Every year we have a talented collection of participants whose work is featured at our Gala. Over the next few weeks, we will interview and get to know some of our writers from the 2024 Gala: Twist of Fate.
Next up is Shelly Fitness! Check out her interview below.
1. How did it feel to have your work performed at the Gala?
It was amazing to hear my piece come alive with expression and tone and colour and to hear people laughing at all the appropriate bits. I’ve never had my writing performed to a live audience before and it was a real treat.
2. What is something you’d like to achieve with writing?
Ultimately I’d love to have a book published and for it to be wildly successful and loved by many people. It would be a book that would not just entertain, but challenge the way people think about things and see the world.
3. How has your writing grown over the years?
I used to enjoy writing fiction and poetry a lot but when I became a school principal, writing became my best vehicle for communication, particularly during the COVID years when face-to-face contact wasn’t as accessible. Because of my job, my writing became more about function, communication and clarity. Since working with WGI I have enjoyed delving into fiction again, although now that I am older, more and more of that fiction is based on my own experiences and comes from a more authentic voice.
4. What are some of your favorite books, TV shows, movies?
So many favourite books!
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. It stretched my mind in so many different ways.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo really hit me in the heart.
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey. I’ll read anything written by this man, but this is my fave.
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld. Devastatingly beautiful.
And I love a good autobiography, my favourite of all time being Mike Tyson’s for its raw and brutal honesty.
5. What do you like to do for fun (other than writing)?
My wife and I love to travel. Living in New Zealand means everything is so far away so when we travel we make the most of it. I’m also a qualified yoga instructor and yoga and meditation are a big part of my daily routines.
6. How did participating in a WGI (Writers Guild Initiative) workshop help your writing, (if so)?
It got me “back on the wagon”. My writing had been reduced to work-writing and journaling. WGI re-ignited the writing spark for me, got me excited about writing and gave me the courage to share my writing with others. It gave my writing purpose and validated that writing is something I love and something that excites me.
7. What/Who inspires your writing?
A million things. A conversation I over hear. A story I see in the newspaper. Past and present relationships. Words I love. Things I see and ponder when I’m travelling. My own thoughts about things.
8. What is your favorite piece of writing (by you or otherwise)?
I love the poem Tigers by A.D. Hope, it’s always been a favourite.
There’s also a passage in the novel A Million Little Pieces by James Frey that describes undergoing dental work with no painkillers that I think is just a brilliant example of fantastic storytelling.
9. Any advice, tips, resources or guidance you’d like to share for someone who wants to write?
In our WGI workshop our mentors did this thing where they just gave us writing prompt after writing prompt after writing prompt and we only had two minutes to write on each. We did it for over an hour. We were all left with such a gold mine of ideas and possibilities that I’m still mining. A great idea for anyone who is feeling a bit “stuck”.
