My first reaction when I was asked to contribute to Chinese Whisperings was one of joy. Every writer wants to be read and this is my first real chance to gain a wider readership. I liked the format and the challenge it presented to come up with a story using someone else’s character. But as my writing slot grew nearer, anxiety came creeping round the corner. Was my story going to be up to scratch? Would there be a character I could latch on to and tell his/her story? I’m afraid I probably hassled Annie quite a bit in a bid to find out, what character I could use before she’d finished. Working to a very short deadline was also new for me. At one time I was having such serious doubts as to whether I would make it, I fleetingly considered an online disappearing act.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the experience came later. Normally, when you finish a story, that’s the end of it. Not so here. Seeing one of my characters come alive in a different story and a different way was both interesting and a challenge in that it meant fine-tuning my own story to accommodate both visions

Discovery Part One

Discovery Part Two

Discovery Part Three

Sunday Paul shares one of his favourite short stories for Sunday Shorts. All comments of two lines or more go into the draw at the end of the week for a limited edition (electronic) Red Book Reversed.