Young Writers Society

This was way harder than I expected. I struggled to walk the line between elevator pitch and blurb and to make it sound compelling whilst avoiding oversharing on the plot. I think the dual narrative makes it difficult because I'm constantly trying to mirror the sentences I use to make it look/sound better stylistically but I probably don't need to do that? I might have another go at this when I'm further through the novel

Icy I'm READYYY.
A+ tropes/vibes.
I'm taking a real break in April so I can't crawl with you but I'll still lovingly yell at you in pads if needed! <3

Please yell at me @Carlito! I'm ready for this to be the year you actually read something I've written xD

Name: Raymond Burns
Age: 66
Height: 5'9
Eye colour: Grey
Physical appearance: Slim and willowy, the stature and posture of someone who spends every day hunched over a low table in a poorly lit room. Round, surprisingly on trend glasses. Wears a lot of cardigans and braces (is this the English word).
Strange or unique physical attributes: Not strange, but has a very thick head of hair that's bright white.
Favourite clothing style/outfit: See above (cardigans)
Where does he/she live? What is it like there? Lives above the bookshop in Cambridge. It's in a small side street and once there was a street party down there and he took the bunting home so now his flat has bunting along the living room wall. It's only got one bedroom and the kitchen is small but he spends most of his time downstairs so doesn't really mind too much.
Pet peeves: Rude/unkind people
Hobbies/interests: Collecting old books and corresponding with eccentric men from Oxford.
Insecurities: Doesn't think he should be dating again at his age.
Quirks/eccentricities: Talks to himself/his dead husband constantly when he's alone.
Temperament: Soft and kind
Negative traits: Messy, disorganised and sometimes painfully optimistic when realism would be preferable.
Family (describe): Husband (deceased). Nephew Joel who helps with the books for his store (accounting books not reading books).Sister (Joel's mother) who is largely unmentioned.
Other people's opinions of this character: All customers are pretty much his best friend, all come into the store for him rather than because they like it there. Joel finds him frustrating, but wants to take care of him. Sophie views him as a father/grandfather hybrid figure (as he was friends with her grandad). Edwin has a thing for him.
Favourite bands/songs/types of music: Anything slow jazz, as his husband used to play the saxophone. He also has quite a liking for George Ezra despite never remembering his name and always referring to him as the young man that sounds old.
Favourite movies/TV shows/books: Doesn't watch much tv, but he is a book lover. His favourites are the classics, particularly anything by the Bronte sisters.
Favourite foods: Anything sweet, which is detrimental to his pre-diabetic state.
Dream holiday: Collecting books in Oxford.
Any pets? None, he can barely remember to feed himself.
Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Marrying his husband.
Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: His husband's death.
Three words to describe this character: Kind, soft, scattered.
If a song played every time this character walked into a room, what song would it be? Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles

Joel's character tweet is a vibe in itself!

Love the themes of your story, Icy! The characters both seem to be in the process of finding themselves and I can't wait to see where you take this! All the best with Camp!

Icy, OMG, this is a story I'd totally pick up in the bookstore! I'm a sucker for female friendships and characters who figure out their identity and places in the world. Good luck this Camp NaNo, and maybe we could do some word wars together!

@RandomTalks thank you! Joel is fast becoming a favourite character of mine and he was very much a last minute addition!

@EternalRain I'm glad you like the sound of it <3 I'm absolutely up for some word wars; they're such good motivation!

I breathe what can only be described as a sigh of relief when the barista finally passes the cup of iced coffee over the counter and I can take a long, life-saving sip. Living in LA certainly has its drawbacks (it’s definitely not as glamorous as the movies would have you believe) but the presence of a Starbucks on the corner of every street is a godsend when you walk to work every morning.

I can hear Ray moving around in the back, and shout out a quick hello to let him know I’m here. The coffee machine hasn’t been warmed yet, so I turn it on and allow the familiar hiss of steam quiet my brain. I empty out the remnants of yesterday’s coffee, and grind some fresh for the morning. The smell permeates into the store, and now the freezing cold walk feels worth it, even if it would have been quicker to take the car.

“Oh it smells like heaven in here.” Ray, as usual, is carrying a stack of books as he navigates through the door behind the counter and comes to stand in front of me. He places them on the counter and I recognise them as the incomplete collection he’s trying to finish buying from the eccentric man in Oxford. “Shall we have one?”

I nod to the machine that’s warmed up, with two cups sitting neatly beneath it. “I was just about to make us a latte each, if that’s what you’re after?”

Ray’s eyes light up. “With the scoop of biscoff spread in the bottom?”

I roll my eyes but laugh. I tried out the spread a couple of weeks ago as a limited edition drink (I’ve been watching what all the big names do and they all have these fancy flavours on the go at different times of the year) and ever since, Ray can’t get enough of it. I’ve had to limit him to one or two a week because it definitely can’t be good for a pre-diabetic to be having all that sugar.