On Wednesday evening at Ayr Writers’ Club we were delighted to welcome Young Adult Author, Ross Sayers, as our guest speaker. Ross took us right back to where it all began, at primary school, when inspired by the Katie Morag books. Ross advised he produced page after page of what he now happily admits was rubbish. The most important thing was that he kept going.
His university dissertation focused on poetry, but Ross was quick to reassure us that he does not consider himself a poet. His debut novel, Mary’s The Name, was shortlisted for the Saltire Award and led to a publishing contract with Cranachan Books, who also published more of his titles, including Daisy on the Outerline and Sonny and Me. His novel The Everliving Memory of John Valentine was later picked up by Fledgling Press.
Ross read excerpts from Mary’s The Name and Sonny and Me, offering a strong sense of his distinctive voice on the page. The characters, humour, and confident use of Scottish vernacular really stood out, making the reading a genuine pleasure to hear.
One of the most reassuring parts of the evening was the reminder that writing advice is always subjective. What works for one writer will not suit everyone, and that is perfectly fine. For him, plotting first works best, and he showed us how he uses the Hero’s Journey, or Story Circle, sketching it on the flip chart and explaining how its eight segments help ensure a story has enough drive to sustain a full novel.
When it comes to writing for young adults, Ross encouraged us to trust the audience. He talked about the importance of grabbing attention early, not being afraid to use the kind of language teenagers actually use, to trust your audience. Write about what young adult readers would want to read.
In the second half of the evening, Ross set us to task with a writing prompt to help sharpen our teenage dialogue. We were asked to think back to a situation from our own youth, write it as we remembered it, and then rewrite the same scene in a modern-day context. It proved to be a really effective exercise, and it was fascinating to hear some of our fellow writers’ efforts, and how differently everyone approached it.
Ross also co-hosts a podcast with his partner and was clearly proud of their Choose Your Own Adventure episode. It was a relaxed, thoughtful, and motivating evening, topped off with Ross’s advice not to worry too much about one- and two-star reviews.
From all of us at Ayr Writers’ Club, he was very much a five-star guest.
Thanks also go to Chris, who entertained members with two poems in the ‘Last Word’ spot.
Susan McVey