Highlights: Cork International Short Story Festival

September 23, 2013September 22, 20132 Comments

This year’s Cork International Short Story Festival was incredible; engaging readings, enlightening author discussions, excellent workshops and a warm welcome. With a mixture of free and ticketed events, the festival conveyed a truly unique and international feel and I’ve come away buzzing.

I attended the four day ‘Uncanny’ workshop with Alannah Hopkins as well as the majority of the readings, so there’s a lot to digest. While I’m collating my thoughts, here are some of my personal highlights…

The gorgeous UCC grounds – the morning walk prepared the brain for the intensive ‘Uncanny’ workshop

Matthew Sweeney in discussion with Etgar Keret and Adam Marek – amusing & surreal

The stunning Triskel Christchurch setting – could also be the perfect backdrop for an ‘Uncanny” story.

Donal Ryan – not only a fabulous writer, but also hilariously funny and very approachable. He took time to talk to everyone during the book signing.

The legendary Alistair MacLeod reading a new story

Deborah Levy reading from her wonderful collection, Black Vodka.

The inclusive, welcoming atmosphere prevaled throughout the festival – and it was really cool bumping into Alistair MacLeod everywhere!

What are you working on?

September 2, 2013August 31, 20139 Comments

Glistening and juicy, just asking to be turned into jam

It’s a wonderful time of year here; monbretia and fuschia line the roadways, blackberries are ripe for picking and the skies get moodier as the sunny days are tinged with a slight chill in the mornings. Autumn is becoming visible in the auburn-tinged ferns and wilting ivy. But most importantly, the crazy pace of the summer (tourist) season is slowing down so it’s freeing up more time to write.

This autumn/winter, my schedule looks like this so far:

September: Prepare novel for submission, complete picture book text for submission, nature poem for Rialto nature competition, attend Cork International Short Story festival and the Penguin publishing day in Dublin (prize for Penguin/RTE Guide short story competition).
October: Write first draft of book for 5-8 years & draft of book for 8-12 years (to see if the ideas work).
November: Write first draft of new novel (undecided – YA or adult)
December: and rest!

The ivy is dying back, offering beautiful colour to hedgerows

I love the quiet mornings in autumn/winter when I can light a scented candle, treat my feet to soft slippers and write solidly for an hour or two before anyone stirs.

It takes a bit of getting used to as the days draw in and cool down – and sometimes it takes a bit of extra effort to haul myself from under the duvet – but I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to switch to a slower pace of life.

And although writing can be a lonely pursuit, I love having a blog because I can connect with other writers and nature lovers, and we can share what’s happening in our lives.

So what I’d really like to know is – what’s your favourite thing about autumn and winter? And if you’re a writer, what are you working on?

How does your garden grow?

August 19, 2013August 12, 20131 Comment

It’s been a while since I posted any updates about the garden, but this doesn’t mean I haven’t been scurrying away trying to nurture the soil, maximise the sun’s potential and tame the weeds.

It’s been an excellent year all round for the garden and I’m pleased with the results. Just like writing, a little nurturing (read: lots of hours planning, preparing, trimming, pruning, digging & feeding) goes a long way…

These purple broccoli were a surprise: hidden in with some replacement spinach plants

These are the replacement spinach: the first bolted because of too much sun but I know where to plant them now for next year

Cabbages love our soil – and despite the butterflies loving them for their eggs, we’ve done well this year. The next (winter) batch are currently germinating in the greenhouse PS Best bacon & cabbage ever when home grown!

These may not look like much but they’ve grown this big from seed in two weeks: the first radishes I’ve grown as for some reason I think I don’t like them (but can’t remember last time I tried them)

Considered a bit of a superfood, I just love beetroot! This is a test crop, checking out the soil. As you can see, it loves it. However, we have another 60 or so in the field that are looking good. They can stay in the ground quite a long time so handy to grow.

