Chris Fielden's website.
Tell us something about your contribution to this year’s book?
The main character is a tough cookie who expects a lot from others and has ended a relationship with a partner who was also in business with her, and laid off a member of staff, despite knowing that these decisions would leave her running her café on her own. But her kindness to a stranger – stopping some boys beating up a homeless man and later giving him some work – shows that she also has heart while also providing an opportunity to take some of the pressure off herself.
When she discovers that the man had mugged her some years earlier, she feels duped and the reader will expect that she will sack him. But a combination of self-interest – she badly needs a holiday – and the remains of her humanity for him cause her to give him one more chance.
I am reluctant to pigeon hole people in life as I think many of us have conflicting and contradictory characteristics. The story is one small illustration of this.
How did you choose the drink to go with your contribution?
She is stressed out running the café. Chamomile tea is good for promoting sleep and relaxation and sipping a cup of this beverage would help her keep calm and to get a good night’s rest.
What do you like about writing short stories / and /or flash fiction?
Ideas come from so many sources: memories, incidents I have witnessed, people I’ve known, stories in the press and - in many cases – my fertile imagination. But these ideas only provide a starting point for stories and I love the challenge of developing characters and mapping out a series of events which take me on a writing journey which will take me to places which I didn’t expect to go to. The satisfaction of producing a story in the end which I can feel proud of is immense. And if some of my stories provide enjoyment for readers, even better!
What else do you write?
Short stories are all that I write. I usually have a new one on the go and am also editing and revising previous tales which have been unsuccessful in competitions.
Tell us a little about your life as a writer.
It all started during lockdown. I was looking for a creative outlet and started writing poetry at first. I produced a range of poems in a number of styles but struggled to develop a distinctive voice. So, I turned to short story writing. Professionally, I had prided myself on being able to analyse and explain complex issues on paper to aid decision making in the organisation. I had plenty of ideas for short stories but the challenge was to adapt my writing skills to produce tales which intrigued, entertained and confounded readers. I was used to writing short sentences and paragraphs using dry language, and using bullet points, but soon realised those were shackles when it came to creative writing. With practice, I found it liberating to write sentences which ran for as long as necessary to continue the tale and using parts of my vocabulary which had been under-used for years. When I had my first story published in 2022, I was delighted but remained determined to continue my reinvention as a teller of tales.
Three years later, I have had around thirty stories published – many on CafeLit – but I’m still keen to learn, searching out advice and tips from others and analysing the techniques used by the authors of fiction which I read.
Are you working on any interesting projects at the moment?
Each story is a mini project!
Do you have any events planned?
None at present
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