Tutorial

My tutorial with Elspeth on Thursday (4th December) was a much needed boost of confidence. Due to certain circumstances, I have struggled to attend a number of lessons this term – something that Elspeth noted herself. She did however, express her relief at the fact I had actually been spending my weeks writing – rather than not bothering.

After reading the first three chapters of the draft I’d provided (which consisted of the first three chapters which was ten pages and just shy of 5,000 words), Elspeth praised the ‘tight’ prose and plot, saying that she wanted to read more. This pleased me for a number of reasons, firstly because I was beginning to have serious doubts about my abilities (a doubt that keeps returning and has often made me reassess my position on the course; and contemplation whether my talent could justify the cost or time spent). This reassurance from Elspeth has lifted my spirits and encouraged me to carry on and really push forward with this.

Secondly, I was pleased with the way Elspeth had praised the prose for being ‘tight’ and ‘easy to read’ as it was something that I have strived for and continuously edited so that the piece wouldn’t become cluttered with unnecessary words or long sentences. Admittedly, Elspeth didn’t have many changes to suggest because she felt that I was heading in the right direction. This is what I needed reassurance on, because I didn’t want to carry on in the same direction if it wasn’t a positive or enjoyable read for anybody.

The comments that Elspeth did make were;

On the line, ‘Her face grew stony and puzzled before she suddenly looked embarrassed.’ As Elspeth noted, this is a rather clunky line, it does slow down the speed of the piece and we discussed possible changes – shortening it to two lines perhaps. Something like, ‘Her face was stony, puzzled. She suddenly looked embarrassed.’

The other line that Elspeth commented on was, ‘I got some more of my moneys worth of the carpet…’ To which she asked what it meant. I explained that it was a way of saying that Don paced the office, a different more interesting way. I like the line, but Elspeth thought that people might not understand what it is saying and that I should perhaps try it out on a few people, which I now intend to do.

These comments will be considered for the next draft, but for now I must move on with the story. Because I haven’t had the chance to sit down and write a great deal recently, I have decided that I will write at least 500 words a day. If, for any reason, I fail one day, I must make this up in bits on another day. Either way, I must reach 3500 words a week. Minimum. The short story exercises before kept me productive and motivated and I want to recapture that; and get back into the habit of writing regularly.