Harrogate Writers' Circle

Our meeting of 28th Aug 2024 was a talk by Pat entitled. “The Effect of Human Conditioning on Writers.” Pat started with a list of novels and asked us what they had in common. The novels were: “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, “And Tango Makes Three”, “1984”, “Lady Chatterley's Lover”.

The answer was that they were all banned for their controversial content. Then she gave contemporary items which still referenced controversial issues. She then defined what was human conditioning and how it affects writers, and how our backgrounds and society define how we think and how our language use is defined.

She gave examples of TV programmes which are being repeated and come with warnings about language being no longer acceptable, and then went on to explain how this affects our writing. She then asked what is our role as authors and pointed out that we have to be aware of our responsibility as writers.

She concluded that human conditioning encompasses social, cultural, psychological and personal factors and profoundly impacts and influences writers and their creative output. It shapes perspective, informs choice of subject matter and how they interpret and represent the world.

Writers are both the products and commentators of their conditioning reflecting their environment and their experiences through their writing. Our next meeting on 11th September is a manuscript evening. Details of our programme can be found online at https: //harrogatewriterscircle.weebly.com. If you want to improve your writing then why don't you pop into the next meeting.