Guest Post - Gail Aldwin

I'm pleased to welcome fellow Chapeltown author, Gail Aldwin to my blog today to talk about her journey as a writer, and the way she has used different forms to improve her fiction skills. Gail is launching her first poetry pamphlet today, adversaries/comrades (Wordsmith_HQ).

'The relationship between siblings is explored in adversaries/comrades. From the games, jokes and confusions of childhood, to the rivalries and tensions of growing up and the secrets and confidences shared between adults. Siblings often enjoy longstanding relationships that are frequently enduring. This pamphlet celebrates the tenacity of siblings.'

My Review:

Gail’s poetry is sharp, astute, playful, wry, yet never sentimental. Every word has earned its place, and the imagery is as clear as a bell. This is a poet who takes her craft seriously, yet isn’t afraid to play with words as well as work with them. An accomplished debut pamphlet.

Now over to Gail...

I started writing in 2009 as an aspiring novelist. Drawing on my experiences of living in different parts of the world, I wrote a manuscript thinly disguised as fiction. Although the first novel was completed within seven weeks (writing one thousand words each day) it took another nine years to build the skills necessary to write a publishable novel. The String Games is the result of that long apprenticeship and will be published by Victorina Press on 28 May 2019.

Over the years of writing novels, I turned to other forms of writing to address weaknesses in my manuscripts. Short fiction is a great medium to hone editing skills and enable each word on the page to earn its place. I turned to script writing to improve my ability to effectively capture dialogue. And poetry, I came to poetry late, penning my first poem in 2016 and surprisingly winning the National Poetry Day Competition in Bournemouth that year. The skills I’ve learnt from poetry relate to the quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge who defined prose as ‘words in the best order’ and poetry as ‘the best words in the best order’.

Now, with a range of writing skills at my disposal, when I get an idea, I decide which form of writing best represents that idea. If I want to capture a moment, a glimpsed image, an engaging thought, I turn to poetry. Where there is an evident story arc I write short fiction. For scriptwriting, I depend on ideas sparked by my writing collaborators and as for novels, I now plan to the nth degree to prevent years of rewriting.

During the summer of 2018, I entered a poetry competition run by Wordsmith_HQ. To my delight, I was awarded joint first place and offered a contract to write a poetry pamphlet on the theme of siblings. I’d never written poetry to a theme before and I found huge pleasure in putting together poems to celebrate this relationship.  adversaries/comrades is the title of the pamphlet which I think reflects this longstanding and enduring relationship. 

About Gail 

Settled in Dorset since 2006, Gail Aldwin has lived in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Spain. Her work includes a collection of short fiction Paisley Shirt which was longlisted in the Saboteur Awards 2018. Her debut novel, The String Games will be published by Victorina Press in May 2019. As chair of the Dorset Writers’ Network, Gail works with the steering group to inspire writers and connect creative communities. She supports undergraduates on the Creative Writing BA (Hons) at Art University Bournemouth as a visiting tutor. adversaries/comrades is her debut poetry pamphlet. 


You can buy adversaries/comrades here

And The String Games can be pre-ordered here, from Victorina Press