Well, I wonder how this will tickle your creative taste buds?! It’s my hotel breakfast from this week’s story workshop day in Newcastle. And yes, I know it should be healthy fruit and muesli, but when you’re presented with perfectly cooked bacon, and an egg that’s just fair desperate to be dunked with a toast soldier…Well, it takes a stronger woman than me to resist.
I did resist the sausages, and the black pudding and hash browns, and look, at least it includes a tomato half. And it was all delicious, and the perfect fuel for what was a very, very busy day.
So, that’s your story starter. What does it make you think of? I’m still looking for 2000 and 3000 words, please.
One of the ladies at the workshop asked about these, and what was the deadline on writing a story to go with them. But there is no deadline. They’re offered just as…well, kind of as a public service. I certainly don’t expect to see a story for all of them, and it may be that the story you write is actually better suited to a different market. I don’t mind. What I want them to do is spark ideas, creativity, lateral thinking. If they result in a story for The People’s Friend, that’s fabulous. But it won’t always be the case.
The workshop was fab, too, by the way. A busy group of 18 ladies and one gent, who were so lively and interested, and with such great ideas in the discussion sections of the day, that we struggled at times to fit in everything I wanted to. I know the writing exercises didn’t get as much time as we usually allow, but having said that, all those that wanted to read out their work were given the opportunity, and my guest author Kate Blackadder and I heard some super story outlines and samples.
I do hope the writers work them up into full stories and send them my way!
Shirley Blair Fiction Ed Shirley’s been with the “Friend” since 2007 and calls it her dream job because she gets to read fiction all day every day. Hobbies? Well, that would be reading! She also enjoys writing fiction when she has time, long walks, travel, and watching Scandi thrillers on TV.
