Up North!

I'm over in New Zealand this morning (I wish!), on Up North, talking to the lovely poet and writer, Kim Martins, about my two story collections, and my writing influences. There's also a light-hearted list of ten things that you might not know about me! The picture below is a clue to one of them ;-)

Here's an excerpt :

Do you have any tips for flash fiction or short story writers?

Write a first draft quickly, without editing, and don’t return to it until the next day.

Don’t be in a rush. Hone your work until it’s as good as it can be – edit and proofread over and over again before sending it out into the world.

Begin the story in the middle.

Don’t worry if your first draft is 1000 words, and you need the story to be 500 words – it’s amazing how easy it is to ditch those other 500.

Try to look at over-worn themes from a new angle.

Don’t start with the weather (unless it’s crucial to the story).

Enjoy what you’re writing, but don’t get complacent – try to push yourself beyond the edge of your comfort zone.

You can read the full interview here on Kim's blog - Up North