A NEW book of short and micro stories written on the Border traverses time and place to bring its single characters to life.
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Albury writer Robyne Young recently launched her fictional anthology Single Shots, which explores singledom through five short stories and five "shots"; micro-works of about 60 words.
"The stories take the reader from contemporary Australia to country Australia in the early part of the 20th century, London in the 1960s and to the Tokyo Olympics through the characters of a single contemplating a new relationship, a 21-year-old art student in London with a secret, a guitar pining for quieter rhythms, a retirement home resident facing the tyrant of time and a mother wondering where her finish line is," she said.
"I thought it would be fun to play with form and decided that between each short story of a more traditional length, I would create the shots; much shorter stories that had to fit within the shot glass shape on the page and tell this woman's story.
"It's challenging but also fun to use less words to tell a story, to work within that constraint."
Young's flash and micro-fiction had been published in online journals and the new anthology allowed her to hone those skills.
The publication of Single Shots was funded by a Create NSW Restart microgrant, which was distributed by Booranga Writers' Centre.
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Young said the short story form was one of her favourite genres and it had brought her success.
"I have had six short stories and a poem published in fourW anthologies produced by Booranga Writers' Centre that supports writers in the Riverina region through member workshops and workshops by writers in residence," Young said.
Young also recently completed her first novel inspired by her great-grandfather's experience of being orphaned at age seven by the measles epidemic in Fiji in 1875 before coming to Australia.
"John King's experience was the seed for the novel, but the main character's life and that of his Fijian and adopted families comes from my imagination," she said.
A writing workshop presenter herself, Young said writing a novel was quite different to short stories.
"Each form requires its own discipline and skill set," Young said.
"I think about the story I want to tell and then choose the form that suits that best - and that may be a 60-word micro-fiction or a novel of 85,000 words."
Single Shots is available from Dymocks Albury, The Chocolate Labrador and from robyneyoung.com.au.
- Young will have a book signing at Dymocks Albury on Saturday from 10am.
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