Daniela Norris, LISP 2nd Half 2019 Longlisted Writer

-Can you please tell us about you? Where do you live and how is your daily

life? 

I currently live in Truro, Cornwall - and write both fiction and non-fiction. I recently

moved here from France, where I previously lived for over 15 years. I love living in

Cornwall and find the place and the people very inspiring!

When did you start writing? How often do you write? Please feel free to

mention your previously published works or awards or any other

achievements in writing. We want to learn all about your writing life!

I wrote stories from a very early age and always knew I wanted to be a writer, but

also knew I needed to experience life before I wrote about it. After two years in the

military, four as a student and flight attendant, one as a translator and five as a

diplomat, I started writing and publishing my work.

My non-fiction topics range from politics through Past Lives and all they way to

Olympic Fencing, and the fiction is short stories - and most recently two novels

titled Recognitions and Premonitions. Both novels are published by Roundfire

Books - Recognitions was out in 2016 and Premonitions in June 2019. My most

recent title is From Last to First: a parent's guide to Fencing success, which I co-

authored with GBR national Sabre coach, Jon Salfield, will be out from

Changemakers Books In March 2020.

I am now working on Precognitions, the third novel in this same trilogy, with themes

of past lives and the possibly pre-determined role of people we meet!

-How did you feel when you learned that you were long-listed for the London

Independent Story Prize? How does it feel to have your work recognized?

It feels great, of course. However, in the writing life there are many ups and downs,

and if you are passionate about your writing and not only doing it for recognition,

you’ll keep writing no matter what.

-Can you please give us a few tips about writing a 300-word flash-fiction

story?

The best tip I can give is: know what you want to say and find an unusual way of

saying it. I am still experimenting with this form myself - and each piece of flash-

fiction I write is very different to the others. Experiment and dare to try different

forms, until you find what works for you.

-What's the best thing and the hardest thing about writing a Flash-Fiction? 

When writing longer fiction, or even non fiction, the canvas is larger and you can

paint a picture with more details. In flash fiction - which is actually a new form for

me - you need to be more focused, and able to tell your story in fewer words... this

is both the best and the hardest thing about writing it!  

-What's the best thing about writing competitions?

I love entering competitions because it does give me an incentive to finish work by

a specific deadline, and to experiment with different genres of writing.

Communication with other writers and reading their work is always great, and if

some form of recognition comes, too, then that’s an absolute bonus. 

-Lastly, do you recommend the writers to give it a go on flash fiction story

and LISP?

I do! This is one of my debut attempts at writing flash-fiction and I am so thrilled it is

getting some recognition. This motivates me to explore this genre further and I

definitely recommend giving it a go. You never know what you’re able to create,

until you try!

Click to read Daniel's longlisted story!