Writer Of The Week: Charmaine Fletcher

Our Writer Of The Week is Charmaine Fletcher. Charmaine’s story, “Done And Dusted”, appears in the February 22 cosy crime fiction mini mag. 

“Done And Dusted” makes for a page-turning read. How much time do you spend refining your plotlines?

Plots tend to come easily to me, so I type them in one go, then doublecheck facts and even words (for historical usage) to maximise accuracy. If I have a day or so, I’ll leave the story (while working on something else) and return to it. In the meantime, should something need amending, I make notes and do that soon after. It’s important to be a judicious yet unsentimental editor, but not to labour rewriting because that can ruin the soul or essence of a story.

I can guess crime is a favourite genre of yours to write? Do you have any others?

I simply love writing and the thrill of a challenge, so I will happily tackle most popular genres – and yes, I do relish a crime story! Although something else I really enjoy creating is a proper, old-fashioned ghost story. By that I mean something chilling and poignant but not terrifying. My most recent one is: “Wild Justice”, which has a touch of comedy, too.

Nemesis or protagonist? Which is your favourite to write and why?

I enjoy writing both. But if I had to choose, it would be a good, strong protagonist because, really, they carry the story. That said, if they also have a truly nasty adversary to contend with and a difficult problem to overcome, then so much the better for me and, hopefully, the reader.

What one lesson have you learned from your writing over the years? Any regrets?

There are many lessons to be learned when writing but the most important is to enjoy it for itself alone. I try to anticipate likely regrets to avoid walking down that path, but if I had one it might be not writing fiction for the professional market sooner. That said, had I done so, without the necessary life experience, I might not have been the writer I am today – “fearless” as my husband says!

In the “Friend” every story appears with an illustration. As a writer, how much do you value the accompanying images?

As a child, I was an early and voracious reader, while my mother adored magazines – a match made in heaven. Consequently, I pored over the stories and, loving art, too, marvelled at the skill involved in bringing them to life. “Friend” illustrators are amazingly talented – having written a story, it’s always exciting to see how they’ve interpreted my characters and settings. Also, I think that eye-catching illustrations are invaluable for attracting readers to stories and making them memorable.

Some say short story writing has fallen out of fashion. What are your thoughts on the matter?

I am surprised to hear this because, in addition to writing short stories, naturally, I enjoy reading them and know that others do, too. Also, apart from those in magazines, short stories evidently continue to be available as anthologies in numerous genres by various writers. Although I can’t help wondering if the impression that they’re falling out of favour is because these aren’t being heavily promoted, unlike novels. 

Writing short stories also requires imagination, discipline and skill. Consequently, they shouldn’t be underestimated and are a great way to start any literary endeavour or even career. After all, many popular writers, old and new, began by writing magazine short stories. In our apparently time-poor world, they are the perfect read!