Georgia Boon, London Independent Story Prize 2024 2nd Competition Short Story Finalist 'The Wound on Francesca Miller's Arm'

London Independent Story Prize 2024 2nd Competition Short Story Finalist 'The Wound on Francesca Miller's Arm' by Georgia Boon

When and how did you get into writing?

I loved writing when I was a child but once I started work and had a family, it fell out of my life. I wrote a short satirical piece in 2019 that was one of the winners in a local competition: Stroud Short Stories. It was the first piece I’d ever shown to anyone, and getting that win and the encouragement of judge John Holland made me commit to writing every day. Since then I’ve had more than eighteen stories either published in magazines, or shortlisted in competitions, as well as having my work featured on BBC Radio. I’ve also written two novels: one of them isn’t very good and is in the bottom of a dusty drawer now, but I’m on a third draft of the second one.

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

I write every day.  I mostly write in the mornings before everyone wakes up, and I often write on the train if I am travelling for work. I tend to work on lots of pieces at once rather than finish a piece and then go onto the next thing. I am inspired by everything and anything: tiny details I see when I’m out for a walk; conversations I overhear; memories.

How does it feel to have your work recognised?

It feels absolutely amazing! One thing I’ve learned is that it’s just as satisfying for a close friend or family member to find something really meaningful for them in your story as it is for it to win a prize!

What's the best and most challenging thing about writing a story?

For me, the most challenging thing is knowing when to stop. Sometimes I keep editing for far too long and lose the original essence of the piece.

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 had the idea for The Wound on Francesca Miller’s Arm when I was out for a run and bumped into my teenage daughter outside her school. She gave me a cheery wave and I thought ‘Huh, I would have been so embarrassed if that had been my mum when I was a teenager!’ I’d lost both of my parents by the time I was 40, and I have thought a lot about how we respond to parental illness and mortality.  So all of those themes combined to make the story. It took me a few months to write the first draft. Then I showed it to a friend who I’m in a writer’s group with, and I made some changes based on her feedback.

Can you please give us a few tips about writing a story?

Never be afraid of trying to do the impossible in your story, whether that’s evoking an emotion, or a place, or trying an outlandish plot! If you push yourself, you’ll achieve more than you can think is possible.

What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions?

I love reading other people’s pieces from the competitions I enter, whether I win or lose! At first, rejections are really tough, but you build resilience slowly and it’s worth it for the encouragement and small successes you get along the way. 

Lastly, do you recommend the writers submit to LISP?

Absolutely! It’s a great competition and the quality of the work is so high.  It’s amazing to get this recognition and be part of such a supportive community!