There comes that moment in every blogger's life when they think, Why have I never invited this person onto my blog as a guest? I had that moment a few week's ago with womag writer and blogger, Helen Yendall. Helen's own blog, Blog About Writing, is one of the most informative and entertaining I've read and I've been following it since 2012. We also share a love of writing short stories and have shared the pages of magazines, so how has Helen slipped through the net? The answer is... I've no idea!
Anyway, I'm delighted that Helen agreed to be interviewed for Wendy's Writing Now and I know you'll find her answers as interesting as I did.
Weclome, Helen! Can you tell my readers how long you’ve been writing for
magazines and which was the first magazine you sold to.
Oh, goodness, this is embarrassing because when I admit
this, your readers are going to think ‘what the heck has she been doing in all
that time?’ but I actually had my first short story acceptance (a competition
win) in Bella magazine over twenty
years ago. Bella, sadly, doesn’t publish short stories any more but back in
those days, it was one of many magazines that accepted fiction. I really wish
now that I’d applied myself much more and perhaps I’d have had many more
acceptances but I was a bit of a dabbler at the writing game then.
We hear a lot about the importance of finding your own
‘voice’. Do you feel you have a particular writing style?
When my friends read my stories, they often say that they
can ‘hear’ me speaking to them, so I guess my writing style must be similar to
the way I speak. I suppose that’s not surprising but it just goes to show that
‘voice’ isn’t something you can fake: it’s just ‘you’, at the end of the day.
Have you noticed many changes since you started writing for
magazines?
Of course, there are fewer and fewer of them that accept
fiction and that’s the biggest change. They all seem to be full of celebrity
gossip now. It’s such a shame that magazines like The Lady don’t even feature
fiction any more.
You recently had your first serial, the Air is Sweet
published in The People’s Friend magazine. Can you tell us a little about how
this came about?
I’d had an idea for a novel set in a chocolate factory for a
while (ever since I visited the museum at Cadbury World) and I’d even made a
(small!) start and written the first chapter. So when The People’s Friend
announced their serial-writing competition last year, it seemed the ideal
opportunity to do something with my manuscript. I polished up the first 6000
words, added another character and a couple of cliff hangers and submitted
that, along with a synopsis, to the competition (all very last minute!). I was
amazed and delighted to get a call from the editor Shirley Blair, in the
autumn, to tell me I was the winner. And part of my prize (once I’d written the
next two instalments), was to see the serial published in the magazine.
Did you find the serial harder to write than a short story?
It was harder in some ways because it took a lot longer, of
course (it was 16000 words in total and some of my short stories are under 1000
words). Also, as the serial is set in 1905, I had to do a lot of research (mind
you, although time-consuming, that was actually a lot of fun). But I enjoyed
the freedom of being able to write from three different points of view (in a
short story, of course, you usually write from just one point of view) and I
had so many different ideas for the plot and the characters that I could have
written a lot more than I did. The characters came alive for me much more than
they do in a short story. In fact, one
of the hardest things about writing the serial, was trying to keep to the word
count. I could easily have made it 5 or 6 instalments long.
I’ve been following your great blog, Blog About Writing, since
I started writing in 2012 and like me, you post once a week. Do you find it
hard to think of things to write?
That’s lovely to hear, Wendy. I actually used to blog more
than once a week but I just don’t have time to post more often now and yes,
you’re right, it does get harder to think of things to write about. I always
try to bear in mind that the name of my blog is ‘blog about writing’ and that’s the reason, I assume, that people read
it, so even when I’m rabbiting on about tennis or my dog or the other things in
my life, I always try to put in something
- whether it’s a book recommendation or a link to a competition – that’s
relevant to writing. I’ve written over 500 posts now and yes, it’s definitely
harder to blog these days!
From time to time you hold competitions on your blog. Can
you tell my readers about your latest one, please?
Funny you should mention that, Wendy, yes I do have a
writing competition on my blog and it’s free to enter and open to all. The
closing date is 12th July, so there’s still time to get your entry
in! I picked some words at random and they need to be included in a 100 word
story (or poem). I’ve run a few competitions along these lines now and I never
cease to be amazed by the creations that I’m sent!
You’ve already published one collection of short stories,
Paper Chase, and your latest collection, The Sunshine Board, is out now. Who do
you think these stories might appeal to?
Most of the stories have been published before in Woman’s
Weekly magazine, so I suppose if you like those kind of stories, or are
interested in reading some for ‘research purposes’, then the collection might
appeal to you. But regardless of where the stories have come from (and a couple
are competition winners rather than womag stories), I really hope that it’s a satisfying
read for summer (hence the bright yellow cover!). There’s nothing scary or
depressing in the stories – in fact, there’s a touch of humour (so I’m told) in
some of them – so the collection would make a nice holiday read, whether you’re
on the beach or having a ‘staycation’ in your back garden.
Finally, what next for Helen Yendall? Do you have any plans
to write a novel or are you happy to stick with the short stories?
Good question! I must admit, I’ve got a taste for writing
something longer, since I finished the serial. Whether that will be another
serial or a novel, remains to be seen. I have got an idea but I just need to
test it out first - do a bit of research
(it’s another historical one) and see if it’s got ‘legs’! (Thanks for reminding me – I need to get on
with it!).
Thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog,
Wendy. I’ve enjoyed following your progress from novice short story writer to
People’s Friend favourite, then seeing you joining the RNA, completing your first
novel and getting an agent! In such a short space of time. It’s not only
impressive but inspiring too. Keep up the good work!
Bio:
Helen Yendall lives in the Cotswolds and works part-time for a children’s
charity. Her small claim to fame is that
she was once Poet Laureate for Warwick but her first love is fiction. She likes
the way it can help make sense of the world and that, as a writer, she can give
good people the happy ending they deserve.
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