THIS month, at the Airedale Writers’ Circle, we asked a very basic question but one that has many answers: why do we write? What inspires us?

For Rita Barsby, what inspired her to pick up a pen was the laying of the Pacific cable, which meant she could speak to her father in New Zealand for the first time in 10 years and writing a letter to the local newspaper, for which she got the star prize.

This led onto other stuff, poems, articles and short stories for children mostly to stave off boredom. Not that the occasional cheque wasn’t appreciated and Rita can still remember the amount of that first one: £4 10/- (£4.50).

These days, Rita says she writes mostly poetry and quite often the first or last line, if not the theme, would just pop into her head.

For John Roberts inspiration can come from the most random event. He recently received an acknowledgement of the donation of his body, after death of course, for medical research at Leeds University. What if, accompanying it, was a pre-Judgement Day feedback form on the quality of earthly life, and a self-evaluation form with a pie chart divided into the seven deadly sins? Sent by whom? A mystery that might be the makings of a short story.

His current work-in-progress, another novel, is inspired by ‘pure anger’ at avaricious investment bankers and ideological right-wing politicians blaming the poor. It poses the question whether murder can ever be justified?

Inspiration doesn’t have to work like that of course, as another interest can equally be the spark. Traditional folk music led Chris Manners towards the writers’ path. Chris explained that there are too few good traditional folk songs available, so he began to write his own and that led him to writing poetry.

His first book was also based on a traditional folk song, but he gave that up as a ‘hopeless’ task. Like all writers though, Chris is persistent and his second book was better, but his third was worse, he says, while his fourth got Chris an agent but not published. He has now completed two-thirds of his fifth novel, for which he has high hopes.

Listening to the different members, it was curious to note just how many wrote letters to pen friends that have taken them on to other forms of writing.

Sue Keidan began to write letters, also as an antidote to boredom, to men on death row in America and through them learned about the system they found themselves in. That led to an article Sue entered into our writing competition, which she saw advertised in the Keighley News and was commended for her efforts, and rekindled her love for writing poetry.

If you write, whatever form it takes, and are interested in talking to others who understand your passion then pop along and see us.

We meet in the Sight Airedale building behind Keighley Central Library on the second Tuesday every month, from 7.30pm. See our website airedalewriters.btck.co.uk for directions and contact details.