Chatting to Lynn Clement

 

 

Today I welcome on to my blog Lynn Clement . Chapeltown has just published her collection of flash fiction : The City of Stories  

 

 

 
 

 What do you write? Why this in particular?

I mainly write flash fiction and short stories. Also, when the mood takes me, I write poetry.

I enjoy these forms of writing because I have a flitting mind, and lots of ideas.

I love the challenge of writing to a title and trying to put a twist on the stories. I try to find an angle that others won’t.

I have written 30,000 words of a novelette. I began in lockdown but put it in ‘the drawer’ when we were allowed out! (It’s still there!)

I am currently compiling 50,000 words of short stories, as a collection to submit to Gill in the new year!

 

 What got you started on writing in the first place?

 

I ‘found’ writing after I retired. I started a writing course at the local Tech college, but it folded. I was so disappointed. But I soon found another a little further away from me, in Winchester. The tutor was inspirational and the writing bug bit.

I found some writing groups through the local library. They’ve been extremely helpful, especially setting titles to write to and giving feedback.

I’ve entered a few local competitions and done well, so I was driven on to keep writing.

 

  Do you have a particular routine?

 

Not especially. I prefer writing in the morning, leaving the afternoon to relax my shoulders and do other things. Although bizarrely, I also like writing in bed! When doing my homework for college, I like to get something down on paper, after my drive home whilst thinking about the task.

 

 Do you have a dedicated working space?

 

Yes, I have a laptop on a messy desk in the study. Above my desk I have a lovely big, framed print of the Verrocchio painting, ‘Tobias and the Angel,’ which I fell in love with on a visit to The National Gallery in London. My work colleagues gave it to me on my retirement. It means a lot to me. The story behind the painting is an apocryphal tale about doing good turns, believing, and having ‘the scales removed from your eyes.’ It’s great.

 My desk is right next to my conservatory, which has gold window blinds and a burnt orange roof blind. The morning sun shines in, and I feel cocooned and warm. Lovely.

 

 

When did you decide you could call yourself a writer? Do you do that in fact?

 

I haven’t yet called myself a writer. I say I write. But to call myself a writer feels odd. I suppose now I have my first book published by Gill, I should go ahead and say I am a writer.

 

 

  How supportive are your friends and family? Do they understand what you're doing?

 

My friends and family are very supportive.

My husband Bob is pleased that I am doing something I want to do and enjoy doing. Also, I am out of his way!

I have several friends from writing groups who have been very encouraging and helpful when my writing needs critiquing or just to remind me where commas really should go! I have belonged to Writers’Inc in Basingstoke for several years and they have driven me on to achieve publication.

My grandson Freddie is proud of me for writing but prouder that I play walking football!

My other grandson Barney says his favourite thing at school is writing! Yay!

My granddaughter Poppy, who has just turned three, constantly carries what she calls ‘her diary’ around and adds her squiggles every now and then.

My son writes. His writing is very deep. We exchange our efforts sometimes via email, as he lives in Australia.

My daughter can’t understand why I would want to do anything involving writing!

 

 

  What are you most proud of in your writing?

 

That Gill has published my collection. I never thought I would find anywhere for my kind of writing to be published but then Allison Symes spoke at The Hampshire Writers’ Society and told us about CafeLit and Bridge House publications. And the rest as they say is history! (Cliché)

I followed up Allison’s lead only to find Gill was a lecturer (then) in my hometown of Salford. It seemed like we were a good fit and so I bit the bullet. I sent some stories off and now I have a book out!

 

 

 How do you get on with editing and research?

 

I don’t like it!

For my book The City of Stories, I had Allison Symes as my editor. She had to be very patient, and she was. I found the process tricky, but Allison helped enormously.

As for research, the internet is a marvellous invention.

 I also use settings I have been to, in my stories. I collect postcards of places I’ve been, to remind me. Such as the cream stone quintessence of the Cotswolds’ cottages or the ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ metal sign above Auschwitz. The visit to Auschwitz inspired my poem, Are they your red shoes? Which is in the book.

 

 

   Do you have any goals for the future?

