2017 – Trainspotting

The Singapore Writing Marathon was held on 13 April 2017, organised as part of the extension activities for SWI Alumni from 2014, 2015 and 2016. A cosy number of eight teachers turned up for the Writing Marathon. We kept the element of surprise alive for our alumni by building on the idea of Trainspotting which originated from the British phenomenon of train geeks waiting on train platforms, notebooks in hand, but instead of recording the numbers of trains coming into the station, the writing marathoners recorded their sensory experiences of travelling in trains and around train stations. As we hopped in and off trains and wandered around the stations, there was a stark realisation of how much of our existence is passed off as mundane and ordinary when in reality it is rich and overflowing with sounds, smells, sights, tastes and textures unique to a place and time. The writing took us to unchartered territories which we shared proudly and unabashedly with the rest though it was still in its infancy. It brought back memories of the time we spent at the SWI retreat.

Although not comedic like its Hollywood namesake, Trainspotting: Singapore Writing Marathon 2017 stayed true to its underlying themes of exploration of the hidden and unexpected. Of nature, of journeying, of the world around us. It drew three generations of alumni of the Singapore Writing Institute united by a passion to write.

Armed with our writing journals, programmes and poems on train journeys past and present, near and far we were excited to take off from the Labrador Park Station.

At the Botanic Gardens – a minute’s walk from the station

The Circle Line

From the idyllic Labrador Park to the iconic UNESCO WORLD Heritage Site, Singapore Botanic Gardens, the trainspotters hopped onto the Circle Line for the 18-minute train ride on the afternoon of 13 April 2017. The first leg of the journey! 

We jotted down impressions along the way, with commuters staring at us, puzzled by the rare sight of ‘train geeks’ scribbling away in their notebooks. At the end of the first leg, some took the time to slow down their pace to smell the flowers and write while others hastened to the nearest cafe for a quick sugar fix, and write.

Reading aloud our first draft after our first ‘trainspotting’ experience on the train ride from Labrador Park Station to Botanic Gardens Station.

Saturation Writing and reflecting in the train: How is this journey different from other journeys? Do they free or trap us?

The second and final leg of the journey was almost like the first. Except that the train ride was five minutes shorter and the destination was the Haw Par Villa theme park where Chinese folklore and mythology either fascinated or scared the wits out of patrons with its graphic depiction of the Ten Courts of Hell. After this final pit stop to consolidate their inspirations, the crew of trainspotters shared excerpts of their writing with one another and bade one another adieu. Till the next Writing Marathon!

3 generations of alumni from the Singapore Writing Institute (2014, 2015, 2016) coming together to share their writing and experience: ‘trainspotting’

Through it all, it was a breath of fresh air to pause in the midst of a hectic work term and allow the surroundings to speak words of serenity and assurance to quieten the frazzled heart. I was thankful for the opportunity to forge a shared experience and bond with fellow teacher writers. I gained invaluable insights into what inspired them that afternoon to write, reflect, ponder and write again. Whatever transpired in those brief moments of sharing validated some of what I sensed and felt as a teacher writer. It broadened my perspectives and deepened my understanding of the world around me. Indeed, it is the hope of discovering the hidden and unexpected in our daily lives that anchors the soul.

Our last stop at Haw Par Villa before parting company.

It was such sweet sorrow…adieu!