Rosemary plants transfered to soil from tunnel

Fresh rosemary is beautiful for stews, so I’ve nurtured these in the greenhouse and am now planting out so it can get used to its new surroundings before the winter comes

Basil is one of my favourite herbs – I love the smell and the taste. I’m not sure about the soil or how resilient the plants will be so I’ve planted one pot out and have kept another one back in the tunnel, just in case!

Year after year, sprouts are our big success story. In fact, I think we still have a few bags of frozen sprouts from last year! If you’re not a sprout lover, look away!

grow your own vegetables for cheaper meals

I guess this shows why it’s all worth it. There’s nothing better than going into your garden every day, harvesting what you can and then making a meal out of it (pictured here is lettuce, green beans, purple beans, spinach)

Short stories – is there a winning formula?

August 12, 2013August 8, 20131 Comment

In the world of publishing, there’s not much demand for short stories. Why? Because short story collections don’t sell as well as novels. Yet certain countries – including Ireland, America and Canada – have short stories in their blood, their cultural identity and still have a healthy attitude towards the art form.

In recent years, there have been incredible collections from writers such as Mary Costello, Kevin Barry, Deborah Willis, Alexander McCleod and David Constantine (a limited list but just a sample). There are some excellent short story competitions out there, like the Bridport Prize, Fish Prize, Francis MacManus and Seán Ó Faoláin to name but a few. Then there’s the excellent Cork International Short Story Festival, where the genre is celebrated.

It’s great to know that the short story is not a dying breed, but how do you go about writing a damn good short story?

Personally, I struggle with short stories. I find them at once infuriating, enticing, frustrating – in other words, they’re challenging. But what writer doesn’t like a challenge?

Recently, I was shortlisted for a noteworthy competition in Ireland and this meant I got to hear my story read out on radio by an actor. Of course, I was excited by the result, but I didn’t realise what an impact the overall experience would have.

Hearing the recording provided me with distance from my story so I could listen to it with fresh ears, rather than as something I’d written. I could also hear how someone else might read/approach/interpret it through the intonation in the actor’s voice. I always read my own writing out loud to spot errors and weak sentences, but it was completely different listening to a stranger read your words.

Most importantly, the overall experience also did something else: it made me raise the bar. I realised (without reluctance) that the next few entries I’d prepared for submission weren’t up to scratch. They needed time to mature. They still do.

This is a steep learning curve in the early stages of writing. I’ve come across many enthusiastic new writers complaining about the ever-decreasing ‘competition fund’ and lack of results. They worry that their work isn’t being read/understood/given enough of a chance. When in fact, the work probably just isn’t ready yet.

I’m not belittling their concerns or their work; indeed, I was one of those people a few years back. But something changed. It’s called writing maturity.

After several rejections, a smattering of near misses and a growing pile of longlists and shortlists (but never a win), you find your impatience simmers down, your arrogance bows its head and you start to focus on what really matters. Quality not quantity.

You worry less about the amount and frequency of competitions you enter and concentrate instead on getting it right. After a while, you realise that submitting one, really really good story in a year and having it recognised by the judges is far better than bashing out ten mediocre attempts that wouldn’t make it past the preliminary stages.

You may have a beautiful worded story but is it gripping enough? The opening might be a corker, but does the end deliver? Is the piece wordy just for the sake of it? Or does your favourite character (because it’s secretly revenge against that irritating neighbour/aunty/teacher that told you you’d never write) let the narrative down?

Writing, like anything else, needs time to develop, mature and improve. And this will never stop. You can always learn something new, try a different style, be more focused or more productive. But as your writing career develops, you begin to see your way more clearly. You can eke out troublesome characters, plot blips and unconvincing dialogue. Even if you can’t manhandle the meddlesome toads into something worthy, then you can at least spot them in time (before you send your work for submission and increase the risk of hitting the rejection pile).

So is there a winning formula for writing the perfect short story? I don’t think so. You just need to read lots of excellent examples and let them teach you. Then you have to write the very best short story that you can.Then try and write it better again.

And if it isn’t the very best it can be in time for the competition/submission deadline you had your eye on, impatience won’t get you anywhere. There’s always another year or another competition around the corner.