 

I am hoping that I can compile a collection of short stories to submit to Gill in 2022. I am struggling at the moment as the summer and ‘freedom’ from COVID has distracted me.

I would like to enter a bigger competition than the ones I have entered and be placed or acknowledged in some way…but to achieve that I have to enter!

My fourth grandchild is due in the new year. If I could write a children’s book for them, I would.

 

 Which writers have inspired you?

 

I was an avid reader of Agatha Christie. I say was as I have read them all and have the collection on my bookshelves. I now listen to them on Audio and love to watch adaptations of her work. I do try to avoid writing murder mysteries though, although I have written one about a murder in the Cotswolds for the collection of short stories. Working title: Slaughter in the Slaughters!

HG Wells was a favourite in my youth as was John Wyndham. Some of my stories have resonances of their work, I am sure. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New world is an all-time favourite of mine.

Stephen King and James Patterson are also old favourites. I love Stephen King’s book, ’On writing.’ Some great advice in there.

My writerly friends also inspire me.

 

 

So tell me about your new book.

 

 

 

 

 

My book is called The City of Stories. Published recently by Chapeltown books. It is a collection of flash fiction, short stories, and poems.The stories range from dark tales of murder, mental illness, gothic horror, science fiction, and kitchen sink but also humour. A very eclectic mix. Hopefully, the poems are moving.

I enjoyed compiling it. I found it interesting to see which stories were good to go together and where to place the poems.

 

Tell us about your research for this book.

The research was mainly through life’s rich tapestry! (Cliché) Many of my stories come from observations of people and their circumstances. Any research done would involve the internet eg: ensuring symptoms of an illness mentioned was accurate or what specific words like tontine mean.

 

 What inspired you to write this?

All stories were born from a different inspiration. Many were written to a given title such as ‘The phone rang twice ‘or ‘Turning over a new Leaf.’ Others were in response to competition stimuli eg: write a story about someone struggling with disability or a story set in the future. All those ideas were turned into stories that are in the book.

 

What's next?

I am working hard to compile a collection of short stories to send to Gill in 2022.

In the meantime, I am promoting The City of Stories. I have some dates to speak at my college, groups I belong to, and I have a stall at The Hampshire writers’ Society authors’ event.

 

How can we get a copy of the book?

The book is on sale through http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2021/10/the-city-of-stories.html it is also on Amazon.

Do you have any events planned?

I am promoting The City of Stories. I have three dates to speak at my college, two for groups I belong to, and I have a stall at The Hampshire Writers’ Society authors’ book fair. I also will be attending Gill’s event in London, where I will read extracts from the book and hopefully sell some copies? That will see me through to Christmas when it will be time to recuperate and go again in the new year, where there are a couple of irons in the fire!

Singing joy- what writers do in their spare time

I love my job. I used to dream of the hours at the desk writing things that people wanted to read and then other hours talking to people about their writing and giving advice. I have all of that now – and a good deal of isolation, bouts of self-doubt and a fatigue of self-promotion. Plus there’s the feed-back, and though often positive, usually contains a call to compulsory improvement. And you do get stuck in your own head.
An antidote to all of this, I find, is belonging to a choir. You may have read the article I posted on Triond yesterday. My choir activities have become a little routine and when I was offered an additional opportunity and I found that I was available for all of the meetings, I jumped at the chance.
This meant that I spent yesterday evening at the Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays, on one of four song-writing / singing workshops. The talented Gospel and Soul Diva Yvonne Shelton is our leader and she is aided by the Lowry’s own Dave Smith. There were just four singers – there will be a few more next time.
We had a fascinating time looking at the words that two Salford song-writers had put together based on their research and thinking about what Salford means to us. I personally see this north-west British town as a big spider of a place that turns up everywhere. You’re driving along anywhere in north-east Manchester and suddenly you see the bright pink sign that tells you you are in Salford. Salford is older than Manchester, and as I come form West Bromwich, which enjoys a similar relationship to Birmingham, I can relate to that. I used to think West Bromwich was the dirty old town in the song. Salford is now post-industrial, as is West Bromwich. Both towns have a history of poverty and mucky industry. This is all symbolised for me, in both cases, by watching and actually enjoying the sunset over the gasworks. And the big question for me now is: Has the development on the Quays, including the BBC coming to Media City, been fair to the real people of Salford?
The song-writing really turned out to be thinking of and trying out sounds that went with the words. Though I’m not a confident singer Yvonne managed to put us at our ease and convince us that we can do it. It reminded me a little of when our choir split into smaller groups for our concert at Ordsall Hall: you do perform well because you have to. It was good moving in a space as well.
I am so glad that I decided to join in this!

