The nicht’s stint fur Ayr Scrievers wis “Hoo tae pit thegither ma novel”, a skill biggin session gien by oor President Fiona Johnson.
Fiona highlichtit that whilst thaur is nae richt wey tae scrieve yir novel an it’s aa richt tae “swing by the sait o yir breeks”, we aften get lost hawf wey throu, so it can be helpfu tae huv some framewirks tae build, or bigg, oor scrievin. As a scriever wha hus umpteen hawf scrievit tales saved on ma computer, this wis the wirkshop fur me!
Fiona got us tae hink aboot the fairy tale Cinderella an scribble doon a wee line drawin o the highs an lows o the story. She telt us that biggin a story is lik the steps tae a dance. Hink aboot “Strictly”, whaur the contestants learn the dance but still add thaur ain artistic flair!
Fiona said biggin yir scrievin is a wee bit like reddin oot yir press. So ye micht stert aff wae a moger o claes, then huv a hink aboot whit ye want tae keep an whit ye want tae fling oot. 
That’s the plannin sortit. Then ye micht hink aboot sortin oot the boorach o stuff that’s left intae some sort o order. 
Hink aboot whit gangs whaur. That’s whaur the structure, or buildin, or biggin comes intae it.
We then learnt eicht different framewirks tae yais when scrievin. Yins fur beginners, yins fur character driven stories, yins fur crime thrillers, linear, non-linear an episodic. A hale clanjamfrie, wae sumhin fur aabody!
Efter tappin up oor caffeine levels, Linda telt us wha the winners o the horror genre cutty tale competition wur. Weel din aabodie!
Then we git oor heids doon tae dae an exercise yaisin the “Seeven-Pynt Structure”. Every wan o us planned oor neist novel in ten meenits!
We feenished wae a wee quiz tae see whit structure suits oor ain scrievin.
Fur me, the wirkshop showed the interaction atween the airt (the actual wirds an expression o ideas) an the science (the plannin an biggin) o scrievin.
Monie thanks Fiona fur introducin us tae these framewirks tae add tae oor scrievin toolbox.
The “last wird” wis gien by Fiona McFadzean. Fiona read her bonnie poyum “The Rock”, a braw mixter-maxter o experience an memory. “The Rock” is published in the anthology “A Literary Confection” by LiterEicht.
Tracy Harvey