No Excuses: Write! – a guest post by Mariam Kobras

August 1, 2013July 29, 20132 Comments

On my desk, right next to my coffee cup, lies Neil Gaiman’s booklet Make Good Art. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It was his 2012 commencement speech at Philadelphia’s University of Arts. It’s been all over the internet, tweeted a million times, shared and posted on Facebook, and it contained such brilliant lines as “Legs crushed and then eaten by a mutant boa constrictor? Make good art!”

Mariam at Beechwood Cafe

Of course it’s easy for someone like Neil Gaiman to say something like this. He’s a pop star icon of American literature. But how does this advice work for the rest of us? You know, authors like us who aren’t feted at book readings as if we were the reunited Beatles?

This is the last stop in the blog hop to celebrate the release of my book Song of the Storm, the final installment in the Stone Trilogy (The Distant Shore,Book I; Under the Same Sun, Book II). The trilogy tells the story of rock star Jon Stone, and his writer wife, Naomi Carlsson. They are both creative, both successful, but they took very different paths to get there. While Jon follows his dream with dedicated single-mindedness, Naomi feels guilty about her writing and doesn’t believe in her own talent until her husband virtually pushes her into writing.

This is where Neil Gaiman comes in. How does a person’s upbringing, a person’s character influence how successful they are at creating art? Is talent something that’s simply there or is it something that grows in you? Will it always make it to the surface?

Jon knows he has talent. He has a clear concept of what he can do and how to present it, and he easily sees what he needs to do to improve his music and singing. He’s a tireless creator of his public persona and is careful to keep up the perfect image. In a way, Jon is his own piece of art who only lets his guard down in private and only with carefully selected people.

He nearly throws a fit when his manager, Sal, meets him for lunch and brings along a strange girl, his date, without telling Jon first. In the same way, when Naomi wants to throw a Christmas party, he has a long argument with her about who gets invited, saying among other things that he doesn’t want strangers to see what brand of toilet paper the Stones use in their house.

Don’t get me wrong—Jon is a very nice man. He’s very much in love with his wife, generous and caring with those close to him, and he is a wonderful composer. But he wants the world to see him in a particular light.

Naomi, on the other hand, is as insecure about her creativity as a one-legged, blind man walking on a tightrope. Her urge to write was squelched early in her life by her father who wanted her to take over the family business some day. He doesn’t believe in creating art even though he’s quite the connoisseur when it comes to collecting it.

Marrying Jon is a moment of liberation for Naomi: her husband is an artist, too. He understands, and recognizes her enormous talent. He sets her free to accept her writing as something precious, worthwhile. It’s almost as if Naomi needs this permission to put her talent to work. No one ever said to her, “Make good art, regardless of what else is going on in your life.” No one said it to me, either.

I remember well how when I was writing The Distant Shore, I kept apologizing to my family for spending so much time bent over my laptop, headphones on my ears. My writing was taking me away from household chores, from spending time with my husband and sons. They were very good about it and kept telling me not to worry and to just write, much the way Jon keeps telling Naomi.

It still felt like stolen time.

But I was making art. Maybe even good art, the book was snatched up by my publisher Buddhapuss Ink right away, and went on to win the Bronze IPPY Medal.

So what’s the lesson here?

I can’t say it any better than Neil Gaiman: Make good art.

Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor? Make good art.

Fish fingers burnt and accidentally served with custard? Write.

A new episode of Once Upon A Time on TV? Finish that chapter. Write that book. Don’t feel guilty about it. It’s who you are.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for inviting me to be here for the conclusion of the Song of the Storm Blog Hop. I’ve had a blast!

I hope all the readers out there have had some fun over the course of the last two weeks, learned something new about me, and maybe, just maybe, were inspired to check out my books. I adore you all, and I’m honored to share my stories with you.

