Tag: short story

What Inspires Me

Part One – Written Texts

When I was young, I learned to read easily. Entering school at age 4 I could pretty much recognise all of the phonemes and read steadily. I loved stories and my mum read them to me every night, after a while enabling me to take over and read back. Teachers were pleased at my love of stories and I soon began to enjoy finding out about things too with children’s encyclopaedias and instructional books. I didn’t really need to practise my spellings and was soon able to spell quite challenging words. When I think about my own learning process I remember enthusiasm being a big part of it. Largely, though, the learning to read and write was independent after that initial introduction to the mechanisms behind sounding and blending.

Recalling a teacher reading the BFG with brilliant regional accents and another reading George’s Marvellous Medicine, I was soon hooked on Roald’s stories. Dahl was a regular feature in my education and a year five teacher really brought to life the Grand High Witch with a super German accent. Roald Dahl remains a huge influence and I am pleased to see his work being changed into theatre productions and movies.

But at secondary school English was taught in a more boring way and often became a bit devalued. I lost my love for books as some of the choices forced upon us just did not sit well at all. Some of the texts were dragged out over weeks and months. For example, we spent a whole year looking in minute detail at, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ but it was not worth such careful scrutiny. Not to say it wasn’t good. But it was my year eleven English teacher who reawakened my love of books. She liked and recognised my short, concise approach and I ended up choosing to do an A-Level in English with her and really pick apart the language of humour, narrative and the media. I owe a lot to her – Mrs Senior.

She introduced me to Shakespeare with MacBeth and made me see that Jane Austin was clever and insightful. Mrs S told me I would make a good journalist and could probably write a damn good book. Thanks to her I have now taken writing into my life and now who knows where that may bring me.

Roald Dahl started me reading. Who inspired you?

The Writing Process

How do you get started?

I went to a writing course and attended a group every Monday to discuss creative writing. So many people are excited about writing and yet very few know where to start or indeed how to get into the industry.

Well I am only just starting out myself and have just signed with a publisher after originally self publishing a set of short stories. However, I have found that the advice I have been given does not work for me. Plotting out a story, for instance, on paper and in detail. I tried this but somehow it leads to brain freeze and I struggle to make ends meet. I find I cannot see the ending to a story when I write the beginning. If I had to know the storyline before I began the writing process, then I would never get anything written at all.

For instance I can be walking through a town, such as Salzburg (pictured) and suddenly imagine a scene there. It might be a quarrel, a romantic encounter, a protest or anything else. I may not know what it is all about but if I start to write it, it usually leads organically to a pretty good short story.

I guess what I am trying to say is that stories can evolve. Planning is ok if writing an essay but fiction needs to flow and sometimes all the planning in the world simply frustrates the writing process. Rather than waiting for the full picture, why not just take the idea you have and grow it? It may not develop into much but nine time out of ten it will be satisfying to find out where it goes.

Well that is my writing tip for today. Do with it what you will.

Any thoughts?

I Am Not A Slob – Part Two

You just kind of get used to it: being out of breath when you climb the stairs; wearing extra extra large clothes; not looking in the mirror; taking a little longer to do things.

I was happy in my computer- based world. My scores were great and I felt I was really achieving something every time I got top points and that rousing medal music told me that I was a champion. The only thing that really alerted me to the fact that my health wasn’t perfect was the fact that sometimes I would feel out of breath. There weren’t many times when this mattered but on one occasion it really made me sit up and take notice.

My sister had a little boy called Jack. When she brought him round he would love to join in with my games. He was a master of shoot-em-ups and we had a lot of fun taking on missions in middle Asia.

But there was one time that she left him with me for the day and told me I had to take him to the dentist. I could see that she was very stressed and had an important meeting to prepare for and I did not dare say no to her but it was rare that I would have to take Jack out and about.

In my head, it was easy as I could simply drive him right up to the dentist surgery and walk right into reception. Afterwards we could pop past the local chicken eatery for a well-earned treat, if his teeth allowed.

We got into the car with just enough time to get us there and a few minutes grace, just in case there was a little traffic or we needed time to fill out one of those stupid dentist quizzes. The engine stalled. I clicked it again, but there seemed to be a problem. A third time revealed something was up with the alternator. I slapped the dashboard. Damn!

Oh well. He jumped out and called me to join him. Jack started on ahead and I followed with some reluctance. He knew the way. It wasn’t even that far.

‘We need to hurry!’ yelled Jack. ‘ I have to have my filling out!’

I told him to wait for me but he kept on going. He was ushering me to catch up but my pace was not what it used to be. The sun was beating down on me with beams that seemed to be slowing me down. Sweat was gathering under my arms, inside my thighs and on my back. People were staring at me as if to say, why are you so unfit?

For the first time in ages I began to realise that I was massively out of shape!