A lively turn-out of members was brought to order when Carrie brought down the gavel to signal the start of a new year at Ayr Writers’ Club. Old and new members turned in anticipation ready to begin writing.
With a theme entitled, Let’s Twist Again, pens hovered over notebooks. Three story starters for middle grade, ages 9-12 years. Seven minutes allocated, heads quickly down, creative energy sparking throughout the room.
A few brave souls shared their stories, and as ever, there was a great variety of ideas – a story ending with a small creature landing on a child’s chest as the clock strikes midnight, received a gasp from the audience.
Writers now warmed up, so it was time for the first twist. Use the same story starter but write for an adult.
A variety of responses were shared.
A clock tower chiming midnight and tiny footsteps in the snow leading to the church; a character who thought he could fly but ended up in a hospital bed after trying magic mushrooms; a woman who floats upwards when she daydreams, even when she is at her office!
A quick break and another chance to catch up with friends was soon over and the third exercise began. We were worked hard!
Descriptive task this time, write about a room in your home. Pretty straightforward. We should have realised there was going to be another twist. The room is now a crime scene. Members got their teeth into this. A wife murdered her husband in their conservatory, fed up being ignored while he wrote competition entries for AWC; a body hauled over pristine white bedlinen leaving a bloody streak; a cat leaving a dead mouse in a greenhouse escapes retribution. Members definitely enjoyed this theme!
The final twist – a change of genre. Choose from Sci-Fi, Dystopian or Romance and write about your room again. Carrie and Linda kept the pace up with their twists, blowing away all the festive writing cobwebs.
One brave member lightened the atmosphere with a romantic story, describing the sights and smells in her kitchen as a meal is prepared by her husband for a special occasion. Before members became too impressed, it emerged that the meal was from the M&S ‘Dine in for Two’ range. Laughs filled the room as Carrie brought the meeting to a close.
It’s great to be back!
Fiona Johnson