SHORT CIRCUIT MEETS ELEPHANT...

SHORT CIRCUIT is lucky to be spending a little time chez Sally Zigmond, at her blog Elephant in the Writing Room, linked down there on the right - a source of great advice and insights into this writing stuff.

I love the comments she opens the article with:

I’m not psychic but I often get a tingle about something. It can be positive or negative. In the case of Short Circuit (A Guide to the Art of the Short Story) I knew before I even saw a copy, let alone read it, I knew, I absolutely knew, it would be fabulous. What I didn’t know then, but know now, is how quickly it would become my Bible. I keep it on my desk and every time I dip into it I find something new, something practical and something inspiring. I’m not sure whether I actually believe in the existence of the much-vaunted writer’s block—although I do know what it’s like to lose confidence, but if it ever strikes you—whatever it is—just spent half an hour in the company of Short Circuit and you’ll be itching to pick up a pen.Promise.

The rest of the interview/conversation/ruminations can be read HERE. Thank you Sally.

ELEPHANTS AND GLASS BUBBLES

The lovely Sally Zigmond has posted her analysis of the title story of 'Words from a Glass Bubble' on her brilliant blog, The Elephant in the Writing Room HERE
She calls it taking a microscope to the story, and it is done incredibly well. Sally says some nice things about my work which you have my permission to skip...but it was she and her colleague Jo Good who gave me my first breaks into print, in their magazine QWF. (QWF is, sadly, no more.) And not just me. Many writers have them to thank for their first 'real' publications!
Reading through her insightful analysis, I am so grateful to her for the time and effort she put into this. But also...what a wonderful resource Sally has created for the aspiring short story writer. To have a piece of work that has done OK out there analysed like this for free and gratis, is fab. So whether or not you 'like' the story, get thee over to Elephant in the Writing Room. Make a copy of the story (you have my permission!), and her analysis. Feel free to disagree, to dislike, to argue. And use her headings to analyse another story - maybe one of your own?
And the other thing it does, this exercise - it reminds me how much we gift our work to the readers when we put it 'out there'. And like a gift, we cannot control how the user will use it. One commenter sees a phallic symbol in my description of a statuette. Fair enough. I can't say I put that symbol there consciously, but if he sees that, then its fine by me! I'm only the writer. Not the reader. And I do not control the space between us, thank heavens. I am immensely moved that people read my work, and find it interesting enough to debate!

EVA DUFFY GETS AN AIRING

Courtesy of Sally Zigmond and her blog, the marvellously-named Elephant in the Writing Room The entire text of Words from a Glass Bubble (the story, not the whole book!) is posted, pending her taking-apart of the story next week. This is part of a series of articles on the craft of the short story - a great thing to be doing.
Words from a Glass Bubble is the story of Irish postwoman Eva Duffy, a plastic statuette of the Virgin Mary (affectionately called the VM) and a reclusive farmer, Finn Piper.
HERE it is in three posts... too long for one.
Sally says summat about readers not saying if they hate the story. Nah - feel free. It's won a couple of decent awards and it's up there to illustrate craft. But you don't have to like it as well!

Calling Short Story Writers, new and old...

If you are a short story writer – old hand or new to the game, pop over to Sally Zigmond’s blog - The Elephant in the Writing Room HERE- for a fab series of articles and discussions. This is a fantastically generous and useful thing to be doing for writers.

Sally will be posting the whole manuscript of the title story of my collection, Words from a Glass Bubble, (prize-winner at Fish, runner up at Willesden Herald short story competitions), and deconstructing the story as part of the series. She is inviting questions and comments from anyone who is interested to participate – do pass on the invite –I will pop in and participate if I can be helpful.

For those who don’t know Sally, she is a very well published and prize-winning short story writer, a novelist, editor and judge of competitions. She finds time to write reviews, and also critiques fiction for reasonable rates. (I know… she has been very helpful to me). Her novella CHASING ANGELS was published in 2006 (HERE it is on the publisher's website)and her novel, HOPE AGAINST HOPE is on the chocks at Myrmidon Books scheduled for 2010.


Here's her page at Fantastic Fiction