Salford Quays

I’ve been madly editing a book which had to be back with the publisher yesterday. Hence, I’ve not really had much time to write this blog lately. I hope a change for the better is now happening.
I’ve also been busy with my choir, the Ordsall Acapella Singers. We had two gigs down at the Quays last night and a rehearsal Tuesday evening – followed by normal choir practice. Today, as I’m now secretary for the organisation, I had to go and do some business at the bank – our branch happens just to be on the Quays.
The Quays is an odd sort of place. It doesn’t belong to Salford proper – it’s a tad too posh as well and that may become even more so once the BBC gets there. Yet it’s also oddly desolate. The bank itself seem futuristic and ahead of its time inside.
Yet it used to be a very industrialised area. In fact the performance we did down by the waterside celebrated Salford’s industrial past. Later, we performed in the Lowry Theatre during the interval. The audience was middle class and then some.
There’s a big council estate next to the Quays. A lot of good things happen there. Yet the residents remain in awe of this whole regenerated area and of nearby Salford University. It was really good then to see children from the estate coming to the venue carrying lanterns and enjoying the show we put on.
We were spared the rain both evenings. Not so this afternoon. Yet I still couldn’t’ help wondering at the amount of wildlife living on and by the water. Despite the grey skies and despite the rain, the place was beautiful. Post-industrial.

The Angel Cafe

I had a most amazing time over there this afternoon. The Angel Café is found in the Angel Centre which specialises in well-being and fitness for the ordinary people. I’ve embraced it as one of my Creative Cafés.
I went there to have a chat to Andy, the guy who runs it, about launching Making Changes form there. We’re actually going to do it on the 1st of December, as that is when the first story should be read. We’ve decided on an afternoon, and they’ll have tea and cake on the go.
I meet an amazing guy there, called Micky Docks.
“I’ve travelled thirteen miles to eat here,” he says.
I don’t blame him. The food is really good, Cheap. Good-sized portions. Healthy without being mean. Comfort food without being stodgy. Good hearted.
Micky is a playwright and song-writer. He immediately gives me a list of all the people I should contact.
“Can you cope if we have 200 here?” I ask Andy. I’ll secretly be pleased with twenty.
Andy shrugs and grins.
“We’ll manage,” he says.
Suddenly there’s great enthusiasm. I catch it too.
I decide to eat. The tuna bake is great. And there’s not the usual pushing and shoving and hurry there is at the university. My dilemma is: should I tell everyone or do I keep this little gem to myself?
Another lady joins me. She works locally and is pleased to have found this place. She becomes interested in what I do. She might be able to do our MA course. I give her the appropriate colleague’s details. We arrange to meet up there again.
Yes, I’m definitely going to carry on going there for lunch.

Getting “Making Changes” out there

This is getting quite exciting and quite scary at the same time. Money is rolling in for the London party / launch and for author copies. I now have to start the heavy marketing. I love writing and editing the books. I cringe at the marketing because it’s really facing rejection all over again. Yet it has to be done.
Just think of this, though.
Everyone knows 250 people. Would it be possible to see all 250 of them a copy of our wonderful little book? And isn’t it so good that those 250 would recommend it to the 250 they know? This is the theory that we are just six handshakes away from everyone in the world. Can we start the ball rolling on this one?
We are beginning to roll. There is a book launch arranged in Bangor and in London. I’m about to set one up in Salford. Some people are contacting their local press and radio stations. I want to find a radio station who will broadcast readings of the stories. I’m sending out review copies.
What more can I do? Will it work?