Morgana MacLeod - Author Interview: Short Story Writer

What kinds of fiction did you read as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?

As a child I read insatiably, everything I could get my hands on. My Grandma had a fabulous shelf of old books from the 40s and 50s, and I remember gorgeous art deco illustrated fairytales and thick annuals from England, like Chatterbox, with strange stories about snow and boarding schools. When I’d worked my way through Enid Blyton, midway through primary school, I moved on to the grand dames of detective fiction – Christie, Marsh and Sayers. And then the horror masters, from Poe through Lovecraft and on to King.

Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

Definitely. I dabble in the dark side of the fiction spectrum – if a character doesn’t endure a ghastly death in one of my stories, they come very close. I’ve tried writing romance and inspirational pieces, but I’m wooden and unconvincing. Extremes of life – and death – are more interesting to me, as an author. By all means, live a happy life, married to the same partner for 53 years, raising 2.3 well-adjusted children and propagating miniature roses in retirement – but I’m not moved to write about you.

Pick one of your favourites among your fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example from your fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

“Bunyip and the White Fella” is one of my earlier pieces, published in the Coolum Wave Writers’ 2009 anthology, ‘Coasters’. I wanted to write about culture clashes between Gubbi Gubbi people (the traditional land owners in our area, the Sunshine Coast) and the white missionaries. To get started, I took a notebook and pen and sat on the shores of Lake Weyba, where the story is set. Looking back, I still think ‘Bunyip’ has a strong sense of place.

Who is another author whose fiction writing you admire and why?

Roald Dahl – I’m talking about his short stories for adults, now, although I eagerly devoured his children’s stories, too. He was the master of the quirky twist at the end, and also had a deft hand with voice and characterization.

How would you summarise one of your short stories in one paragraph?

Bunyip, outcast from his tribe because of a medical condition, is living along on the shores of Lake Weyba when he encounters a missionary, lost in a storm. As Bunyip leads him back to his camp, the missionary recognizes the follies and flaws in his ethos. He returns to England.

How would you describe the appeal of this short story to readers?

The characters are strong, and contrast and complement one another in ways that I hope are interesting. As well, I think the setting – both physical place and in history – is intriguing, and I’m not aware of any other similar work. Hopefully, a reader would also find the ending satisfying.

How would you summarise a scene or sub-section from this short story in one paragraph?

Edwin, the missionary, becomes lost in the scrub, having run blindly from a thunderstorm. He is on his knees in the mud, praying for deliverance, when Bunyip appears. Because of the facial scarring and other deformities associated with Bunyip’s disease, as well as his black skin and lack of a suit, Edwin mistakes him for a demon and faints. When he comes to, Bunyip is rendering traditional first aid.

How would you describe the contribution this scene or sub-section makes to the short story?

It sets up the culture clash and highlights the difference in the two men’s characters. Edwin is very satisfied with his view of the world – and of Heaven and Hell – and his own position of moral and intellectual superiority. Despite his adherence to Scripture, he lacks any real compassion. His good works, indeed his whole mission to the ‘savages’ is motivated by ego rather than love. Bunyip, on the other hand, has had a hard life. Cursed with an illness that caused him pain and made him an outsider in his own tribe, he is then orphaned and shunned. Still, he can pity this strange, incompetent fella who shouts and lacks even the bushcraft of a baby.

Do you aspire to primarily write novels in the future, or are you more interested in writing short stories, and why?

Both. Novels are fabulous because of the detail possible, the depth and breadth of scope available to the writer. In a novel, you can really flesh out a character and then slice them open, display all their workings and secret places. But I have commitment issues and ideas for stories constantly churning through my mind. So short stories are a great quick writing fix. Also, they’re easier to get published! I have several short stories in anthologies, but my novel is still languishing in a slush pile.

Do you read many short story anthologies, and why?

Yes. It’s fascinating to analyse what other writers are doing, and how they do it. I’m loving Tobsha Lerner at the moment, lingering over her ‘Tremble’, and Angela Slatter’s ‘Girl With No Hands’ was also fabulous – always great to read a Brisbane writer made good.

What lengths of short stories do you usually write, and why?

Usually around competition length, 2 to 5,000 words. Although I surprised myself recently by limiting a few pieces to under 1,000 words for the Stringybark Press Flash Fiction Awards, and had two pieces highly commended and published in the anthology ‘Between Heaven and Hell’.

Do you submit for many short story competitions, anthologies and magazines, and what are your main motivations for this?

Probably not as many as I should, because I’m obsessive about polishing them prior to submission. But I’ve got some short pieces out there at the moment – fingers crossed! I’m not at all motivated by the prize money in comps. I enter to try and build up my bio, gather up some credibility points in the hope of one day interesting an agent and/or publisher. Also, I think the deadline pressure and public nature of it all helps foster discipline – fear of failure is a great motivator. There are some great comps that challenge you out of your comfortable rut, taunt you to venture into literary territory as yet unexplored.

Author website: http://www.madammorgana.wordpress.com



Coral Sturgess - Author Interview: Short Story Writer

What kind of fiction stories did you read as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?

I always had a Coles Book Arcade Annual given to me every Christmas since I can remember. I loved the crazy characters and nonsense rhymes as well as the silly little stories. Of course I read the old favourites Winnie the Pooh, The magic Pudding, Snuggle pot and Cuddle pie and some Enid Blyton. I was particularly fond of Alice in Wonderland. At high school and beyond we delved into a lot of classics which really opened my eyes to a range of great books and gained an insight into what made them so interesting. These were stories like Wuthering Heights and many others leading me on to develop a passion for Steinbeck, Nicholas Mosarrat, Leon Uris, and James Michener, especially his Book The Tell while I was at University. For light reading I loved Agatha Christie.

