Jenny Roman

Love all things equestrian? So does Jenny Roman! Her first short story appeared in PONY magazine way back when she was 17. Since then, her fiction has appeared in all kinds of magazines including Writers’ Forum, Woman’s Weekly, The People’s Friend, The Weekly News and Yours. Her stories have also been published online, and in anthologies.

More recently, she's returned to equestrian fiction, writing two collections of short stories, and then releasing a full length novel - the first of a trilogy.

Jenny has an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University, and blogs about all things writing-related at jennyroman.wordpress.com.

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To help you get to know her better, Jenny has answered a few questions below:

Q: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

A: The world doesn’t owe you any favours! If you want to be a writer, you simply have to write - just get on with it. There won’t be a time in the future when it magically gets easier. But, little and often is the way forward - write just 200 words a day, and you'll be amazed by your progress.

Q: Do you have any writing-related regrets?

A: Blimey, where to start! The usual one about not working hard enough on writing when I was younger. Not following up potential leads because I didn’t realise their significance at the time (e.g. a rejection letter I received in my twenties from a leading publisher which, at the bottom, had a scribbled handwritten note telling me that what I’d submitted was good, there just wasn’t enough of it to take it forward. I now can’t believe I didn’t crack on and submit something else to this lovely person who had taken time to make a personal comment, but I simply did not realise at the time how precious this was). I also wish I’d got into eBooks earlier than I did. Oh, and as part of my MA, we had to write an essay about a writer who had inspired/had an impact on our own writing. I wrote about D H Lawrence. Whilst I do think D H Lawrence did have some impact on my writing, it in no way measures up to the impact of Monica Dickens who was one of my favourite childhood authors. Monica’s books made a huge impression on pony-mad me - and I betrayed her because I felt that Lawrence was a more fitting subject for a Master’s level essay. I kind of knew I was making a mistake at the time. It’s a little thing, but it has always bugged me since. Sorry Monica.

Q: Does writing energise or exhaust you?

A: Mostly energise, I’d say. I usually find that even if I’m shattered and the very thought of writing feels me with gloom, once I force myself to get started, I feel much better for it. And of course, when it’s going really well, nothing can beat it! I guess if I’ve pushed myself to achieve a specific high word count for a period of time, I feel pretty shattered at the end of the process, but it’s a good tired, like when you’ve dug over your garden. You feel like you’ve achieved something.

Q: Do you think it is possible to teach someone to write creatively?

A: I think it’s like many other subjects - a teacher can teach tools and techniques, but it’s up to the student to learn them and to practise the craft. As an aspiring writer, you have to put the hours in writing, putting into practice the techniques you’ve heard about. You also need to read widely and extensively. Mostly though, you’ve got to really want to write. This desire will help carry you through when the first flush of enthusiasm has dissipated. No-one can teach desire.