I had a brilliant session with the book club again this week with chapters 5 and 6. We now also have a provisional title which I launched on the members today. There were lots of ‘oooooooo’s which I think is a good thing.
The librarian had once again provided snacks – Iced Gems today – and also negotiated special permission for the girls to bring in their lunch as I was starting a bit earlier than normal so that I could get away to my other job on time. It’s wonderful to have a librarian on-side!
The chapters today were more low key following on from the feedback last week. Less action, a bit of scene-setting and world-building. A chance for the characters and listeners to draw breath. And a bit of a hint at the possibility of romance which they were all so keen on in week 1.
From my perspective, I was pleased to have turned in two chapters from scratch on time. I had the basic text for the first 4 chapters worked out in advance as a bit of a safety blanket but this week, for the first time, I was sailing into uncharted territory. That felt scary but also exciting! It also meant I was able to include one of the ideas that the group had previously into the narrative this week. It was brilliant to read that bit out and see the reaction when they realised ‘their bit’ was in there. I’ve set the group a bit of a task to work on this week linked to that which I hope they’ll embrace with gusto.
It was my last reading week for the time being as end of term is approaching but I have hatched a plan with the librarian to share at least a chapter per week by email over the summer holidays so she can share it with the book club members and invite comments. Hopefully this will keep the momentum going over the long break (for me and them!) and we can have a big catch up in September.