Writer

 

My short fiction has appeared in various journals and anthologies, including Bending Genres, Cheap Pop, Craft Literary, FlashBack Fiction, Fictive Dream, Fractured Lit, Ghost Parachute, Gone Lawn, MoonPark Review, New Flash Fiction Review, and Tiny Molecules.

 

In 2020, I was included on the Biffy 50 list celebrating the best British and Irish flash fiction writers. I have also been included in Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions, and the Wigleaf Top 50.

 

In 2022, I received an Arts Council DYCP grant to help me take the step from writing short fiction to writing longer work, and I am currently drafting a slightly off-the-wall novel alongside a mirrored collection of prose poetry and flash fiction.

Teacher

 

Over the last five years, I have written and developed a series of two-week writing courses under the umbrella of "Write Beyond the Lightbulb." Each course focuses on different techniques and ideas to help a writer polish up their prose, covering such wonders as anadiplosis, anaphora, appositives, collective nouns, epizeuxis, left-branching sentences, metaphors, similes, synaesthesia, and transferred epithets. The series consists of "Colourful Characters", "Glorious Words", "Go With The Flow", and "Lyrical Writing."

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I also teach Zoom-based workshops on things such as editing technique, creating new words for new worlds, ekphrastic writing, humour, voice, and hope-filled stories. I often teach these as part of writing festivals and have previously worked with Flash Fiction Festival, Lucent Dreaming, Retreat West and Writers' HQ among others.

Newsletter

 

Every month, I publish a newsletter called "Prattlefog & Gravelrap" where I delve into a particular element of writing craft. Previous editions have tackled topics such as character uniqueness, creating depth in our stories, dealing with declines, finding focus, knotty sentences, pacing, endings, titles, and voice. The archive is freely available to anyone who might find these useful.

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I also publish a second newsletter called "Mondettes" in which I invite a writing friend to recommend ten pieces of flash fiction as well as saying why those pieces work for them and offering a couple of writing prompts.

Editor

 

With six years' experience as a freelance editor, I offer editorial services across everything from flash fiction up to novels, and at both the macro (structure / narrative) and micro (word choices / sentence flow) levels of editorial intervention.

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I always aim for my feedback to be constructive, actionable and encouraging, and I hope that my editorial reports help a writer not just with their current project, but also with their future work.

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I have completed training with both the Chartered Institute of Editorial Professionals (CIEP) and the Publishing Training Centre (PTC). Over the past six years, I have had the privilege to work with over three hundred writers and am always excited to discover new work.

Spoonie

 

Since 2017, I have lived with a chronic health condition (I call him "Trevor") that incorporates a whole constellation of issues and drastically limits my possibility of leading a full life. Whilst this is frustrating and often extremely debilitating, discovering my love for writing as well as developing my freelance editing and teaching practice has been a wonderful silver lining.

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Mostly, I try not to let Trevor affect my work. However, there is always the chance that he will, and I ask that all writers bear this in mind in advance of choosing to work with me. Sometimes, my illness means I am not the speediest at replying to emails (I generally aim to reply within ten working days). Sometimes, I am unable to meet deadlines. On very rare occasions, I have had to cancel an event, course or workshop at short notice.

Contact

 

If you would like to work with me, or if you have a query regarding my writing, editorial services or courses, please get in touch on matt@mattkendrick.co.uk