Our Writer Of The Week is author Sheelagh Mooney. Sheelagh’s story, “Luck Of The Irish”, appears in the March 15 issue, on sale now.
There’s a pleasing romance in your story. Do you find romance easy to write?
I wouldn’t say easy, but it’s certainly a genre I enjoy writing. Especially if I feel I have managed to create the atmosphere that allows the romance to blossom and unfold in a meaningful way.
Ireland has a rich storytelling history. What is it about your homeland that inspires you as a writer?
Before books were widely available, the oral tradition of storytelling played a central role in passing down Ireland’s history, culture and mythology from generation to generation. Ireland is still filled with storytellers though; every community has their own. My own mother was great for fireside tales of family history. I often like to weave aspects of those stories into my writing. This hopefully invokes the readers’ own memories and imagination in the process.
What’s your favourite part of writing stories?
I love creating and developing characters to the point where they come alive and have their own independent mind and spirit. Sometimes the characters are so vivid that they are with me constantly. I’m almost reluctant to say goodbye to them when the story comes to a natural end.
Another aspect of writing stories that I really enjoy is the process of whittling, refining and editing once I have the bones of the narrative written down.
How do you choose your characters’ names?
That depends on the type of story. First, I try to ensure that the names of the characters reflect the time period and location that they live in. In “Luck Of The Irish”, which is set in the area I grew up in, I borrowed some names from my maternal antecedents. Most of the time, though, I choose names that just seem to fit the characters evolving in my head. That is one of the beauties of creating your characters – you get to be in charge of picking and choosing their names, their traits and characteristics.
If it were possible, which book would you like to read again for the first time?
Despite all the books I’ve read over the years, I think the ones that have influenced me the most were Enid Blyton’s “St. Clare’s” or “Malory Towers”. The books would transport me from a farm in County Meath, Ireland, to an English boarding school, where midnight feasts with exotic ingredients seemed to be de rigueur! They were probably the first books that opened up the wider world to me and all the possibilities that lay beyond.
Notebook and pencil or laptop? Kitchen table or study? Blank wall or inspiring view?
Mostly laptop, but sometimes notebook and pencil. Occasionally I’m halfway through a walk in the nearby forest when I get an interesting idea and, of course, I have no writing material at hand. So, poor bewildered George (the dog!) gets raced home before I lose the thought.
Regarding views, I think inspiring ones work best for me in the initial stages, and then the blank wall works well for editing purposes.
What’s your one top tip for aspiring writers?
Read widely, particularly the magazines that you hope to get published in. Oh, and develop your rhinoceros skin to withstand rejections, which are, of course, just a part of the writing process.
Thanks Sheelagh, it’s been lovely talking to you!
You can buy issues of “The People’s Friend” on Mags Direct, in newsagents and supermarkets every Wednesday, or by money-saving subscription.
If you enjoy fiction, don’t miss our stories and serials online, too.
Allison Hay I joined the "My Weekly" team thirteen years ago and, more recently, "The People's Friend". I love the variety of topics we cover both online and in the magazines. I manage the digital content for the brands, sharing features and information on the website, social media and in our digital newsletters.
