My first writing workshop
As part of the course, we have a series of workshops in which we are invited to submit a 1000 word extract for our peers to read and provide feedback on. I had my workshop in week 5 and decided to write a 1000 word short story based on an idea I had come up with while on holiday in Paris.
I went to Paris in late October and found so much inspiration in the city. I was a classic tourist enjoying croissants, coffee, strolls along the Seine, and visits to the various art galleries. It was so romantic and the perfect place to seek inspiration for a short story.
During my visit to Paris, we came across a cool cafe called ‘Cafe Leopard’ and I found myself imaging the types of people who might live in the local neighbourhood and visit Cafe Leopard. These people might have intimate relationships with each other and drama could occur at the cafe, so this was the basis for my story.
I created two characters - Hannah (the main character) who is a tourist visiting Paris and a woman who she meets at Cafe Leopard. My aim was to create a dialogue between the two characters, and to immerse the reader. When I wrote it my aim was for it to be a love story, but as I wrote it I wasn’t sure where the story would lead. My classmates gave me really positive feedback and it was interesting to hear that a few of them thought it could turn into a thriller with some sort of crime involved! I had not previously imagined wanting to write crime or a thriller, but I feel more open-minded about this possibility after receiving feedback! They also said that they could see a romantic relationship developing between the two women, which was an interesting idea.
Hearing their feedback made me realise that the story could go in different directions and that as a writer it’s good to be open and not box yourself in. Overall, I found the experience of attending a workshop really useful, as having focused time to receive feedback from your peers about your writing is valuable. It gave me confidence to continue with my writing and it also was like receiving a big pat on the back, which was very reassuring.
Here is a short section from my story, Cafe Leopard:
There was silence as Hannah looked down at her hands and Su looked thoughtful. She stood up abruptly and said ‘do you want a drink? Why don’t you come inside to the bar with me, I’ll introduce you to Gabriel the bartender’. Hannah had just finished her orange juice and was planning to go home, but found herself saying ‘sure’ and following Su in.
The music was loud and a number of people were dancing next to the bar. Hannah stood at the bar with Su, who was leaning over the counter and talking to the bartender avidly. Su turned to her and said “this is Gabriel” and she said ‘hello’, smiling at the man who had served her earlier. He asked ‘what do you like to drink?’. Hannah did not usually drink alcohol, as she did not like the way it made her feel. Su turned to her saying ‘you should try one of Gabriel’s cocktails. Do you like amaretto?'. Hannah was not sure what amaretto was, but she found herself saying 'I’ll give it a try’, and Su asked Gabriel to make two cocktails for them.
A few hours later Hannah had drank three of Gabriel’s cocktails and was sitting in the corner of the cafe with Su. Her head felt light and floaty, and her body was relaxed. Su was rolling a cigarette and licked the edge of the paper with her tongue. She put her hand on Hannah’s knee and said ‘I’ll roll one for you too, you should smoke, we’re in Paris’. Hannah had not tried a cigarette before, but thought why not try one, as she was on holiday and it was Paris after all.