Author of Short stories and Flash fiction
Joining me today is Havelah McLat. Author of short stories and a lover of flash fiction.
Welcome Havelah. Now, I know you love writing short stories and have a few posted for free to various websites as well as your own website. What started you off writing?
Havelah: One of my oldest siblings got me into writing. It all started when I asked her to write a story with my fairy characters, and she did. At that point, that’s how my writing journey began. I started off with short fairy stories less than a thousand words and now I like to write longer stories.
Helen: What made you choose short stories? I always struggle to keep to a word count; my novels tend to be getting longer!
Havelah: When I first started writing stories, I was finding my style and voice. I was a newbie writer and knew very little about writing. One thing about short stories, they help you develop better in writing and learning about different skills in general.
Helen: You’ve written fairy tales, what else do you write about?
Havelah: I like to write a variety of genres. I’ve written stories that are fantasy, or inspirational, and sometimes historical fiction. I like to write fantasy because it gives me freedom to be creative and have fun. Especially with fairy stories.
Helen: Tell us about your writing space. You mentioned you have a large family, it must be difficult to find peace and quiet to write.
Havelah: In my room, on my bed. But now I’m trying to break that habit and write at my desk more. I feel the need to sit on a chair and desk in front of me and write that way and have a candle next to me. Sometimes if the weather is nice and cool, I would write outside. But most of the time, I write in my room, alone. I prefer drafting or revision. I guess it depends on what story I’m doing. I’m not too good at editing. Especially when it comes to grammar and tenses.
Helen: Do you plan your stories or let them take you where they will? I imagine for a short story you have to be more concise?
Havelah: I’m in the middle. I usually know if the story is going to be long or short. I don’t always know how everything is going to be, but often I know how the story will go. I tried one time doing outlines for one story, but I decided to let the story play out and see how they unfold in the process. Every writer did things differently, which is okay. I don’t mind it all. In fact, it is kind of fun.
Helen: I’m glad you have a cosy corner. I love candles too. Do you prefer silence to write? Does the help you concentrate?
Havelah: I do like to listen to music. Uh, I have a list of songs I randomly listen to when I write. Some are up-lifting, fantasy instrumentals, Christian songs, and country songs, and Folklore by Taylor Swift. They have a way to keep me motivated and give me inspiration for stories.
Helen: Which type of characters do enjoy writing the most? Villains or heroes?
Havelah: I honestly don’t mind doing both. There is one in my recent draft I finished. He is my first antagonist I’ve created. It was a fun yet challenging experience. I don’t want to say much because I don’t want to spoil any. You might read it in the future 😉
Helen: I bet you are a big reader, most authors are! What do you like to read? Are you reading anything right now?
Havelah: I recently read two books The Wing Thief and Sing Me Forgotten. Both fantasies, but one is a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, gender swap, and the other is a fairy adventure. They are both great stories and I highly recommend them.
I am currently reading The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Montron, a historical fiction, and Wonder by R.J. Pallacio. By the time this is post, I’ll probably have finished them both and will be reading other books on my TBR list. Always a never-ending list of books to read :D.
Helen: You are a prolific reader! Tell us how do you get ideas for new stories?
Havelah: Every project I do is different. Some will be inspirations from Pinterest pictures or watch movies and books. Half of the time, they are inspired by real life. Other times, I like to try and think up stories for fun.
Helen: Thank you for your time today, Havelah. It’s been lovely talking with you. Just to bring us to a close, tell us why you’d decided to give away your children’s short stories for free.
Havelah: I felt writing short fiction was a good way to begin my writing career. I self-published on Smashwords for a start, because I wasn’t sure anyone would be interested in buying ebooks, I want to provide the ebooks and in return for a review.
I do have three self-published eBooks all available on my website, or you can get them on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and iBook. They are short and fun to read for young children, but adults are more than welcome to read them too. All of them are free. In return, I would appreciate a review. I also published a flash fiction The Whole of the Moon in There is Us an Anthology and Catharsis in LitStream Literature Magazine. You can visit havelahmclat.com. Please don’t forget to sign up for a newsletter for monthly guest blogs. If you want to be part of the guest blog, contact me and we will work out the schedule.
About Havelah McLat:
My name is Havelah McLat. I’m an author of children’s collection stories and have published one story The Whole of the Moon in There is Us Anthology and flash fiction Catharsis in Litstream Literary Magazine.
I lived in a small town on a farm. I come from a family of seven siblings and two parents. I like to take care of chickens, and help around the house. When I’m not doing those things or writing, I like to draw and listen to music, or ride a bike or take a walk and read a book, and sometimes watch YouTube videos to learn more about publishing industry.
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