Please allow me to point out what may seem to you an insignificant detail, but which to me, as a reader, is a vital aspect of your story. "Tartan" is the name of the checked cloth made in Scotland. It also means the particular pattern used by a clan in their cloth. "Plaid" is the name of the shawl-like upper garment made of tartan. "Kilt" is the name of the pleated skirt-like lower garment. (OED) Why, you ask, is this important? Because every Scotsman knows these simple facts. You misused all these terms, and that leads me to think you are not of Scottish heritage. Yet you claim that your story is based on your own life. Do you see how this makes me suspect untruth? You have alienated your reader, the thing a writer most wants to avoid. Whether you are writing fiction or fact or embellished fact, when you are careless about the details of daily life you end up "breaking the spell" and leaving the reader cold.
