We were happy to welcome back Suzanne Stirke to adjudicate our short story competition. It was obvious as she gave her comments on each entry that Suzanne had given a great deal of thought to them and her constructive criticism was welcomed by their authors as well as being very interesting for everyone else present at the meeting.
The winner was Maggie Cobbett with a story called ‘It’s Better to Play Safe’ about a tourist couple exploring the macabre side of New Orleans. Lotte Wilson took second place with Sheila Whitfield third. There was time after the mid-meeting break for all three winners to read their stories, after which we thanked Suzanne for her hard work on our behalf.
We shall look forward to hearing the remaining entries at our open manuscripts meeting in a fortnight’s time.
Led by Maggie, the challenge was to focus on one of the objects pictured. What did it look and feel like? What was its primary purpose? What else might it be used for – thinking outside the box very much required there. Susan was particularly inventive with the old darning mushroom and Peter with the kitchen roll inner!
Next came the challenge to write a limerick or haiku about the chosen object. Several people wrote both and Sheila even added a third poetic form, a cinquain. A break for refreshments was very welcome after all that.
The final task was to draft a short story in which the same object played a major role. No time for polishing, but maybe we shall be hearing some of these at the next session of members’ MSS.
Thanks have been expressed to the So! Bar for allowing us to hold meetings in one of their upper rooms over the last few months. Unfortunately noise levels from the floor below and accessibility issues have proved too difficult to surmount. Therefore, starting with the meeting on Wednesday 29th May, we shall be back at our previous venue, the Jervaulx Room in the St Wilfrid’s Community Centre.
These items were displayed at last night’s meeting and well in time for ‘their’ session on 12th June. Thinking caps on, please!
This competition is always, as the name would suggest, for writing with an historical theme and this year it was the turn of fiction.
Our adjudicator, Suzanne Stirke, began by explaining that, when first drawn to pick up her pen, she had gone on a short writing course at Darlington 6th Form College. From there, she was encouraged to do a University Master’s course in Creative Writing as a mature student. Since then she has written and self-published two books set around Bedale, one about a particular building set in the early 1800s and the other about the resolution of a mystery surrounding that building set in modern times. She is now working on a third book about a local woman called Dorothy Patterson.
Suzanne went on to say what she was looking for in a short story:
- A beginning, middle and an end
- Must be concise
- No irrelevant detail (in a short story)
- Assume that the reader knows nothing
- Either 3rd person or 1st person narrative (she didn’t mention the rarer 2nd person narrative form)
- Not too many characters
- A good ending.
Turning to the seven entries Suzanne then made her comments on each. The entries were:
- ‘A Bedtime Story’ – Lotte Wilson – a grandfather tells two young boys a bedtime story based on his own memories
- ‘Departure and Arrival’ – Joe Peters – a young woman begins to travel the world
- ‘Great Aunt Tillie’ – Sheila Whitfield – June is sorting out belongings after the death of her husband
- ‘Private Tom Brownlea’ – Charles Lubelski – a story about a reluctant recruit in the First World War
- ‘The Big Decision’ – Peter Page – a young Irishman from the Dingle Peninsula decides to emigrate to America around 1900
- ‘The Fine Aroma of Coffee’ – Maggie Cobbett – a ghost story set in the York Castle Museum
- ‘The Star of the Sea’ – Susan Perkins – a story about a haunted pub beside the sea in Northern England.
Suzanne then announced the winners as follows
- Joint Second – Peter Page with ‘The Big Decision’ and Maggie Cobbett with ‘The Fine Aroma of Coffee’
- First – Lotte Wilson with ‘A Bedtime Story’
Suzanne presented Lotte with the trophy.
After the break, the remaining entries were paired with their authors and accompanied by discussion before Susan invited Lotte and Peter to read their stories.
Suzanne had brought along copies of both her published books for members to examine and there was just time for her to read the blurbs from the backs before the meeting closed with thanks being expressed to her for a much appreciated adjudication.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Suzanne Stirke’s adjudication of the ‘Blast from the Past’ competition will now take place on Wednesday, 17th April.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the talk on comedy writing by Swanwick Writers’ Summer School regular Phil Collins has had to be postponed.
That being so, the meeting on Wednesday, 20th March will now be for Members’ Manuscripts.
We hope to rebook Phil later this year or in 2025.
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