Bath is well-known for its literary associations, the most famous being Jane Austen, who spent only a few years in the city and had a conflicted relationship with it. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, Jane wrote of her ‘happy feelings of Escape’ on leaving. That said, Bath is mentioned in all her novels and features most prominently in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, where the heroine Catherine Morland declares ‘Oh! Who can be ever tired of Bath?’ Certainly not the thousands from all over the world who will gather here this year to attend the balls and events to mark the 250^th anniversary of Jane’s birth.

Jane died in Winchester in July, 1817 and, in the same year in Bath, a very young Mary Shelley was writing the final draft of Frankenstein. The house where she lodged from 1816 to 1817, at No. 5 Abbey Churchyard next to the entrance to the Pump Rooms, has since been demolished with just a plaque to mark the significance of her presence in the city. We do not have a Mary Shelley festival in Bath ─ yet ─ but her contribution to literature cannot be underestimated. Frankenstein may well be the first science fiction novel and certainly its exploration of morality and ethics through science, using the framework of good Gothic horror, makes it a tour de force. And written by a woman too. The first edition was published in 1818 anonymously and it wasn’t until 1821 that Mary Shelley was credited as the author. Jane Austen suffered the same lack of recognition as her early works carried ‘By a lady’ in lieu of her name. In December 1817, five months after her death, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, which is basically a parody of bad Gothic fiction, were published with Austen identified as the author.

Early 19^th Century book lovers would be spoilt for choice in the offerings of that time and we’re delighted that Bath continues to champion literature through its many excellent independent bookshops especially Mr B’s who have continued to support our award, the local festivals and opportunities for writers.

Bath Short Story Award, in its fourteenth year, continues to attract an exciting range of talent from all over the world. Our current prize closes on March 31^st and we’re looking for stories in any genre. All shortlisted stories will be published in our 2025 anthology.

Jane

Congratulations again Connor on winning our 2024 Bath Short Story Competition and thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions for our blog.

Our judge, Sophie Haydock, commented that this was a ‘surprising story’ and I really agree with her. Finding an unusual subject/perspective helps a story stand out. Can you tell us where you had the idea for ‘To Hail the Pale Horse Rider’?

It was surprising to me as well! I usually find my way into a story through some strong, arresting image that resonates with me in a very particular way and refuses to let go, and in this case it was a man sunbathing in an industrial park. I’d heard a true crime podcast describe a serial killer called The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Row do this during his crime spree in Cleveland in the 1930s, and apparently bodies started showing up around that construction site shortly afterwards. I didn’t particularly want to write about a serial killer, but the image of a strange, grown man doing that was something that I couldn’t shake.

The rest of the story developed around that, a lot of it having to do with the way I was feeling at the time I wrote it. I had just moved to Belfast to pursue my master’s degree, had never lived abroad before, didn’t know anybody yet and was questioning my decision to take such a big step on relatively short notice. I’m extremely glad, now, that I did, but at the time I was feeling very anxious. Worrying a lot in a vague, lingering way that never seemed to fully touch—or crash—down, which is definitely a feeling that worked its way into this story.

Your winning story has so many layers and is very unsettling. Do you spend a lot of time drafting/editing? I’m really interested to hear about your process?

Yes, I do spend a good deal of time editing. I’d say it’s at least 50/50 versus the writing of the first draft, but often quite a bit more on the editing end.

The first draft is always strictly for me, with nobody else in mind, including the reader. This draft is unfit for human consumption and I would be horrified for anybody to see it. At this point I’m really just trying to get a sense of the story—its shape, who the characters are, what the meaning or meanings are underneath the plot. When I’ve finished, I’ll take a week or two away so that I can come back with fresh eyes for the second draft.

For the second one, I keep a reader in mind—usually a couple of people whose opinions I value and trust, and I’ll edit based on what I imagine they’d say. I also edit for grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. as I go along, so these drafts tend to be okay from a technical perspective and I can spend the later read-throughs focusing on other aspects of the story.

For the last part of the process, I’m mainly trying to get the whole thing to feel right on a gut level. It never ends up feeling 100% okay, of course. But when I get to the point where I’m spending a good chunk of time deliberating over single words or a comma versus a period, that’s usually a sign that I’m nearing the limits of my editing abilities and that the story is as ready as it’s ever going to be to ship out. This part can be anywhere from 10-20 read-throughs, at least, and might take a few weeks to a couple of months.

You said in your bio that you’re an aspiring novelist and you obviously clearly enjoy writing stories too. Do you write in both forms simultaneously? How do you know when an idea is better suited to a short story?

That’s something I’m still trying to work out at the moment, actually! As a rule, I work on one project at a time and see it through to the end before beginning something else. That’s what I’ve been doing with my book for the last six months or so, but there’s a contest coming up in April that I’d really love to submit something to. I’m considering taking a brief break to write something for that.

All my stories, really, have started as short stories. They stay that way when I can see all the way to the end—at least in a rough way, where I have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen. But when they just keep going and new things open up, when new characters emerge and it’s not clear how things get worked out, that’s been a sign to me that there might be a bigger story to tell. Figuring out where the line is between these two is definitely still a work in progress.

What short story writers do you enjoy reading? Are there any you’d recommend?

Oh man, so many! Stephen King for sure—Full Dark, No Stars has some of my favorites from him. Shirley Jackson, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Flannery O’Connor are also right up my alley, and Carmen Maria Machado has an amazing collection called Her Body and Other Parties that I couldn’t recommend enough. Really, anything that’s dark and atmospheric and touches on murder either directly or indirectly as a function of plot is probably going to be catnip for me.

Finally, any advice for writers entering this year’s award?
I hardly feel qualified to be dispensing advice, but if I had any it would be to write whatever captures your interest and has done for some time. If an idea has been lingering for a while and won’t let go, then see where it leads, and don’t let fear or other people’s opinions enter the equation. Additionally, the books On Writing and The War of Art by Stephen King and Steven Pressfield, respectively, were both enormously impactful to the development of my writing practice. I’d highly recommend checking them out—they’re full of much better advice than I can give!

Our 2025 prize closes on 31st March. We look forward to reading your stories!
Alison