***

Huge thanks to Mariam for her post this week and I wish her the very best of luck with Song of the Storm. I rarely feature guest posts but Mariam has proved a valuable writing companion & friend on twitter/Facebook and so I was delighted to host her final blog hop post. Especially seeing as it happens to reflect my own attitude towards writing & include one of my literary heroes 🙂

Francis MacManus short story podcasts

July 29, 2013Leave a comment

Several people have asked me to post the link to the podcast of my shortlisted Francis MacManus story, The Books, they cry. Before I do, I’d like to say thank you to everyone for their support and interest – it helps make all this writing worthwhile.

The thought that someone may listen to the story and find something in it that resonates, delights, or inspires. The idea that it may give someone a few minutes of pleasure or food for thought – it’s a wonderful feeling. One I can’t describe.

For me, the experience was an exciting one. It allowed me to distance myself from the words and hear them as a story, rather than something I’d written. It gave me the chance to hear how the story could be read aloud, and I got the opportunity to pick up on how another reader might visualise the events and characters.

Finally, listening to my story confirmed my suspicion that the two stories I was hoping to submit to other competitions this week aren’t ready. They need to sit for a while and mature. For however long it takes.

The podcasts to all the shortlisted Francis MacManus stories are available here: please, listen to some of the other stories as well as my own – there’s some beautiful, funny and engaging work waiting to be discovered. Happy listening!

Joe Prendergast – An Unexpected Treasure

July 23, 2013July 29, 20133 Comments

As I said in my last post, summer is upon us and this is a particularly busy time of year here – writing, tourist season, visitors, hay baling, vegetable gardens etc – so I’m temporarily reducing my Green Fingered Writer posts to one a fortnight. As soon as things calm down, I’ll be back to the usual weekly updates.

Written by 9 year old Joe Prendergast

In this post, I’d like to tell you about an amazing little guy I met yesterday while working in the local bookshop in Schull, Whyte Books. (For those of you that aren’t aware, I’m helping out part-time, the perfect antedote to the solitude of writing. And when you see the place, you’ll understand why I love it.)

One of the great things about working in a bookshop is the people you meet. People who love books. People who need books. People who want to talk books. And sometimes, you meet unexpected treasures that stand out and inspire.

This young fellow, Joe Prendergast, is just 9 years old and the proud author of two adventure books – The Great Fragola Brothers (2012) and The Great Fragola Brothers – The Twisted (2013) – with all proceeds donated to the Clinical Cancer Research Trust at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.

According to Joe, he had written a few long stories before but never completed them. When he lost his dad to lung cancer last summer, he decided to complete a story as a dedication. But he had no idea where it would lead…

Now, with two books, several readings and television/radio interviews and the final installment of the trilogy underway, Joe Prendergast is in flying form. And as far as I’m concerned, he is to be admired on so many levels. Courage, dedication, determination and guts – this kid has it all. And I can’t wait to read his books. I’m preparing to be amazed. Again.

It was a delight to meet Joe and wonderful to see such a young boy so enthused, so motivated, so excited by writing. He was oozing dedication and joy and this made me stop and think.

How many times do we hear writers bemoaning their workload or complaining about deadlines?

Thankfully, I can honestly say that I rarely hear writers complain.

I have regularly come across panic, fear, self doubt and worry, but these are counterbalanced with joy, wonder, gratitude and celebration; and both the positive and the negative elements are accepted as part of a writer’s life.

I’ve never once heard anyone complain about having to sit at their desk and write. Because, like Joe, we writers love what we do. And we love it with a passion.

So meeting Joe not only made me want to whoop with joy at the thought of fresh talent, it also reminded me of my unwavering faith in the writing community – from writers and publishers to readers – and in the wonder of the written word.

Who inspired you today?

(You can read more about Joe in ‘Starting Early’, over on SJ O’Hart’s blog, Clockwatching…)

Bees do have a smell, you know…

July 8, 2013July 29, 2013Leave a comment

Summer is upon us – clear skies, soaring temperatures, vegetable plants blossoming (or bolting, if you’re unlucky like we have been with our spinach) and the mackerel are starting to come into shore.

