Ray French

How did you come to Tribe?

When I lived in Leeds, I used to meet up several times a week with a couple of other friends who were writers in a local arts centre and the camaraderie chat and feedback on each others work was very rewarding.

It also helped focus the mind; if my attention wandered and I saw the other two working away, I felt like a lightweight and got back on it. When I moved up here a few years ago I went to a Society of Authors meeting in Edinburgh and asked if anyone fancied meeting up to write in a café. Not one person was. None of them could imagine not working from home, but I knew I’d get cabin fever doing that.

 

What makes you smile?

The far-reaching but often batty conversations at lunchtime, which I’ve come to think of as an eccentric version of Radio 4’s In Our Time, but with no Melvyn Bragg to keep people on script.

 

What do you like about Tribe most?

The sense that it’s a community; the friendliness and camaraderie; the chilled ambience, the opportunity to share your triumphs and frustrations with others.

 

What are you working on right now?

I’m just finishing my third novel, then I plan to write some short nonfiction pieces. I also teach creative writing online, which is ongoing and very enjoyable