Erskine Writers Meeting 25th October 2022

We were very pleased to welcome our guest speaker Olga Wojtas to our group meeting. Olga provided us with a very interesting background and how she got into writing and talked about some of the books she has written.

She delivered advice on how to write a short story, with excellent tips on how to achieve the best results; 

'Every sentence has to count, don't waste time on something that doesn't take the story forward, take risks. Needs to be focussed, focus on one aspect of your character. Introduce conflict, inner turmoil, guilt, fear. Ideally no more than three characters (1) Protagonist (2) Opponent (3) Someone else. Short story, may only have one character but the reader must care for this character. The reader only knows about the characters weakness. You don't have enough time to put in the whole backstory, but you should know the characters background. Tight dialogue engage their senses you can bring in all five senses. good dialogue brings the character to life.Your story should come from the character not a linear story. First sentence and first paragraph so crucial to hook the reader get as much action in as possible to get that impact. Circular shape to your story the end connects with the beginning. Delete scenes that don't need to be in the story. Show don't tell. Get rid of repetitive words. Look at the backstory once you have finished your piece. Read you story out loud. See I f the dialogue reads correctly. This will let you see how the story flows. Shape of the story vital does it hold your interest there should be 'no soggy middles'. Pay attention to your grammar. Proof read your work.'

She also read two short stories 'My mother bids me bind my hair' and 'Crystal Clear' both very different but with the same structure the latter had the group in stitches. A very informative and entertaining afternoon.

The entries for the Short Story should be no more than 2,000 words. Olga did emphasise that you don't need to push to get the max word count i.e. don't pad it out if you are short. No set format it can be any genre. You can be experimental and use the 'you form'. Another prompt was you may wish to write about something nasty someone had said to you. If you are writing about a real event change the gender of the protagonist. For members who are entering the competition the deadline is 8th November.