Harrogate Writers' Circle

Our meeting of 13th March 2024 was a manuscript evening.

First to read was Denise with an animal fact file - a description of Galápagos tortoise which are not as gentle as you might think, and one unusual aspect is that the mother turtle can choose the gender of the chicks by changing how she cools her eggs.

Next was Peter who read a story, “Brains Not Brawn” which was the first story of his that had been accepted in Scribble Magazine in late 2005 and brought back memories of his early struggles to get published.

This was then followed by Joan who read. “The survivor's Tale.” which told the story of the Titanic with a very particular point of view.

There then was a discussion about the opening lines of a novel and the influence that these can have on the novel as a whole. Joan read the first paragraph of. “The Big Sleep.” as an example of how information about the main character and the setting is given. The group then discussed when to break the rules of short story writing, which if done well can attract the attention of an editor.

Denise then read. “Home Sweet Home.” which is a work in progress.

Peter read. “Bird Of Sorrow” which was a nod towards the current situation on the Gaza Strip.

Finally Joan read. “Luck.” about a bank employee who falls for an addiction to gambling.

Our next meeting on 27th March is a competition for Flash Fiction - 500Words.

Details of our programme can be found online at harrogatewriterscircle