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1. Sitting in a hotel room in Crewe. I was there to inspect the local hospital service and train delays meant I’d arrived too late for dinner. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the stink of stale cigarettes clung to the curtains. ‘What to do?’ I thought. I ate both packs of complimentary cookies and took out my laptop. ‘If I can get that short story down to a thousand words,’ I told myself, ‘I can submit it to that writing course I saw advertised.’
2. A letter in my hands. Shaking. I’ve gone part time at work and need some boost to my writing confidence. I scan it hurriedly. Many thanks. Regret. Unable. Very high standard. Offer. My heart sinks, then I read it properly. The regret was that I hadn’t been accepted for the scholarship, the very high standard included my application, the offer was mine. I just needed to find a few thousand pounds. Until this moment I hadn’t been sure what I’d been saving for, but now I knew. What else?