Creative Writing

Gina and Tom have just got engaged. But she’s got a secret and worries about his reaction when he discovers the truth. She’s also got an interview for the Director of Sales job, but she has some unexpected competition. How will Tom react when he discovers her secret? And will she win the Director of Sales job or is fate leading her in a different direction?

Download: Stuck Between A Rock… (PDF)

Stuck Between A Rock… was the first short story I have ever wrote. It was wrote, edited and submitted to The White Review Short Story Prize. I didn’t get shortlisted but learnt a lot from the experience including:

• I can actually start and finish a story. Might not sound like a big deal to you, but in the past I’ve started novel-size ideas and never finished them.
• The story idea was too big for the word count. I had to cut out entire scenes and it was difficult to show the transformation that takes place within Gina.
• The story lacked the element of fantasy associated with the chick-lit genere I aimed to write in. Most people read chick-lit for escapism and it was far too real life for the genere.
• The editing process is hard. Once I’d cut out the overwriting and repeats I nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to workout what else to cut.
• When submitting a story to a competition know the story of things that have won in the past. The White Review for example publish alternative and weird pieces of literature, mine was far too mainstream.

I welcome feedback, comments and constructive criticism for Stuck Between A Rock… You can post a comment here or contact me.

Number of Downloads: 683 (application/pdf)

Last Updated: Wednesday 10th September 2014.