Our webmaster, Craig, provides us with a rundown on the events at our last meeting.
Present – Alanah, Craig, David F, Erin, Gillian, Ray, Scot and Sue
Apologies – Abby, Aileen, David C, Roddie, Rosie
It was a fairly small turnout this month, but we were delighted to see three new faces come along – Alanah, Erin and Scott, and were even more impressed that two of them were brave enough to read some of their work on their first visit.
Sue kicked things off for us by reading the beginning of her piece, Not Ready for Spring, a first-person view from a woman who is struggling to adapt following the death of her long-term partner. There were a few suggestions on having the protagonist show how they were feeling through actions rather than just telling, but we all agreed it was an intriguing opening, and we look forward to seeing what direction it is going to head in.
Craig then read his story, A Blether, which he is working on for this year’s Scottish Book Trust story project (http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/blether/). It was well received, and comments were made about how the tone was kept light, but the story main a good point about the importance of conversation and contact. A few minor tweaks were suggested.
Gillian then read two pieces – both flash fiction with a 250-word limit. Face to Face was set during the Vietnam War, and looked at a GI’s moral dilemma when he encounters a child hiding in a foxhole. The second story, A Fishing Trip, was more light hearted in tone and featured a childhood fishing trip with a twist. Both were well liked, and prompted discussion on the difficulties of trying to convey a full story in such a short format.
Scot was the first of your new visitors to read, introducing us to his detective Jock Johnston with the opening of his novella The Red Hand. D.I. Johnston is usually based in Manchester, but for this tale he’s been called up to assist his colleagues in Police Scotland investigating an explosion in a remote Highland cottage. We all enjoyed the interesting start, and if you are interested in seeing how the tale unfolds, it can be downloaded for Kindle from here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Hand-D-I-Johnston-Book-ebook/dp/B07GNTQKZX/
Finally, Erin read us the opening of a YA novel she is working on. It was an exciting start, with an intriguing concept for a thriller. The cinematic feel of the first scene was particularly well liked.
We also discussed two pieces of business. Craig mentioned a workshop which is being held by the Scottish Book Trust in Central Library on 20th April, connected to their ongoing story project. And Sue and David F both said they may be available to visit the City Archives on a weekday afternoon, if required in relation to our next project.
Our next meeting is on Wednesday 24th April, and will be our AGM.