. Hence the saying, a nag on a hag has no grounds for a round.
This is a bit like saying a write by a group has no bite for a scoop. Or, a communal play is not for today. However, at Sepp’l Tuesday 12th January, we managed to say, “our communal play is hop skip and away!” Still a little gaunt and not yet gloved, but by no means lame or limping. The select but hardy grouplet (the Famous Five?) worked hard and selected five scenes of which four are workable and only a fifth remains to be tossed off its crutches and set skipping. Gauntlet music please!
There is nothing like the pressure of a deadline: the script as is must be dispatched to Janice Dunn by Tuesday 19th January so that the good Workshop Leader can apply her red pen in advance of the writing workshop on Sunday 24th. A final session was therefore held on Saturday 16th at a cosy writers’ retreat in the woods, appropriately drifted with snow.
Under the influence of a local fermented juice, the ideas flowed: back story, characters, relationships, action, motivations. Script ideas were pulled from the pot, tasted and discussed, as were the chick-pea salad and anchovies provided by the hostess.
And the outcome? No need to jump the gun – all is in the preparation! Up pens and run!
Thanks to John Brigg for once again keeping us updated on the gauntlet’s progress. Next meeting tbc end of February.
