LWC welcomed Clare Hey of Shortfire Press, the digital publisher of short stories, to April’s event. Shortfire Press has been described as ‘itunes for the written word’. Clare is passionate about writers and her experience as a
.n editor at HarperCollins has helped her launch a brilliant list of both published and debut writers.
So why write a short story? By publishing a short story, the door opens to publishers and to agents – you may well attract both if they like your story. It gives you kudos as a writer and a small income. Plus you start to establish a fan base and a market for your writing.
When asked what the secret was to writing short stories, successfully, Clare answered ‘Be brutal!’ Write your first draft and then put it aside. Come back to it and look at every single world.
Plus, beginnings are vital, as are middles and endings.
Read lots of short stories and don’t be scared to have some humour in your stories.
If you’d like to hear more from Clare, join the club and we’ll send you the recording from the event, plus the recordings for the next 12 months’ live events.
Two debut writers worth mentioning on Shortfire Press are David Whelan for his experimental story called On the End of the World and Thabi di Moeketsi and her story called Making Up.