Yes, after far too long an absence, oor Grangemouth-born man in Greece returns to McStorytellers today with a trademark piece of drama. Enjoy They Made The Effort.
It’s the middle of the night in the dark of winter. Two people leave the warmth of their families to embark on separate clandestine journeys. The tension mounts to breaking point. This story could only have been written by Andrew McCallum Crawford.
Yes, after far too long an absence, oor Grangemouth-born man in Greece returns to McStorytellers today with a trademark piece of drama. Enjoy They Made The Effort.
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What it says on the tin. Our trio of stories today entail barroom brawls.
A scunner gets short shrift in The Skelf, a nippy wee piece from Grangemouth-born author Andrew McCallum Crawford. A bully receives his comeuppance in The Message, a tale of small-town bigotry from Mister McStoryteller, Brendan Gisby. And a belligerent drunk pays the price in The Cooler, a slice of violence from Cincinnati musician and writer Marc Spahn. Enjoy, but beware – there are sweary words aplenty! Want to banish that goodwill to all men malarkey for a wee while? Then read about a woman scorned in Jammed, a cracking new piece by that master of storytelling, Andrew McCallum Crawford.
And if you like that one, why not take a peek at The Race, a wicked tale of sisterly unlove by Mister McStoryteller himself, Brendan Gisby? Christmas cheer they ain’t. But enjoy the stories anyway! In our last McBlog post, we promised the perfect antidote to those happy-ending tales by Alasdair McPherson and Angus Shoor Caan.
Well, here it is. It comes in the form of a linked trilogy of powerful dramas by McStorytellers regular Andrew McCallum Crawford. This is the order in which they should be read: Chicken Soup Gentlemen, We Have A Winner When Iron Turns To Rust (first published in the Northwards Now literary magazine) The three stories are included in Andrew’s latest collection, A Man’s Hands. Dealing with the pain, heartbreak and disappointment of a relationship rekindled, they do not have happy endings. They should be enjoyed nevertheless and Andrew’s compelling writing celebrated. And here’s another cause for celebration. With the publication of Andrew’s trilogy, McStorytellers has achieved its 400 story milestone. Yes, since our launch in 2010 we’ve now published over two-thirds of a million words in 400 short stories penned by more than 60 contributors, representing a wealth of Scots writing talent. So sláinte to all of those contributors! And sláinte to all our thousands of readers! Here's to many more stories to come. We’re delighted to list below the next McFestival Dozen, the 12 stories entered in our Being Scots McCompetition that will be featured at the Edinburgh eBook Festival in August and will be included in the subsequent McStorytellers anthology.
Home-Koming Night by Allan Watson The trout who dreamed of being a salmon by Jack MacRoary Born and Bred by Alasdair McPherson Greek As A Foreign Language by Andrew McCallum Crawford Scots Away by Angus Shoor Caan The Voracious Reader by Pat Black Snippits in Scots by Andrew Velzian Bring Your Befuddled Zxeardks by Garry Stanton Don Masson's Big Toe by Fiona Johnson The Unofficial Burryman by Brendan Gisby Mr Black by John McGroarty Jings, crivens, help ma Boab, it's independence! by Cally Phillips We invited all our McStorytellers to submit entries on the subject of Being Scots. While the approaches to this subject varied wildly, inevitably a couple of themes emerged from the submissions. Many entrants sought “to see oursels as ithers see us”, the “ithers” being defined as those who live in England (of course), the rest of the world and even another planet! Many also were at pains to highlight Scotland’s failings: our penchant for unhealthy foods, our lack of prowess on the international football stage, the religious bigotry that divides great swathes of our nation – to name but a few. But virtually all imbued their piece with humour – that wry, dry Scots sense of humour that helps to define us, that sets us apart from our neighbours near and far. To sum up, therefore. According to the submissions, the Scots are full of faults, which we’re happy to acknowledge, even to laugh at. And we don’t really care what others think. Like William Wallace and his army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, we bare our arses to our adversaries. Or was that only in the movie? Either way, that image has provided a cracking idea for our next anthology’s book cover, which we’ve previewed above. Remember these dates. The Edinburgh eBook Festival will run from 12th August through to 25th August. Every morning from 11:00 am, McStorytellers will host the Festival’s Short Story slot, when we’ll be saying a bit more about the McCompetition, showcasing the selected stories and announcing the availability of the Being Scots anthology. Remember also that there will be much, much more going on every day at the Festival. So please don’t just tune in for the Short Story slot. Watch this space for further Festival announcements. Here’s a midweek treat for fans of Grangemouth-born writer Andrew McCallum Crawford. Called Pistachio, it’s a story that literally comes to life; a tale of unrequited desire, of disappointment and of closure.
Enjoy! And stand by for two more tremendous entries in our Being Scots McCompetition. Mind our Being Scots McCompetition (which you can read all about here: Scots Wha Hae)? Mind we said the closing date for submissions was the end of June? Aye, well, that means you now have only this month to get your submission to us. Here, by way of encouragement, are the cracking submissions we’ve received so far (in the order we received them): Home-Koming Night by Allan Watson When Frankie Loved Jeanie by John McGroarty The trout who dreamed of being a salmon by Jack MacRoary Born and Bred by Alasdair McPherson Greek As A Foreign Language by Andrew McCallum Crawford Scots Away by Angus Shoor Caan The Voracious Reader by Pat Black Snippits in Scots by Andrew Velzian One last mind. Mind we said that the best of the submissions will feature not only at the 2nd Edinburgh eBook Festival in August, but also in the next McStorytellers anthology? Well, by way of further encouragement, we’re delighted to announce that BOTH our earlier anthologies are FREE to download this weekend. Just click on the book covers to get yourself to the Amazon Kindle pages. Had enough encouragement? Now it’s time to hone those submissions!
We’re delighted to present for your Sunday teatime enjoyment a cracker of a contribution to our Being Scots McCompetition.
It comes from Master McStoryteller, Grangemouth-born author Andrew McCallum Crawford. It’s called Greek As A Foreign Language. And it’s an eye-opening tale of the blurring of national identity. Don’t miss it! So you want to write short stories? Well, here’s a masterclass you might learn from. Three writers skilled in the genre show how it’s done.
If it’s a model of flash fiction you’re looking for, go no further than The Pit, a wee slice of the supernatural from the Flashmaster himself, Aberdeen-based Bill Robertson. And there’s not a spare word in sight! Then there’s the ability to write concisely, dispensing with the frivolities, reaching the heart of the matter. That’s exactly what Grangemouth-born Andrew McCallum Crawford does in I’m Not Their Dad, in which a fraught relationship is laid bare in as few words as possible. But your writing also need to be versatile, just like that of Glaswegian Pat Black, who can turn his pen from comedy to sci-fi to high drama in the blink of an eye. And here he is having a bash at Tartan Noir in Settling Accounts, a gripping, McChandler-esque tale set in his home city. Enjoy – and learn! Here’s a wee Friday night treat in the form of another couple of conversations, as overheard and reported in their original Ayrshire dialect by local writer and regular McStoryteller, Angus Shoor Caan.
There’s one of those unwanted family gatherings in Christenin’. And there’s a strange connection between The Simpsons and woolly blankets in Cover Story. The latter piece also appeared this week on the delightful Wee Fictions site run by another regular McStoryteller, Andrew McCallum Crawford. So please enjoy these pieces – and watch out for much more to come! |
McBlog AuthorBrendan Gisby is McStoryteller-in-Residence. He's the author of four novels, three biographies and several short story collections. The McStorytellers
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