Writer Of The Week: Kate Blackadder
Kate, thank you for joining us as Writer Of The Week. Tell us a little bit about your story, ‘More Than Memories’, which appears in our June 3 issue. What inspired you to write this story?
Memory is such an interesting subject. I have a good memory (so far) for faces and names and can remember whole poems I learned at school. But if I learn a new one now it doesn’t stick! Memories can be triggered by smells or sounds or, as in my story, by some gentle prompting.
What challenges (if any) have you faced, as a writer?
Having worked in the past as a freelance editor I find it hard not to edit as I go along, so progress is slow.
Who do you find inspiring, when it comes to writing?
I’ve been attending a creative writing class for about twenty years and I’m constantly inspired by my classmates. We have different life experiences but have come together because we all love words.
I’m a member of Edinburgh Writers’ Club and the same is true there.
What are your favourite books and/or authors?
Contemporary favourites include Mary Lawson, Katherine Heiny and Anne Tyler, and I’ve just spent a whole weekend reading the latest Robert Galbraith!
What are your writing goals for the future?
To try not to edit as I go along … To keep writing stories and serials for The People’s Friend. I’m halfway through writing my sixth serial – it’s set in the same community as ‘The Saturday Scribblers’ which was published in 2021.
Any advice for aspiring ‘Friend’ authors?
Keep the layout of the magazine in your head while you are writing and imagine your story in it.
