Where does time go ?
We gathered at Susan’s house, deep in the Ayrshire countryside, for our final summer read-around. This time, the order of reading took on an alphabetical theme, with writers taking their turn according to their first names.
D for Damaris started us off, transporting us from dreich Ayrshire to sunny Italy. She recounted the trials and tribulations of the ritual of queuing, seemingly synonymous with the Italian administrative system.
G for Gail followed with her hilarious dribble, which left us all gobsmacked and in hysterics. The ending came with a brilliant twist that I’m not sure any of us had anticipated.
We composed ourselves in time for J for Jennifer and a discussion about the replica Spanish ship docked in Ayr Harbour. Could this be the next visit for her reluctant historical art critic, Bridget? Only time will tell!
With adrenaline levels already spiking after all the hilarity of the first half of the evening, the majority of us wisely opted for decaf during the coffee break. Any calming effect, however, was soon offset by the sugar rush from the delicious cakes on offer.
After our break L for Linda read a small extract from her historical crime novel and we talked about the reasons characters evolve over time, and how flashbacks can be used to create great tension in your story.
P for Pat followed with another piece from his story set in the future and we had a deep dive into one of his characters, Jack.
S for Susan finished the evening with an article on editing that she is preparing for a magazine. She explained the pitfalls, highs and lows of editing offering interesting and useful information.
The evening ran as smoothly as ‘ABC’ – before heading home for a well-earned rest. We were all excited about the start of the new season and looking forward to meeting up at the Mercure Hotel on 2nd September.
By Elaine Ewart