@tristam_james

The thing that interests me about @tristam_james's work is that before I read it, I would not have been seeking it out, but I would now. From this I have learned two things. Firstly, do not prejudge your own tastes, it paints you into a life limiting corner. Secondly, just when you think you are doing alright with your own work, thinking to yourself, “I can do this whole writing malarky”, someone comes along and blows you out of the water, reducing your own output to incoherent babbling in comparison.

We both share an interest in the sea and we both write about it. I just think @tristam_james does it well, his work infused with the casual authority that comes from active experience.

Tyne is a work based on a familiar story to anyone working in a primary school. In 1881 The Whitby lifeboat was pulled six miles overland through deep snow to effect a rescue of the crew of Visitor. On the way the crew, and their supporting team, demolished walls, crossed hedgerows and navigated deep snow. It's a pretty heroic tale and it is given a heroic treatment by @tristram_james. It's almost Homeric in it's telling.

The first paragraph alone almost made me throw my laptop out of the window and go back to my previous life of procrastination - it is much easier to think about writing than actually do it! It described a beautiful, lyrical, sweeping journey, following the wind as it blasts its way through a night-darkened village. How do people actually learn to write this way? I wish someone would tell me. I think that's why I like @tristam_james so much – I'm hoping some of his skill will rub off on me.

Tyne only gets better. It is only a short story in six chapters but each chapter is split into two distinct sections. The first part is a melodic, poetic description of the the lifeboat's and it's crew's preparations and subsequent journey. The second is a stream of consciousness from one of the imperilled sailors. Both parts get under your skin. You find yourself wanting to shout the words aloud, no doubt due to their rhythmic power. @tristam_james has said that it is in part an homage to Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, and you can certainly see its influence (so long as I am remembering Llareggub correctly – I last read it in school many years ago). Tyne's made me want to read it again, or at least shout it.

One thing I can't believe is that it did not win a Watty in 2014. That staggers me. I know people don't all share the same ideas of what a good read is but still, come on! This kind of lyrical retelling of a minor historical footnote is exactly what the Wattpad community should be about. There's not a mythological creature, spaceship, bad boy or a member of 1D in it. It's a grown up story that is not dependent on the sort of features that “mature” reading usually warrants.

@tristam_james writes cracking fiction. His shipping forecast short stories are superb too. You can taste the brine in the air and feel the salt grit on your skin when you read them. He says there will be more so for the time being I have to be satisfied with Biscay and Irish Sea. What's interesting too is that @tristam_james is putting up a range of work in other genres that if Tyne is anything to go by, some lovely afternoons await me when the house is quiet for once.

By the way, a message to any writers out there: @tristam_james is a generous reader. The feedback that he gives is really humble, supportive and constructive. Like all the writers I have mentioned before, he demonstrates the qualities that are a serious boon to the Wattpad community. Long may he post his stories here.

---

Show your support for these writers by reading their work.  If you agree or disagree, please comment or vote.  The discussion is what Wattpad is all about.