Here is the latest information from Retreat West:
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Our 2020 annual short story and flash fiction
prize will open for entries shortly. In the meantime, here's an
exclusive sneak peek at our judges, especially for our
subscribers.
Short Story:
Peter Jordan is a short story writer from
Belfast. He has won the Bare Fiction prize, came second in the
Fish prize, and was shortlisted for both the Bridport and the
Bath short story prizes. His work has received various awards,
including three Arts Council grants. Over 50 of his
stories have appeared in literary magazines, journals and
anthologies.
His short story collection, Calls to
Distant Places, was released in August 2019. He
can be found on Twitter @pm_jordan. His website address is surfmyshorts.com
Flash Fiction:
Susmita Bhattacharya is an
award-winning author and creative writing tutor. Her
debut novel, The Normal State of Mind
(Parthian, 2015, BEE Books, India 2016) was long-listed for
the Word to Screen Prize at the Mumbai Film Festival, 2018.
Her
short story collection, Table Manners
(Dahlia Publishing, 2018) won the Saboteur Award for Best Short
Story Collection (2019) and was a finalist for the Hall
& Woodhouse DLF Prize, 2019. Her short stories have been
nominated for the Pushcart Prize and been featured on BBC Radio
4.She teaches creative writing at Winchester University and
facilitates the Mayflower Young Writers programme in Southampton.
She has judged several competitions including the National Flash
Fiction Day (NFFD Flash Flood) and the Winchester Writers'
Festival. You can find her books here.
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If you’re thinking of entering our short story
competition this year, here’s what our new judge,
Peter Jordan, has to say.
What am I looking for in a short
story? Well, I don’t want a writer to google me and say
‘Oh, he likes short sentences and concrete words, and imagery,
and stuff… I’ll try to write like that.’ I have tried doing
this in the past — googling the judge, and trying to tailor it —
when entering competitions. It doesn’t work.
I would say to anyone entering this competition to read the
following quote from Raymond Carver’s most insightful interview
(taken from A
Storyteller’s Shoptalk).
“It's akin to style, what I'm talking about, but it isn't style
alone. It is the writer's particular and unmistakable signature
on everything he writes. It is his world and no other. This is
one of the things that distinguishes one writer from another. Not
talent. There's plenty of that around. But a writer who has some
special way of looking at things and who gives artistic
expression to that way of looking: that writer may be around for
a time.”
If I see something that has a writer’s unique fingerprint, and I
like it, then that story has the best chance of winning.
If you’re thinking of entering our flash fiction
competition this year, here’s what our new judge, Susmita
Bhattacharya, has to say.
I would like the story to take me by surprise. But
not a twist-in-the-tale kind of surprise – an image, or a moment
that is unexpected. Something that will make me want to return to
the story again and again, deconstructing its meaning, finding a
new meaning every time I do.
I want the stories to be reflective, experimental and brave.
Think out of the box. Think relatable. And everything in between.
Think titles – and how to make them work for flash fiction. And
remember that every word counts. Play with form. Play with
context. Meaning. Layout. And above all, have fun creating these
flash pieces. It will show.
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When I started reading our upcoming release, One Scheme
of Happiness, I felt sure I knew who I would be
rooting for. Poor Helen; her Mum has just died, she doesn’t have
much of a life beyond her job, and now the woman who stole the love
of her life has arrived back in her hometown; married, glamorous,
with two perfect children in tow. I was never going to be on vivacious
Vicky’s side…was I? And as for Sam, the man in the midst of the
love triangle…I’ll let you make your own made up once you’ve read
the book!
The book works so well because the characters are much more than
one dimensional cardboard cut-outs. And this is the skill that the
best writers have – to constantly upturn reader expectations. To
make us question ourselves as much as we question the
characters.
My favourite unlikeable character in fiction is April Wheeler from
Richard Yates’ classic, Revolutionary
Road. Arguably, she does some terrible things, for
which she pays the ultimate price. But, throughout the book her
dreams are constantly chipped away, all because she doesn’t fit
into the stereotypical housewife mould that her husband Frank
expects of her. Who can blame her for reacting the way she
does?
But how do we go about writing such characters? As a reader, I am
drawn to unlikeable characters because they seem so much more
interesting than the good guys, but as a writer I’ll admit I’ve
found it difficult to get the balance right.
Unlikable characters need to have depth, they need to be
believable. Perhaps they need some motivation for acting the way
they do. I don’t think that
a typical reader could get on board with someone who is evil for no
reason. Amy Dunne from Gone
Girl is a recent character that comes to mind (spoiler
alert!). Is the way her parents treat her enough of an excuse for
the way she treats Nick? Surely it’s not enough to excuse
murder?
I had feedback on a short story once that the protagonist was
completely unlikeable. The piece had been longlisted in a
competition and I was only after some tweaks before I resubmitted
it. But a friend said to me, ‘he’s so unpleasant, why do you want
to tell his story?’ And I realised she was right. Why was I trying
to elevate this vile person’s voice above others who could have
told the story instead? I ditched that story and I haven't tried to
write an unlikeable character since - perhaps I'll make that my
next challenge!
If you want to join me, you might find some inspiration from the
articles posted below.
Let us know who your favourite unlikeable characters are by
tweeting us at @RetreatWest or emailing me at gaynor@retreatwest.co.uk,
and, once you've read One Scheme
of Happiness, let us know whose side you are on!
Gaynor
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