The Paisley book festival is soon upon us beginning 18th Feb. It is of particular note this year as Dave, Isobel and Margret are doing some guest readings so check out what’s happening at the book festival website https://paisleybookfest.com/ Mhairi,who was hosting the evening, kicked off proceedings with a couple of short stories to get us in the mood including one of Edith’s – The Great garden Footer. Not quite sure if that’s how you spell it?
Anyway we began with a writing exercise to create a character in less than 50 words. I was expecting a diverse plethora of personae but even so I underestimated the rich and deep plumbing of imaginative depths that GWC was capable of. From Attila the GP receptionist to misanthropic Uncle Algie there was no guessing what was coming next. From dogs and dragons to Big Tam the reluctant Monk everyone’s character came to life with just a few well chosen words.
The second part of our writing activities involved having our new characters meeting up with a an established literary character from the past and imagining a dialogue between the two. So if you ever wondered what Atticus Finch might have to say to a window cleaner or how Philip Marlow fared when faced with Big Tam the reluctant monk then last night’s Zoom meeting was the place to be. Margaret’s confrontation of Donald Trump and Mr Darcy was a hoot, Isobel’s encounter of a senile Aunt Agnes and Scrooge was surreal and Tony’s Austenesque efforts left us asking that age old question, ‘Do you eally need to iron doeskin trousers?
Ho hum. Anyway for those interested there was some optional homework for those interested. The task being to choose a title from a novel or a poem and use it to write a story using your newly created character. The Next GWC meeting is the 3rd Feb – Young Adult Fiction with Cathy McSporran. Hope to see you there.
Ho Hum, onwards and upwards.