AUTHOR INTERVIEW
The LONG and
the SHORT of it
Experience of the short story market
stood Cally Taylor in good stead when
it came to writing and selling her fi rst
novel. Here she talks to Helen Hunt
C
ally Taylor’s debut novel, you’ve got an agent, that same
the supernatural romantic opening has to appeal to an edi-
comedy Heaven Can Wait, was tor and, ultimately, a customer
published by Orion in October. browsing in a bookshop.’
The novel, set in London, fol- Pace is also vital in both short
lows heroine Lucy in her bid to stories and novels, says Cally.
become a ghost. ‘With a short story you’ve got
Cally’s now working on a a limited number of words in
second novel, also with a super- which to tell your story. You can’t
natural theme – but in her early spend ages on the beginning and
days as a writer she wrote a rush the middle and ending –
very different sort of fiction. they have to be evenly weighted.
Cally honed her craft writing ‘Short story writing taught me
Photo Jacqui Elliot-Williams
short stories for magazines and that description can slow a story
competitions, and many of the whilst dialogue can speed it up.
skills she developed have helped Using a mix of long and short
immensely in her novel writing. sentences also helps vary pace.
‘Openings are hugely impor- By writing short stories you learn
tant in short stories,’ she says. to sense whether the pace is right,
‘You’ve only got seconds to grab and when you’re writing a novel
the attention of a busy editor and you can apply the same princi-
convince them to continue read- ples to scenes. If a scene seems to accepted your stories shows the finish one in one sitting. Writing
ing your story. An opening to a be dragging, it probably is! agent that your work has been a novel is a much longer process
novel is equally important. ‘That’s where editing comes in vetted, and accepted, by a profes- and I initially found it strange
‘When you’re subbing to – with short stories I learnt never sional editor. to spend so much time with the
agents your manuscript will end to send off a story until I’d read it ‘A writing CV shows that you same set of characters.
up in a huge pile of submissions aloud at least once. It’s not until can produce polished, profes- ‘Writing a novel takes an enor-
so you need to grab their atten- you read it aloud that you hear it sional fiction and that’s definitely mous amount of determination,
tion. If the beginning of your as a reader would. attractive to an agent.‘ motivation and energy. Almost
novel isn’t strong they’ll just pick ‘Another vital part of editing Cally’s novel is aimed at every writer I know gets to a
up the next manuscript. When is ruthless cutting. Frequently, I women of all ages who like point in a novel when they have
pruned short stories from 3000 to romance, a laugh and maybe a a fantastic idea for a new novel
2000 words in order to hit a par- little cry too – the same sort of and are tempted to ditch the one
ticular word limit. I had to apply audience that will have read her they’re working on and start
that same ruthlessness when I short stories. again. That’s particularly tempt-
edited Heaven Can Wait from a ‘A couple of the magazines I ing when you’re used to writing
100,000 word first draft to a much write for have included a brief short stories, but you must push
less baggy 80,000 words. Every mention of my novel at the end on and reach the end.
word should count and if a par- of the story, which is useful for ‘It’s normal to fall out of love
ticular scene bores you it’ll bore publicity, but my main hope is with a novel while you’re writing
the reader, so cut it or rewrite it that women who enjoy my short it but you’ll inevitably fall back
until it sparkles!’ stories might see my novel in a in love with it again.
Writing short stories can also bookshop and think, “Oh, I read ‘I’m not much of a plotter,’ she
help you build up a writing track a lovely short story by Cally says. ‘I tend to know the begin-
record which will appeal to pub- Taylor once. I’ll see what her ning and the ending and let the
lishers and agents. novel’s like.”’ characters tell me how to get there.
‘If you’ve fought off competi- The biggest challenge in mov- Breaking your idea into chap-
tion from other writers to win ing to novel-length writing is ters can be helpful as it reduces
a prize in a competition, that stamina, Cally thinks. it to manageable chunks. Try
proves that you can write well. ‘The short stories I write tend
▲
And a list of magazines that have to be about 2000 words and I can Continued overleaf
Writers
’
FORUM #99 7
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