Hornsea Writer, Shellie Horst, On Writing

Give me a 3-word summary of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.

Focusing on fiction.

Tell me more:

In the past year, I’ve had to diversify. The cost of living hasn’t gone away. Making writing work around family and caring needs won’t either. Yet somehow written more. It’s difficult to set aside time, but I’ve found that supporting others is a great way to ignite my creativity, and develop my writing.

At the beginning of the year, Femmes-Fae Tales: A Fantasy Anthology by FemaleAuthors was launched. This is another anthology from the team behind the award nominated Distaff: A Science Fiction Anthology by Female Authors. While I didn’t have a story in this volume, I loved creating the cover.

I had the honour of teaching Creative Writing in Adult Education across the East Yorkshire area. Opening the door for other writers to find their way to publication or develop their own writing for personal reasons is magical. 

I’ve been doing this with Humber Speculative Fiction too. Sharing my knowledge of the industry and my network, I’ve worked with the University of Hull Creative Writing Department to bring authors to the students there.

It was my HumberSFF role that brought me back to my writing. Inspired by the local science fiction and fantasy group meet ups, I attended The World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow.  The event itself had over 9000 attendees, and like the publishing industry, very easy to be overwhelmed in. Hundreds of panels, the announcement of the Hugo Awards, plenty of book launches, readings, parties, and workshops over five days made it intense. Glasgow was fabulous, and even though there were thousands of complete strangers, it was incredibly friendly. Reconnecting with the speculative fiction world was the route back to my fiction. I have work due to be published in late 2025. Of course, Hornsea Writers will be the first to know more as the cover and release dates are finalised.

Tell me about a writing-related event from last year

It’s hard to pick just one! Despite the range of things I have been involved in, I’ve established that writing is what I love most.

I’ve just celebrated my one-year anniversary writing for the Holderness and HornseaGazette. “With great power comes great responsibility.” Yes, an over-used Spiderman phrase, but also true to the role we have as writers. It’s a privilege to capture important stories from the Hornsea area, and boosting awareness of people’s achievements. Every story is unique.

The people I get to meet are passionate, genuine and care. They are an inspiration. I am lucky enough to be able share that with a wider audience.

I’m sure there’s a story in that somewhere.

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Shellie Horst is a freelance journalist, author of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a Creative Writing Tutor, and Critic for leading genre publications. Follow Shellie on her website: Shelliehorst.com or on social media.

Learn more about Shellie here.