WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
After visiting the house, the story intrigued me even more and I did a bit of delving into
the tale of the ghost. It’s not difficult to find articles online about it but they can be
confusing. Details conflict and the tale seems to have grown as it was re-told over the
years. So I went back to earlier sources. I read contemporary local newspaper articles
(published in 1913) and Shane Leslie’s Ghost Book (first published in 1955) to get the story
more or less as it was originally told. The old newspapers are especially fascinating and
entertaining as they really bring alive the county as it was a century ago. As I delved into
accounts of the events at the farmhouse, I could see the scenes and the Murphy family in
my mind. I couldn’t help wondering about them and what must it have been like to live
in their house. And how it felt to have their friends and neighbours withdraw from them
in fear. This imagining was the starting point for my fictional short story, An Unbidden
Visitor.
I would encourage writers to keep your eyes and ears open when you settle in a new
place. Learn about the history and legends of the area. If a particular historical event or
legend grabs your imagination, delve deeper and learn more about it. Visit the exact place
where it happened so you can experience the atmosphere there. Ask local people to tell
you what they know about the incident. A combination of historical facts and local
anecdotes will give you a wealth of information, allowing you to see the incident from
different angles. When you are familiar with the incident, or possibly legend, that has
caught your attention, let your imagination have free rein to develop your own story
using all the information you have garnered. Your story may become a retelling or
interpretation of the past event or it may become a completely new story inspired by what
you have learned about the place where you live. Either way, if you take time to learn
about the history of your adopted home, it is bound to enrich your own storytelling
The Typo Prankster
BY LESLEY TRUCHET
I have a typo prankster; he squats in my PC,
he tampers with my writing, with apparent fiendish glee.
No matter how attentively my manuscript I edit,
he lays bare some glaring errors, much to my discredit.
Though I make a supreme effort to submit my script just right,
I fear some luckless editor will deem it total – trite!
22 | November 2016