Tuesday 28th April
There were apologies from Sarah Victoria, John H, Joyce and Joan and eleven members were present. Lorna brought us up to date in regard to our outreach plan to a local high school and preparations are ongoing.
The afternoon was given over to the results and crits from our last competition for the current session - a short story based on either The Fugitive, SOS or the Stray. There were nine entries in all, the winner being Brian with his tale ‘Fight or Flight’ a bleak, yet curiously beautiful, descriptive story of a deserter from the Ukrainian army involved in the current war which did end with the merest suggestion of hope. This was added to by Marilyn who informed the club they her son is currently employed in helping to write the Constitution for the new Ukraine once the war is over!
Second was Jackie whose story ‘The Last Valentine’ described the accidental killing of a brutal husband by an abused wife who had taken refuge in the family caravan. It described her thoughts as she awaited her inevitable arrest but benefitted from a hopeful and unexpected ending. This was followed in third place by Sandra R whose piece, cleverly entitled ‘Paws for Thought’, describing the survival trials undertaken by a cat following the passing of his master. It was done through the cat’s eyes and was shot through with a scent of humour based around the search for tuna. Again, it ended with a degree of hope for the future.
Both Morag’s entries were commended and she chose to read ‘Escape’, an intriguing piece describing the arrangement and accompaniment of a mysterious figure as they undertook a ‘break from it all’ in Rothesay. The person in question was a well-known Scottish chanteuse from Dennistoun! Hilary gave us ‘He Plays Alone’, the musings of a self-made, arrogant man and how he let the love of his life slip through his fingers resulting in his facing a lonely future. Finally Rob gave an account of how the first SOS from Titanic may have been received by an amateur radio ham in Wales. Time soon caught up and other entries were delayed until next week.
The adjudications and crits were prepared and delivered by Rosemary Gemmell, an old friend of Erskine Writers and were comprehensive, fair and constructive and we thank her for her commitment
Finally, a plea from Sandra M that all trophy holders return their trophies next week when the title of the day is ‘Round Robin Writing’ which should be quite fun. The last homework of the session is due for May 12th - 500 words on a recipe for anything other than a good meal!
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