What I love most about summer is the bustle. The days are long and there’s so much to do when you’re living rurally, there’s a certain magic to the season, an extra bit of pep. My favourite quote about summer sums it up pretty nicely:

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.”
― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Inevitable, this extra bustle requires extra effort on my part, so I’m reducing my blog posts to once a fortnight until the hay, animals and vegetables are happy and well. Hopefully, you won’t mind! And just in case, here are a few summery photos to put a smile on your face…

Taking hay to the island by punt

Early cabbage – survived the caterpillars (just)

Always time for fishing if the conditions are right (life jacket not optional)

Make sure your shrimp pots are weighted enough!

Nice to see the big fishing boats in

And everyone loves a seadog!

Look out for these gorgeous creatures – a bit extra summer colour

Support Independent Booksellers Week

July 1, 2013June 30, 20135 Comments

My local independent bookshop – even lovelier on the inside!

In case you weren’t aware, we’re in the middle of Independent Booksellers Week – a worthy celebration for writers, readers and booksellers alike.

Contrary to belief, independent booksellers are not a dying breed (read this post from Bob at The Gutterbookshop if you don’t believe me). But the fact remains that they could become extinct, if not supported.

The beauty of independent bookshops is that they are not monopolised by trends or marketing departments or limited to the bestsellers list. The buyers (who usually turn out to also be the owner, barista, baker, counter assistant & accountant) are free to stock the books that reflect the varied tastes of their customers.

That means knowing their customers well and catering to their needs. In other words, delivering a very personal service. Like the Independent Booksellers Week motto says: real people, real books, real conversation.

For me, the most wonderful thing about independent bookshops is that the bookshop is also someone’s dream. Independent bookshop owners adore what they do because it is their passion, their calling.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

An incredible book – one of those I wish I’d written! highly recommend.

As writers, this is something we can easily relate to. And don’t forget, we also need homes for our books – especially much-loved bookshelves created from someone else’s dreams.

So when was the last time you bought a book from your local independent bookstore?

Yes, ordering a basket full of books from Amazon and get them delivered to your door is convenient – but where’s the personal touch? The lively debate about which titles to select? The surprise of an unexpected recommendation?

And of course, a big chain bookstore has much to offer. I’m not suggesting a boycott, I’m just reminding you that independent bookstores also have plenty to offer and need your support too.

My most recent purchases were John Saturnall’s Feast by Lawrence Norfolk, Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, and TransAtlantic by Colum McGann.

What will you buy from your independent bookseller today?

Poland: A holiday surprise – Francis McManus Short Story Competition

June 19, 20132 Comments

One of Katowice’s beautiful pre-war buildings

I’m back from Poland – a relaxing and interesting trip that included a big surprise…

While I was in Katowice museum, I received a very exciting phone call from RTÉ Radio 1, informing me that my story The Books, They Cry, had been shortlisted for the Francis McManus Short Story Competition.

Obviously, writing isn’t all about competitions and winning, but opportunities like this are wonderful in many ways…

Competitions ensure you challenge your writing boundaries
Deadlines make you maintain discipline
and successes act as little signposts to help you keep going.

I didn’t get any further than the shortlist, but I’m delighted that my story will be read out on RTE 1’s Book on One by a professional actor on July 26^th, 2013.

The professional actor bit is super exciting for me – I’m not very good at reading my own work and I’m looking forward to hearing how Gary Murphy will convey the characters and the story’s essence. It’s an excellent chance for me to learn yet another facet of my craft.

I’m also looking forward to the summertime routine of settling down each night to listen to all the other winning and shortlisted entries. Yes, I’m going to listen to them all – and I hope you will too!

For me, it’s a wonderful opportunity to hear some great contemporary literature and to improve an area where I’m lacking. The first broadcast features the winning entry on June 24^th, so make sure you tune in if you get chance.

(You can see RTE’s broadcast schedule for all shortlisted Francis McManus stories schedule here.)

Huge congratulations to the Francis McManus short story competition winners – Mike MacDomhnaill (1st), James Alfred Simpson (2^nd) and Sean Kenny (3^rd) – and a huge thanks to RTÉ for such a great opportunity.

Until next year!