So, it was the 33 author reading at Richmond Library last night... Bobby Nayyar, Pat Binding and Susannah Rickards all gave excellent readings from their short stories. I, on the other hand, tried something a little different.
My story for the anthology, I Love Richmond, was something of an experiment as it's all told via Twitter. The reading last night was something of an experiment too, with the story unfolding in real time as if the two Tweeters (is that the right term?) were typing replies to each other's missives as they went along. The ones reading the 'story' were the audience.
Like I say - it was experiment. A couple of people had very nice things to say about it at the end. (Apparently I nearly made one audience member cry, but I didn't think it was that bad!) However, others weren't backwards in coming forwards and making it plain that they hadn't got a clue what was going on. Maybe that's a failing of me as a writer, or of the way I presented the story, but I prefer to put it down to the fact that the audience was slightly - how should I put this - closer to collecting their bus passes than me.
Anyway, like I said, ignoring my multimedia effort for a moment, the stories were very well received and Bobby had even sold out of books by the end of the event!
Thanks to Jonas and Peggy for making us so welcome, and thank you to those who came. Apparently Bobby videoed part of my presentation, which might make it onto here at some point - and, then again, might not.
What you need to do now is follow this link to Susannah Rickards publisher, to read more about this amazing author, or go here to buy her new short story anthology, the fabulously titled, Hot Kitchen Snow.
It takes balls to be different. Continue, please =D
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouragement. It means a lot.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, as a writer, I live in a bubble occupied only by myself and my ideas. And then you unleash said ideas onto the world (sometimes after months of labour) only for people to react in often totally unexpected (and sometimes frightening) ways. So when somebody 'gets' what you were trying to do, it feels great.
Well that's a lovely surprise, Jonathan. Thanks for the plug! I can verify that one of the audience members was wiping her eyes with a hankie when you sprung the big surprise on us. Very clever and inventive story telling. And hats off to any author who can do a 'reading' without having to stand up there and open his mouth. The rest of us weren't jealous - not at all!!
ReplyDeleteHi Susannah
ReplyDeleteNo problem! And good to have you here.
And thank you for your kind comments too.