Would you say your childhood and teenage reading had an influence on how you write fiction now and why?

I think it did, as a child I wanted to write my own stories, I remember I always had a pencil in my hand. I was particularly drawn to books which created the world of imagination where you could suspend belief but relate to the characters that lived there. They needed to be believable, brave and exciting and transport me into their world, be they animals or people or mythical beings. Later I liked books that had a historical footing and a strong sense of place. I also needed the stories to move along at a pace that didn’t lose my attention and have me skipping pages to see what happened next. I guess I try to do this now in my own writing: but I’m still learning. Sometimes I get it right, usually after many drafts.

Pick one of your favourites among your fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example of your fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

A Little Piece of Rock published in Undercurrents by Coolum Wave Writers in 2010 is set in Coolum around the early 1920s. I think it is grounded in place and period, it has believable characters central to the story. It moves along to a strong resolution whereby the main character brings about a solution to his troubles.

Who is another author whose fiction writing you admire and why?

Possibly Stephen King is someone whose short stories I read and like. I think he gets it right most of the time. I like a lot of the work coming out of our group the Coolum Wave Writers and I believe that many of them might have a chance of becoming well known once we all learn more about the other side of writing which is marketing and publishing, where all the really hard work starts. I enjoy reading the work of other short story writers be they classics or from anthologies from other groups or competitions. There is always something to learn and enjoy.

How would you summarise one of you short stories in a paragraph?

The Sentimental Journey takes a young man back where he was most happy as a child trying to recapture his sense of place and belonging only to find himself in a battle between the environmentalists and progress supporters. Along the way he visits some places which evoke Tasmania’s violent past as well as the resilient nature of those who survived and carved out the future. This section is told as a rollicking bush ballad by an ancient miner in the hotel bar of a small mining town. This is inserted into the narrative and I believe works quite well.

How would you describe the appeal of this story to readers?

I think readers who enjoy stories which weave history and setting into a plot. I believe they have a strong appeal. This story has a universal message that people can relate to as most of us are passionate about the environment versus progress one way or the other. In my story the main character searches for his place in the scheme of things after a break up with his significant other. He is a passionate history teacher who goes back to where he was so happy as a child and teenager in an attempt to recapture that sense of belonging. He takes up a position as an English and History teacher in Queenstown, a mining town on the West Coast of Tasmania and finds himself embroiled in the battle to save the Franklin River wilderness area from being dammed for a hydro-electric scheme back in the early 1980s. This story also gave me the chance to experiment with telling part of this tale through the mouth of an old bush poet in a rollicking bush ballad about the early miners. I think it works quite well. My slightly longer version of that poem has been published and I’ve read it to groups of people where it has had a great reception.

How would you describe a scene or a subsection of this story in one short paragraph?

As James travels down the West Coast of Tasmania through the Tarkine Wilderness he reconnects with the environment. This subtropical rainforest is home to the rare and protected Huon Pine, endangered flora and fauna as well as Tarkina Aboriginal artefacts and middens. He revels in the joy of being there and rages at what the Hydro Electric Commission and State Government is planning to do. He reconnects with the area, the people and vows to fight to save it from what he sees as environmental vandals.

How would you describe the contribution of this scene or sub-section from this short story in one paragraph?

The character grows as he finds a place where he is comfortable in his own skin, a place he can relate to and where he can make a difference in the environment and the lives of people he cares deeply about. He thinks about the areas’ history, his own connection to it, his own mining background and his ability to pass all of this on to a future generation.

Do you aspire to primarily write novels in the future, or are you more interested in writing short stories?

I play around the edges of writing a novel, but I am probably a lot more interested in putting together a collection of my own short stories. I write mostly short stories and poetry but I have written one early teen fiction of 10,000 words but it hasn’t been published, it is hard market to break into unless you self publish. I have had one novel in the bottom drawer for a year or so now and promise myself one day I will edit it and rework it. I guess my heart is in short stories really.

Do you read many short stories and why?

Yes, I read a lot of short stories from a wide range of authors. First, because I enjoy them if they are well crafted and second because I learn a lot, sometimes about what not to do. It also helps hone my own skills on giving feedback to our own writing group members. I like reading for the pleasure it gives me as well as to measure how I am doing against winners of writing competitions, anthologies by published authors and local writers groups. To single out some might see me needing ASIO protection.

What length of short stories do you usually write and why?

When I first started to write short stories I tended towards the longer short story around the four to five thousand words. Then I learned by the coaching of our very patient but fiercely dedicated mentor and editor who pushed me to cut at least one third or more of unnecessary words and descriptions that did not advance the story. It took a while to stop being flowery and to tighten my stories up. Now I’m much better at that and I think my stories are better as well and so do my main readers who give me feedback. This experience has paid dividends by seeing me win a competition or two and having a story published in Stringybark fiction’s anthology Between Heaven and Hell. So I would say the tighter the story the more likely it is to gain notice.

Do you submit for many short story competitions, anthologies and journals, and what are your main motivations for this?

Yes I submit an average of about two a month to competitions, once or twice a year to anthologies apart from our writing group’s three self published collections. I really need to polish more, but I am getting better at it.

I am well published from quite a few years ago in more technical journals and magazines and newspapers, mostly in Tasmania and I have written curriculum and training manuals for the TAFE system. I’ve had one short story published in the local Newspaper, but I don’t submit fiction to that market often. I have been an editor of the Queensland Branch of the Australian marketing journal Foresight for two years. So I have been writing for varying reasons to a very varied market for a long time. I have won the odd competition, but my time is now dedicated to short stories and getting them out there to readers. My prime reason for these submissions is to establish some sort of a profile which is the only way to get noticed by agents, editors and publishers.

Author Website: I do not have a website but I have a blog contact at www.coralsturgess.wordpress.com.