BBC 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…to tell their stories Transit is a training organization based in Liverpool which works with people overcoming addiction. With the help of their tutor, Ann, the group learned some basic storytelling techniques. It’s 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 BBC Radio & Online. You can hear the stories for yourself. | "I’ve 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. John, in particular, found that writing was a real achievement, having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. “Well I’ve proved to myself that I can write. I’ve 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. It took a great weight off me shoulders. I didn’t 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’ve got a disability -dyslexia - but I’m not worried about it anymore”
The stories range from the fantastical to the autobiographical. It’s 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’s muse. Even tutor Ann had a go with a saucy story of lust and animal attraction.  |
The art of storytelling is one of humanity’s 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 “Top Tips” from our own new local writer Dave MacLennon. • Write what you know. It's no good writing about miners if you've never seen one.
• Your story can be fact or fiction, about memories, hopes or dreams. Your story can be whatever you want it to be.
• A thesaurus comes in handy if you want to use a different word with the same meaning.
• Some people like to have photos of a scene or a person to help with descriptive writing.
• Practice and practice and then some more.
• Don't let people put you off.
• Read stories from magazines and books but read it from a writer's point of view, not just a reader's.
• No more blank paper: write the first thing that comes into your head.
• See someone on the bus or street, get an impression and tell a short story of their life today.
• 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. | 
