|
DeborahSheldon.
Wordpress.com
Deborah Sheldon
lives in Melbourne, Australia and has been a professional writer for 24
years. Her television scriptwriting credits include State Coroner,
Australia’s Most Wanted and Neighbours. She has also written features
and non-fiction books. All the Little Things That We Lose is her first
book of fiction.
|
|
Interview
with Deborah Sheldon
The
Short Review:
How long did it take you to write all the stories in your collection?
Deborah Sheldon: About
three years. During that time, I also wrote for the Better Health
Channel website, and for various Australian and Australasian medical
associations, among other paid gigs.
TSR:
Did you
have a collection in mind when you were writing them?
DS: Not
at first, but then it dawned on me after about 20 pieces that the
stories - although very different in terms of style, voice and mood -
shared a common theme of loss.
TSR:
How did
you choose which stories to include and in what order?
DS: My
publisher and I chose June 2009 as our cut-off date, so anything I
wrote after that wasn't considered. I arranged the stories in the rough
order in which they were written, but just to break things up a little,
I shuffled flash fiction in between some of the longer pieces.
TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
DS:
As a reader, I always approach a story with anticipation. I'm hoping
for a captivating ride or an insight into what it means to be human. If
I get both, then I'm a fan for life. For this reason, Annie Proulx is
one of my favourite short story writers of all time. FX Toole is
another. (And Hemingway too, but that probably goes without saying.)
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
DS:
My husband. His reaction to my first draft is very important. He's not
much of a reader so if I can hook him into a story, then I know I'm
onto something.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection, anything at all?
DS: Yes - did the stories stir up any strong feelings?
TSR: How does
it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
DS: Wonderful!
TSR:
What are you working on now?
DS: More
short stories, naturally. My other professional credits include
television scripts, so I'm trying to find markets for my screenplays
and stage plays. Medical writing is also a staple.
TSR:
What are
the three most recent short story collections you've read?
DS: The Best Australian Stories 2008 edited by Delia Falconer; Ten Years of Things That Didn't Kill us edited by Daniel Watson et al; and, How it Ended
by Jay McInerney. It's a good thing you didn't ask me which collections
I'm planning on reading, because my bookshelves are bowing under the
weight. I appreciate novels, of course, but short stories are closest
to my heart.
|
