Mehdi Punjwani is a Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

When I was younger I’d read a lot of horror, from Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King in particular, but I suppose writers like Lee Child and John Grisham were quite influential on my writing style. It’s why I enjoy writing thrillers, the excitement from reading Jack Reacher novels was second to none.

What’s your favourite genre and why?

Horrors, crime thrillers and mystery novels are fantastic, I love a well-constructed plot; they make for great page turners.

What are you currently reading (or what was the last thing you read)?

Watership Down, by Richard Adams. It’s a break from what I normally read but the descriptive writing is incredible, and I’m learning a lot from it already.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

I don’t really have a solid routine at the moment, but generally I try to write a chapter by chapter plan in bullet points before starting the actual piece. It’s an easy way to put thoughts to paper.

You can read Mehdi’s short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find him on Twitter at @mhp94

Kate McKim is a Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

It’s hard to choose a mere couple of writers who have influenced me as I am influenced in one way or another by every writer whose work I’ve read, however I would say that the strongest influences for my writing at the moment are Ray Bradbury, John Green and David Handler. Ray Bradbury’s short story The Veldt will always be one of my favourite short stories. Bradbury’s ability to create an immersive world that is so technologically advanced interests me; the house in which the characters live is full of machines that can cook, clean, rock the children to sleep and look after their general needs. Upon reading The Veldt I was inspired to try and create thought provoking immersive stories that deeply affect the reader. After reading Handler’s illustrated novel Why We Broke Up, I was inspired to incorporate experimental aspects into my fiction such as photos and illustrative drawings. Additionally, I am interested in YA novels and consequently have been inspired by John Green to create a distinct voice for the protagonists that narrate my stories.

What’s your favourite genre and why?

Had I been asked this question a couple of years ago I would’ve said differently, but my favourite genre is science fiction. I am drawn to the genre because I am interested in fully immersive stories, which many science fiction novels and short stories are. Their capability to transport their readers across the galaxy, to different worlds and to imaginative futures will always fascinate me. I often like to read crossover science fiction novels that portray a dark depiction of the future.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading the YA dystopian novel Divergent by Veronica Roth for my dissertation. At the centre of the novel lie questions many teenagers ask themselves today: do I have to act a certain way, do I have to categorise myself based on one factor? The answer to this question is no of course, hence why the protagonist, Tris Prior, struggles to define herself purely through her faction’s value of selflessness.

Can you give a brief insight into your writing process?

My writing process differs for every short story, novel or poem that I write. When I am working on a writing project I keep detailed notes in a diary to record background information on my characters, plot points and dialogue. One of the usual questions people ask writers is whether they completely plan their work or whether they prefer to write and see where their stories lead. I do both, depending on the project I am working on. For my short story that will be published in this year’s anthology, I planned the key moments where a majority of the action takes place. As my story is experimental and includes illustrations, I also wrote a couple of the smaller scenes without planning as I wanted to respond to the implication of each picture.

You can read Kate’s short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find her on Twitter at @katemckim_

Hadiyah Khan is an English with Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

JK Rowling, first and foremost, because although it’s cliche, the Harry Potter books were a really big part of my life for a long time, and helped foster my love of reading. JM Barrie for the same reason. China Mieville because of his ambition to write a novel in every genre (and because I don’t want to become pigeonholed into writing in the same genre all my life).

What’s your favourite genre and why?

Probably Sci-fi because I find it the most engaging to get into, whatever medium it comes in. Sci-fi is guaranteed to get you thinking.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

I do a hell of a lot of planning. When I’m planning a novel I try and get most of it plotted out in bullet points, and a set of bullet points from each main character’s point of view so I can chart their character arcs and avoid plot holes. I like finding inspiration online- sometimes a really great piece of artwork can kick me into gear when I’m being lazy.

What do you want to do after university?

Eventually I’d like to be a published novelist, but while that’s a long-term goal, my short-term goal is to become an editor.

You can read Hadiyah’s short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find her on twitter at @AJElensar and Tumblr at ajelensar.tumblr.com

Erica Wilson is a Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What’s your favourite genre and why?

I love horror, but a particular kind of psychological, suspense horror that explores human nature, as opposed to fantasy or supernatural horror, because it makes it feel much more real. Stuff like that could really happen, which makes it scarier for me.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

I usually start with a character because it’s my favourite part of writing, and plots aren’t my strong point so I have to compensate with really interesting, well developed characters or a killer concept – like I did with my story for the anthology. I went for something experimental that I’ve never done before, which was very rewarding.

