Creative Writing

We are very excited to announce some creative writing workshops taking place in the library during Book Week Scotland in November. If you would like to take part, please see Mrs Lumsden in the Library. 

Victoria Williamson will be holding two creative writing workshops based on her fabulous novels The War of the Wind and Feast of Ashes. Both these titles feature climate change and we will talking about this and Victoria's writing process. 

Ellie Stewart is a playwright working in Scotland, and her recent productions include A Different Country for BBC Radio Scotland, The Return for Eden Court Theatre, and Mischief for the Traverse Theatre. She will be talking about her plays and the art of being a playwright.

For all our writers, poets, illustrators, and storytellers, check out the great opportunities to showcase your work here:

//www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/opportunities-for-young-writers

You Could Be So Pretty

 

Set in a dystopian near future, where girls are expected to conform to exacting beauty standards and are constantly scrutinised and graded. Beauty comes at a price. And girls must pay. In Belle and Joni's world there are two options for girls: like Belle - follow the rules of the Doctrine - apply your Mask, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony, be a Pretty. Or be like Joni - leave your face bare, work hard to escape to the Education, be an Objectionable. Bella, the highest rated ‘pretty’ in school, clashes with Joni, an ‘objectionable’ who refuses to follow the norms and wishes to be herself. The two girls initially clash and eventually work together to subvert the Doctrine.

This novel was really enjoyable and will hit a nerve with many young people today – is this so unbelievable when we look at our own attitudes and exposure to social media? It has been described as Uglies meets The Handmaid's Tale for the new YA generation, and that’s a pretty fair description. Read it and throw away your eyelash curlers forever!