%20(2)_j.jpg)
%20(3)_j.jpg)
LISP 2022 Short Story Finalist 'The Legendary Outcrop' by Elizabeth Charlotte Sice
- Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?
I don’t do all that much these days. I graduated last year from university with a degree in Japanese, and since then, I’ve been applying for some jobs, though covid restrictions only lessened for Japan recently, so it’s only been in the past few months that I’ve been able to apply for jobs over there.
- When and how did you get into writing?
I got into writing through reading. It’s quite stupid to say it out loud like that, but it’s also the truth. I studied a lot of literature in university, and I was struck by just how wonderful it was to read every assigned reading. Particularly in contrast to the dull academic texts that filled the rest of my classes.
- How often do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?
Writing for me is like dreaming. When I write, I’m writing out loud the fully formed images in my head and trying to fit the scenes and events to the things it feels like I see. I guess I’ve always had an overactive imagination.
- How does it feel to have your work recognised?
I’ve been applying to some short story competitions this year, but this is the first time I’ve had any recognition. In a way, it feels like an affirmation. As though I’m not just wasting my time writing away when I feel like it.
- What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about writing a Story?
For me, it’s writing events and dialogue, something that likely comes through in reading my story. The images and scenes and atmosphere come to mind fully formed but what happens in those scenes, in that atmosphere, is more difficult for me to feel out.
- 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?
I was lucky enough to go to Egypt when I was very small, and I suppose it was memories that reverberated in my head. At the same time, these days, it feels like questions about nature standing in opposition to humanity, and in contrast, it feels like those themes are more relevant than ever. Particularly as we see new developments in AI and computing where the question of what force created something becomes more relevant than ever.
- Can you please give us a few tips about writing a Story?
Write what feels natural. Write any idea that comes to mind. Keep doing it, and you’ll improve. Writing is a muscle, and it atrophies with neglect.
- What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions?
The waiting. After submission, I always feel stressed. I fret about each part of every story I write. I stay up at night thinking about some clunky prose or bad dialogue long after the submission date.
- Lastly, do you recommend the writers submit their stories to LISP?
There’s no reason not to put yourself out there. Deadlines are also a good reason to get practice. Just as you’d go to a gym to work out, you should apply to a competition to work out your writing muscles.
