麻豆社 RaW aims to get people reading and writing for pleasure, and for a group of people in Liverpool that meant sitting comfortably before they began鈥o tell their stories Transit is a training organization based in Liverpool which works with people overcoming听 addiction. With the help of their tutor, Ann,听 the group learned some basic storytelling techniques. It鈥檚 a bit like doing warm ups before a run; so word games and very short story ideas were tried out before they launched into their own oeuvres. These are stories with a difference. Not only are the authors all completely new to creative writing, but they also performed their own stories for broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio & Online. You can hear the stories for yourself. | "I鈥檝e got dyslexia so anything like that I would shy away from and I found the stories that I wrote always wind up to be poetry and I like it." | | John Stewart |
For Catherine Bowman, Dave MacLennon and John Stewart, the whole process was rewarding in a variety of ways.听 John, in particular, found that writing was a real achievement, having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. 鈥淲ell I鈥檝e proved to myself that I can write. I鈥檝e got dyslexia so anything like that I would shy away from and I found the stories that I wrote always wind up to be poetry and I like it.听 It took a great weight off me shoulders. I didn鈥檛 think very well of myself - now that I can be calm and just read; I learned how to read when I was 13 because there was always the fear of making a mistake, you know. But now, dyslexia - I just look on it as, I鈥檝e got a disability -dyslexia - but I鈥檓 not worried about it anymore鈥
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The stories range from the fantastical to the autobiographical. It鈥檚 amazing how a simple memory can spark a story. Can you remember that hot Seventies summer in your childhood when the ladybirds invaded Liverpool? For Rob it was the inspiration for a tiny winged tale to take flight. And a long cherished relationship with her teddy bear sparked Catherine鈥檚 muse. Even tutor Ann had a go with a saucy story of lust and animal attraction.
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The art of storytelling is one of humanity鈥檚 most ancient ways of communicating and, with a little practice, the bards at Transit have honed their own fireside skills to carry on this antediluvian tradition. Fancy having a go yourself? Visit the RaW website for inspiration and have a look at these exclusive 鈥淭op Tips鈥 from our own new local writer Dave MacLennon.
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鈥 Write what you know. It's no good writing about miners if you've never seen one.
鈥 Your story can be听 fact or fiction, about memories, hopes or dreams. Your story can be whatever you want it to be.
鈥 A thesaurus comes in handy if you want to use a different word with the same meaning.
鈥 Some people like to have photos of a scene or a person to help with descriptive writing.
鈥 Practice and practice and then some more.
鈥 Don't let people put you off.
鈥 Read stories from magazines and books but read it from a writer's point of view, not just a reader's.
鈥 No more blank paper: write the first thing that comes into your head.
鈥 See someone on the bus or street, get an impression and tell a short story of their life today.
鈥 Vivid imagery requires specific and concrete details. Don't write tree, write oak. Don't write dog, write Doberman or Yorkie. Don't write chair, write rocker. | 