What are your interests when you’re not writing?

I play a lot of video games and I enjoy learning languages (Japanese and Danish currently). I am part of the Film Choir at Brunel and an editor for Le Nurb, the student newspaper, which are both very rewarding (though time consuming) experiences.

What do you want to do after university?

I would love to teach English abroad for a few years and build up a portfolio, try to get my work out there. Ideally, I’d love to write lore or scripts for video games but I’m happy to do anything that lets me write!

You can read Erica’s short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

Chris Winn is a Game Design and Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What are you currently reading (or what was the last thing you read)?

The comments section on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEhaVhta7sI

As a fan of playful or experimental writers (Crispin Best, Donald Barthelme) I found myself particularly interested in the comment: ‘Dat Cat is so dumb but in a kawii funny way if i was in a relationship and got a loving cat i’d die of it’s cuteness X3 Can’t help it i love pets’.

Writing is a product of the culture its written within (obv) and thus I enjoy when concepts such as internet/globalist culture can be seen within a writers works – for example, the phrase ‘in a kawii funny way’. The term ‘kawaii’ has Japanese roots and comes from an older term which directly translates as ‘a radiant face’, only recently changing to mean anything which is ‘cute’ or ‘lovable’. The writer is calling the cat cute, commenting on its ‘dumb’ appearance as a key part of what makes it so endearing, labelling it as ‘derpy’, perhaps, and the fact that they thought the best way to do this was to go cross-culture and also cross-meaning, deploying a neologism direct from their globalised, online, postmodern experiences is just smashing.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

I mean, I could try. Shall I talk about the writing process of my short story in the anthology? Ok.

It started with a conversation I had with a friend on a night in drinking together. We were discussing the possibility of opening up a semen collection business together. We got onto the topic of what we would both do if the police pulled us over and opened the back of the van and, well, how would you explain it? This became one of the key paragraphs in the short story and is kind of the seed (lol) from which everything else grew. I find it hard to discuss the actual writing process because I don’t think I’m a particularly good model to learn from. I believe in constantly editing my work as I’m going along, rereading everything ten+ times and trying to make it sound as fluid as possible. This means that I’m capable of producing reasonably well crafted short pieces but anything longer than three or four thousand words takes me a literal age to get through. I know that my writing process usually involves Grooveshark, YouTube and, for this specific piece, doing a lot of research into the corrects ways to store semen. I enjoy doing research as part of my writing as it provides constant mini-breaks from the writing process.

I guess that the lesson to take away from this is that, in my opinion, the worst environment to write in is one where you feel like you can’t escape your own work. If you feel like you have to write then you’ll produce something which fulfils the least viable product and that’s not a good thing. Research provides little windows of escape for my mind, keeping me constantly fresh and editing the work I’m producing as I go along, making sure I never fully melt away into a pool of writer goo.

What are your interests when you’re not writing?

I enjoy playing video games, studying video games, completing my two dissertations and editing both The Psyche Supermarket and Brunel’s first poetry anthology Crush (plug, plug, plug). I’m a student representative for Games Design, module representative for a few different things and a member of the committee for Brunel League of Legends Society. I also fence on the Men’s 2^nd Team for Brunel Fencing and sometimes attend/lose random fencing competitions around London.

What do you want to do after university?

Adult stuff.

You can read Chris’ short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find his portfolio at http://christopher-winn.blogspot.co.uk/

Come along and hear Joe Dunthorne and Ross Raisin talk about their writing and read from their novels on March the 18th at 6.15pm. Booking is essential. Everyone welcome! 

 

Brunel’s second short story anthology by Creative Writing students.

BOOK LAUNCH 11th March 2015, 7pm, Antonin Artaud building.

Book launch will be part of Arts @ Artaud.

EVERYBODY WELCOME

Advanced Bookings: brunelanthology@gmail.com

BOOKS will be ON SALE at £5 each.

