Charlie Kite, London Independent Story Prize 3rd Round 2024 Short Story Finalist, 'We'll Pay and We'll Go'

London Independent Story Prize 3rd Round 2024 Short Story Finalist, 'We'll Pay and We'll Go', Charlie Kite

●      Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?

○      I’m a cross-genre writer, currently seeking an agent, who’s particularly interested in short stories. Last year I graduated from Oxford’s Creative Writing masters; since then I’ve written a short fiction collection and a novel, and am currently working on a new project. I’m currently on a sabbatical, previously working in public relations. And I live down in Hastings, so most of the time I’m stomping about on the beach trying to think of ideas for my writing. Usually I just end up getting ice cream.

●      How often do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

○      I like to say that I write every day, at least five hundred words. It’s an achievable amount to aim for that makes sure you keep momentum. Of course reality gets in the way; work, babysitting my nephew, throwing rocks at the sea in an impotent, unwriterly rage… but fundamentally, writing for me is good mental health practice. If I’m writing then I’m feeling better and that’s what drives me to make art. I’m inspired by things that peak my interest. I love what-ifs, strange news stories or blogs or snippets of history, and trying to turn them about, kick at the idea until it makes a fun shape. If it entertains me, I reckon it can be made to entertain someone else.

●      How does it feel to have your work recognised (recognition can be winning a competition and/or getting your work published/produced)?

○      It’s such a delight and incredibly flattering. Knowing that my work can bring other people pleasure is always a real reward.

●      What's the best and most challenging thing about writing a Story?

○      For me, the best part of writing a story is that sense of release. Putting a world onto the page is cathartic. To sound somewhat pretentious, there’s something very spiritual about it, and knowing that someone out there might engage with what you’ve made, that they can feel you’ve seen across the void and touched them… magic, magic stuff. The most challenging part is not looking back. The impulse to correct as you go, to keep bouncing and fiddling, that just totally kills the momentum. Endings are a blooming nightmare, too. Never end your stories, write until your pen explodes, anything to avoid coming up with a good solid ending.

●      How did you develop the idea for your LISP-selected story? Is there a story behind your story? And, how long have you been working on it?

○      We’ll pay and we’ll go was inspired by a fire in a Woolworths in the nineteen seventies. It was a horrific thing, ten people died and many suffered long term injuries. I heard a (I’m pretty sure apocryphal) story that some people died because they refused to leave the in-store restaurant until they had paid. There are some similar psychological experiments out there that show how people tend to ignore their safety instincts if the group around them are too. I wanted to use that idea, bouncing off the relationship between the two women in the story, to create this uneasy atmosphere. Is it a horror story, a romance? Maybe, who knows. It was a quick burst to write, I got it out essentially in one go and the edit was relatively painless. Unusual for me!

●      Can you please give us a few tips about writing a story?

○      First, just do it. It doesn’t matter if it’s bad or rough or not what you wanted. Just get it down. Then delete it and do it again. That’s hard, but it’s what creates great art. Trust your muscle to remember what was good and put it back in. I’m a big believer in demolition for creation. Keep going until you feel you can save a little of it, then a little more, up and up.  And don’t be blue if it still doesn’t work after so many blow ups. Something in there will be good and find its way to something else. I canned a novel recently because it just wasn’t flowing, and so many little parts have wiggled into my new project. Keep going.

●      What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions?

○      The most challenging thing is the wait. That, and the sense of being judged. All of these things are subjective, but it can still sting if you feel you did the best you could. But if you do get that recognition, it’s a wonderful high, and always worth the many, many times you don’t make it.

●      Lastly, do you recommend the writers submit to LISP?

○      Absolutely! It’s a wonderful competition and definitely worth submitting. What’s the worst that could happen? Send your work in!