Since graduating from Royal Holloway’s Creative Writing MA with Distinction, my stories have appeared in Confingo, all the sins (click to read), and the Bedford Square Anthology. I have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and Mslexia’s Short Story Competition, and longlisted for the Fish Publishing Short Story Prize. More recently, I was signed by Ben Dunn of Dunn Fogg Literary Agency with whom I am finessing my debut novel, in preparation for its submission to publishers. My experience includes editing scripts for Film London and my life experience, a wild misspent youth.

Misspent Youth

Was it though? I ask myself this sometimes. I haven’t, yet, found a satisfactory way to ‘package’ my background. I spent a lot of years lost in hedonism. Cornwall is a beautiful place to get lost. Though I got a BA during my years of being a ‘free spirit’, all I cared about were the brilliant, talented raconteurs I was lucky enough to be surrounded by – so much creative energy poured into nothing more ambitious than entertaining each other, constantly. We were living in the present. But I was also observing, tuning in to the rhythms, dynamics, and nuances of conversation. I love writing dialogue, and good dialogue is my favourite thing to read. I hope my characters’ speech makes my work distinctive, and if it stands out, it is because of my close attention to real-world banter.

Influences

There is a second, more important, way those ‘lost’ years influenced me. The fantastically talented friends I’ve mentioned came from varying backgrounds, and I got to meet people with spectacular natural gifts, hindered by terrible obstacles and lack of opportunity. Their poverty, and I mean poverty, has shaped me as a writer. How can I show you, the reader, what I know to be true, that inequality is caused by the political choices of the powerful, not a lack of talent in its victims, and that the repercussions are wasteful, cruel and devastating?

Education

Other, more conventional, influences on my ‘voice’ have been the incredible teachers I’ve been lucky enough to study under. My journey to Royal Holloway University of London’s Creative Writing MA began with adult education, for which I have a special appreciation as it was the Short Story Evening Workshop at Birkbeck University that initially helped me hone my writing skills. In fact, the reference given by the writer who led that workshop, Wendy Brandmark, played no small part in my being accepted onto my first choice of MA programme. At Royal Holloway, I was lucky enough to learn from bestselling novelists Susanna Jones and Kate Williams, as well as from former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion. Their powerful mentoring has been an important inspiration for my own teaching, where I have designed workshops for adult beginners to more practised writers, in which I unpack the storytelling instinct we all have.

I Love Teaching

I love that moment when a student grabs their pen to feverishly scribble a note on the technique being described, because they can see it solving the creative question they’ve been grappling with. I especially love teaching adults. Many of my students didn’t have a great deal of formal education. Their minds are hungry and their ideas so original, because of the fascinating lives they have lived. It has been the greatest joy to see my adult learners go from not writing at all outside of class to becoming published, go on to higher education and win competitions. Click the links to check out my FREE creative writing classes at Cornwall College, Camborne (starting again in September) or St Austell.

Your Vision

While my editing experience began before my MA, when I edited scripts for Film London, the service I now offer grew out of my students requesting feedback. Bringing to bear all the wonderful mentoring I’ve received and my experience of what it takes to develop a writer’s voice, I offer an (exceptionally cheap) feedback service with an extra supportive lean; in that after collaborating with me, you’ll have learnt enough to become your own editor. Click the link for more information.

Or email a short project outline to whatgailwrote@gmail.com to receive helpful suggestions for your creative journey.

Thanks for reading!