On a hot summer’s evening, six writers travelled across East Ayrshire to join readaround host, Maggie Bolton, and make an enthusiastic seven-a-side team.
Our 7.30pm kick-off was delayed briefly while we enjoyed a much needed ‘hydration break’ and a quick catch-up on news. Then five readers took to the pitch, with Kirsty and Jennifer happy to sit on the sidelines and provide tactical support.
Gail took the first kick of the ball, sharing an extract from her educational memoir based on her experience with M.E. Her work offers helpful guidance to others living with the condition, and many other chronic illnesses too. We were impressed by the depth of Gail’s research, and encouraged her to keep going with her edits and aim for publication.
Next, Helena had us laughing as she read one of the humorous rhyming poems she excels at. This one had a sting in the tail – you had to ‘bee’ there!
The ball was then passed to me, and I read a revamped and extended version of the cosy crime novel opening I’d shared two weeks earlier. This sparked an interesting team conversation about experimenting with different points of view and swapping POV’s from chapter to chapter to help develop characters and plot.
Over to Susan next, who had us hooked with the opening of a young adult novel (her winning AWC competition entry). We were immediately transported into the first-person thoughts of her protagonist and drawn into an intriguing, atmospheric scene. The cliffhanger ending had us desperate to hear more.
Our host, Maggie, entertained us with a chapter from a will-they-won’t-they romance novel she’d written for a competition. Set at a writing conference, with feisty characters and snappy dialogue, we agreed this story, full of spark, humour and tension, had real potential.
At the evening’s final whistle, I was given a second chance to score. In honour of Scotland’s World Cup match against Brazil later in the evening, I read my fitba themed poem inspired by a trailblazing ancestor.
Finally, as we’d played on without a half-time break, we indulged instead in post-match refreshments – soft drinks, coffee, walnut cake and choccie biscuits (bet McGinn and McTominay didnae hae them in Miami) – and a good blether before Maggie showed us all the red card and sent us home. Many thanksfor your hospitality, Maggie!
A good night for AWC – not so much, as it sadly transpired, for our national team.
By Linda Brown