What made you start writing short stories?
I suppose I’ve always written and read short stories. When I was little, they were children’s stories, of course, and even though the reading age, topics, and themes have changed as I’ve got older, my preferred story lengths have remained similar. My university Creative Writing assignments were 2000 words, so I become used to what could be achieved within them. Then I started to get into even shorter pieces, inspired by CaféLit, Potato Soup Journal, and Friday Flash Fiction. Now, most of my stories are between 100 and 500 words.
I notice you have an MA in Creative Writing. How helpful has that been in your journey as a writer?
Yes, I did an MA with the Open University, for two years. It was the first time they had run the course and so, understandably, there were a few teething problems, but I learnt a lot and met some great people. My tutor, Mark McNay, seemed to understand and appreciate my writing style and knew the right things to say to get the best out of me.
The MA was a great catalyst for autonomous study. In the summer between the two years, I read voraciously and possibly improved more in that time than at any other.
My OU experience was helpful for validation too; it gave me ‘permission’ to focus on my writing and showed me I was starting to become good at it.
How did you decide which stories to include in this collection?
The stories in Something Very Human were written during the past six years. There were a lot to choose from and they all remind me of specific times in my life.
It’s difficult to be objective when ‘choosing between your children’! Which stories are best? Which work well together? Which are most important to me at this point? Should I favour ones that have more sentimental value or technical ability? Is there a good balance of tone and subject? Do I need to write any new stories to ‘fill in the gaps’? etc.
I had to think of the collection as its own entity. Some stories were discarded purely because they had too many similarities to others and would feel repetitive. Some seemed weaker technically when placed side by side with others. There were ones I was certain would be incorporated that ended up falling by the wayside; I loved them individually but didn’t feel they fitted into the book as a whole. Once the book started to form its own identity, the process become easier and I knew what it needed.
What is your experience of entering competitions?
I’ve been entering competitions since 2018 – tentatively, at first, and easily discouraged by the many rejections. In 2019, I made it onto a couple of shortlists and progressed from there. I find it useful to have the external deadlines and constraint of word limits, because they seem to make me more creative. It can be disheartening at times though; most of my submissions are still rejected. On the flip side, it gives me a big boost whenever I reach the shortlist/longlist stages, or I’m placed, which I’m happy to say has happened increasingly over the years. My highlight so far is winning the £2000 Edinburgh Prize for Flash Fiction 2024. Competition successes give me extra confidence to keep going with my writing. (Actually, I think I’d persist regardless, due to a stubborn streak and a healthy level of delusion!) I know not everyone likes to enter writing competitions, or even approves of them, and that’s fine. It’s highly subjective.
Do you have any advice for those people just starting to write?
Firstly, absorb as much wisdom as you can from other writers. This means reading widely and deeply, seeing what works well and what doesn’t. Try reading some how-to guides too. Having perused ninety-one of them over the years, I’ve collated my favourite twelve in this blogpost (https://ihaveanideablog.wordpress.com/2024/04/10/the-12-best-writing-advice-books-ive-ever-read/), which might be a good starting point.
Secondly, protect yourself in the early days. This means being careful who you let read your work initially, because badly expressed feedback can be completely crushing. However, I do think it’s important to develop good coping mechanisms; after all, we can’t control how people express themselves, but we can work on how we deal with it. On that topic… I’ve just read a book called Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well, by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, and recommend it.
Thirdly, write. A lot. Try different things. There are no shortcuts to learning a craft. Even when challenging, writing can be so joyful. All the best!
Do you have any more projects or events planned? Do feel free to provide any links here.
I’m working on a novel and a microfiction collection. If you would like updates, please follow me on my FB author’s page, my blog, and my website!
Short Story Collection, Something Very Human: https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2024/10/something-very-human-by-hannah-retallick.html
Website: https://www.hannahretallick.co.uk/about
Blog: https://ihaveanideablog.wordpress.com
Facebook author’s page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063092716530
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