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Guest Editor Picks: Kirsty Riddiford

Published 2 years ago

Ben and the Book of Prophecies by Kirsty Riddiford

I jumped at the chance to be a guest editor on Shortbread, although the task became more daunting once I’d read the stories I was to review...  Much of the writing is of such a high standard that I’m not sure I’m worthy to pass comment!  Nevertheless, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading and commenting on a selection of Shortbread Stories, and look forward to my role as guest editor with great enthusiasm.

For me, the greatest thing about writing fiction is that the possibilities are endless.  As a child I always loved creative writing classes – my favourite part being the moment before I put pen to paper, deciding what direction to take my story.  Shortbread lists 21 different genres for submitting stories; just reading them all makes me want to start writing!  And as you’re reading this blog, then we obviously have something in common.

With writing, as with most things in life – public speaking, sport, cooking – practice is essential if you want to improve.  My first book (Ben and the Book of Prophecies) went through countless edits because the more I wrote, the more I learnt.  (I’m finding the second book much easier, but I’m learning all the time).  Shortbread provides an audience to practice on – a bit like an online writing group.  My dream of becoming a published author would never have come true if it hadn’t been for the motivation and feedback provided by my (real life, flesh-and-blood) local writers’group.  I hope Shortbread does the same for you.

Of course, exposing your work to others and inviting feedback/criticism isn’t easy.  There’s no getting away from the fact that everyone has different tastes and different styles.  I write for children, and I consider the most important aspect of my writing to be the pace; I want to keep my young readers turning those pages!  To other writers it may be the plot, characters, descriptive narrative, or all of the above and more besides.  Decide what is important to you and whether you feel you are achieving this in your work.  Read it through as many times as you can bear – preferably with a good night’s sleep in between – and don’t be afraid to edit and rewrite (always saving the original version, just in case . . .).  Put yourself in your readers’ shoes and ask whether your story is worth the time it takes to read it – even better, give it to friends and family to read.  Does the plot make sense, do your sentences flow, and most importantly, are you proud to put your name to it?

Having said all that, don’t be too harsh on yourself.  Most writers are their own worst critics – so get that work onto Shortbread and let your fellow writers be the judge!

Read Kirsty's reviews

• How To Deal With A Ghost by Emily Copland
• Do Not Read This Story by Gordon Darroch
• Clemmie's Sperriment by Lucy Douglas
• Hi. My Name Is... by Sarah Hinkle
• Uncle Gerrard by Jamie Grover
• Taming The Hulk by Karen Cantwell

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