Nicky Denovan, LISP 2025 Short Story Finalist, 'Belongings'

- Could you please tell us about yourself and your daily routine?

I’m a writer based in the UK and I’m currently working through ideas and structures for my first full-length play (which may also become a screenplay!).

- When and how did you start writing?

I’ve always loved writing in all its forms and began creating characters and stories from a very young age. I started writing sketches – always with a comedic twist – when I was still in primary school, so I think there was always a nascent playwright there!  Much later, I found my way first into playwriting and then short film scripts. Recently, I’ve moved into exploring other genres, including prose fiction. I always considered myself a writer, even before I had my work performed or published, and I think it’s important to give yourself that permission.

- How frequently do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

I invariably start on paper – very analogue of me!  I find that the simple act of working with a pen helps to surface hidden themes and can spark unusual ideas for stories. I’ve always loved the Joan Didion quote: “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” I think there’s a great deal of truth in that.

I am inspired by everything around me – news stories, overheard snippets of conversation, chance meetings, a fleeting look that flashes across someone’s face, or the thing they carefully don’t say. Like many writers, I instinctively observe and listen wherever I am and squirrel away what I notice, with it sometimes emerging in a fresh character or situation.

- How does it feel to have your work acknowledged, whether through being a finalist in a

competition or having it published? 

I find entering writing competitions really valuable. Firstly, you know that your work is being read and appraised by other experienced writers which, if you’re looking to improve and grow as a creative, is often an essential part of the process.

Secondly, the butterfly effect of actively putting your work out there can manifest some surprising opportunities. I hugely admire anyone who offers their work into the world – it’s always a bold and brave move. You simply don’t where it might lead, so that’s inherently exciting. Art is not a competition, but if you’re fortunate enough to progress in a writing prize, that recognition can be the voice that whispers “keep going” – sometimes just when you need to hear it.

As a lifelong book lover and voracious reader, the thrill of having your own words rendered in print and bound between the covers of a real book is just magical – pure and simple.

- What's the most rewarding and challenging aspect of writing a story? 

Coming up with the original concept is the most challenging aspect. I find that once I’ve locked on to an interesting and sustainable premise, the writing generally flows fairly organically from that point. Not all the time by any means, but quite often!

- Please share a few tips on writing stories. 

Writing is such a subjective and personal process, but I think the key advice would be simply to begin. It may sound obvious, but getting something down on paper – creating something that wasn’t there before – is the first psychological step to completion. It’s the same reason that I always read the first page of a new book as soon as I’ve finished my previous one – to keep moving forward on the journey.