Load your shopping trolley with a supermarket full of characters: some deranged and others (almost) normal. These innovative, risk-taking writers have created a supermarket full of stories that explore the world we live in and pick apart the human psyche. Explore death, madness, nightmares and dysfunctional behaviour through stories that are not afraid to show a dark reflection of our world. Discover the inner workings of a nineteenth century ‘freak show’, hear about the horror of supermarkets when you are anorexic, learn the best ways to kill off your pesky husband and meet the man who transports semen for a living!

See you at the checkout!

 Writers

Munifah Alwi, Lauren Anderson, Marie-Teresa Hanna, Fatin Haris, Jonathan Harris, Grace Hill, Thu-Ha Hong, Marsha Hutchinson, Shrai Jamwal, Oliver Jarvis, Verity Jones, Hadiyah Khan, Esther Lewis, Natasha Madahar, Mafaal Faal-Mason, Kate McKim, Aidan Milan, Lena Mistry, Kelly Pells, Mehdi Punjwani, Tyrone Rajapaksa, James Schubert, Halimat Shode, Cara Sullivan, Katijah Wellings Thomas, Ziyue Wen, Thomas Willett, Erica Wilson, Chris Winn.

Kelly Pells is an English with Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

I’m influenced by historical writers like Karen Maitland and Philippa Gregory. They manage to capture a sense of history in their stories, transporting you to a different time and place, whilst also creating characters that you can relate to.

What’s your favourite genre and why?

My favourite genre is historical fiction because it’s a chance for escapism. For a little while you can lose yourself in a story that takes you away from all the stresses of everyday life.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

Usually I’ll spend some time brainstorming ideas because I like to know what the ending will be before I start writing. If it’s a short story, I’ll get the first draft done fairly quickly just so that I have a foundation to work with, before I go back and make it into something worth reading.

What are your interests when you’re not writing?

I’m part of the dance club at Brunel and it’s proved a great distraction from the stresses of university work. When I’m not working on coursework or reading something for lectures, I’m usually dancing in the Isambard studio.

You can read Kelly’s short story, alongside many others, in the ‘The Psyche Supermarket’ released on the 11th of March.

You can also find her on Twitter at @PellsKelly

Katijah Wellings Thomas is a Game Design and Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

The writers that most influenced me were William Nicholson, Malorie Blackman and Mark Robson because their stories were contextual. The different worlds they wrote about came to life and were completely believable.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

My writing processes have changed substantially during my time at university and I’m still approaching creative writing from different angles all the time. Usually, my most inspiring ideas come to me at times I’m not looking for them. I try to develop my stories slowly and consistently over periods of time so the overall feel doesn’t alter too much.

What are your interests when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing I’m playing the piano or trampolining. I’m a part-time coach at a trampolining club and really enjoy teaching others. I find it fulfilling to keep busy with different sports; this year I’ve taken up pole dancing, swimming and yoga.

What do you want to do after university?

I want to do a post graduate course in writing the novel before I leave university and then get some good experience within game or other creative industries, hopefully publishing some good pieces of work I’m truly proud of. In the long term I hope to do a PhD and become a lecturer in one of those fields.

You can read Katijah’s short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find her portfolio at https://katijah.carbonmade.com/

Thomas Willett is an English Literature with Creative Writing student here at Brunel University.

What writer(s) influenced you most and why?

After attending a recent reading event, Thomas Glave has been a big inspiration. I admire his ability to articulate controversial and painful topics of sexuality and repression in a way that strikes the reader to their core. His writing is not only hard-hitting, but also beautifully infused with imagery, which produces an original and striking voice; this is what I want to achieve.

What are you currently reading (or what was the last thing you read)?

Due to studying English Literature I read a lot of different works over the course of a term. Academically, I am currently reading Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and have just read Affinity by Sarah Waters. The last book I read in my own time was American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Can you give us a brief insight into your writing process?

Honestly, a lot of procrastination. Until I have a strong concept I will often do other work or activities; I find that inspiration often hits when I am not concentrating on what to write. When I have overcome my writers block I will often write brief notes on the plot and create a few character biographies; these often change dramatically from my first ideas as I get down to writing.

What are your interests when you’re not writing?

Music is my main interest: I have played the flute for about nine years now and have played in a variety of orchestras and wind bands. Currently, I am a member of the Brunel Film Orchestra and Choir and part of its committee.

You can read Thomas’ short story, alongside many others, in The Psyche Supermarket released on the 11^th of March.

You can also find him on Twitter at @JustAScribbler