Getting to know... Warren Thorpe
1. How did you get into writing? Do you remember what was the first story or poem that you wrote?
Apart from a lifelong interest in photography, I used to say that I hadn’t a creative bone in my body, but was basically a technician (my early training was in Science). Then about six years ago I attended a creative writing class and this sparked my interest in writing per se. I think the first story I ever wrote was Moonlight, about three small boys walking home through the dark countryside after a Nativity play rehearsal, frightening each other with ghost stories.
2. If you had to describe your writing style in three words, what would they be?
Innovative. Thought-provoking. Distinctive.
3. 'You call that art?' is a well crafted short story with an amusing ending. Do you consider yourself a comic writer?
I’ve never thought of myself as a comic writer, but almost all my work has an element of dry humour in it. I’ve always had an eye for the ludicrous and an ability to appreciate the humour in real-life situations.
4. Excluding your own story, which would you say was your favourite in Beyond the Horizon?
I found it impossible to choose one favourite from such a variety of contributions, so many of which are of high quality.
5. What have you been up to since Beyond the Horizon was published?
I’ve just finished a 7,000 word sci-fi story centring around the 1962 Cuba Crisis, which I’m quite pleased with. It has been well-received so far, and I will be submitting it to publishers in the near future. I’ve also completed several shorter pieces on various themes ranging from an updated take on the Three Wise Men to the unhappy consequences of marital discord in Birmingham.
6. What are your goals for the future in terms of writing?
I intend to modify my first novel (130,000 words). Feedback from agents and others has been generally positive, but the book falls between two genres – Fantasy and Social Realism. I am also enjoying writing a family saga set in the North-East where I spent my formative years, which is about half-finished. Short stories continue to develop organically on a daily basis (about forty completed so far), and I can’t resist putting them on the laptop, to one day share with other people. My work is primarily character-driven, and the short story gives me the maximum opportunity to develop these in the shortest possible time, in order to continue to reflect the world as I see it.