Write On! interviews Writer Abbie Englund
Abbie says: “I’m a 20-year-old from the North East of England who loves creative writing! I was really excited to be awarded the 2025 Niso and Wilbur Smith ‘Author Of Tomorrow’ award for the 16-21-year-old category.”
WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?
AE: At the moment, I enjoy writing short stories. They are mostly set in the past, not always intentionally but history is so intriguing and crazy and evocative. I almost forget that setting it in the present is also an option! What I love most of all about creative writing is creating characters, seeing how they develop, their interactions with each other and gradually feeling as though you really know them. Occasionally, I find myself trying to write poems at unorthodox hours as well.
WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest project, The Dividing Line?
AE: My story for the Author Of Tomorrow is called The Dividing Line and is set in Medieval Durham. It centres around a bold, passionate and rather mischievous 14-year-old girl, Mary, who has had enough of being told that she can’t enter the main nave of the Cathedral just because she is a girl. Actually, it was based upon a real story of two nuns from Newcastle who attempted to cross the line. To think of what was going through their heads is so intriguing. Having grown up in Durham, it was so much fun to write!
WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?
AE: Reading! I have seen in my own attachment to characters and investment in stories how fiction can really take hold of someone. Writing is like magic – it can take you places you would otherwise never go to because they are closed to you by time, space or reality. It’s so powerful, to mould an atmosphere, a story, people and places into existence with simply some ink and paper. To set down a fleeting thought, long held feeling, or some aspect of your life in a concrete medium that can, to some extent, evade time’s decaying hand is incredibly satisfying. I have an urge to write; I don’t really know where it comes from but obeying its voice answers a call deep within me.
WO: The current issue of Write On! explores the theme of ‘(R)Evolution’ comparing natural, gradual changes with swift and radical ones. Do you view your own writing as having gently evolved over time? Or do you enjoy switching it up and trying new things regularly?
AE: Yes, I like to think it’s gradually changed in its tone and content. At least, I hope that, in six years’ time I don’t cringe at my current writing as much as I now cringe at my writing from six years ago! I think there are lots of little influences in one’s life, like the people we meet, that definitely shape how we see the world (though sometimes I’m hardly aware of the impact at the time) and consequently what and how we write. My involvement with the Wilbur and Niso Smith Foundation has made me think that it would be fun to try different genres, like mysteries or plays, since adventure writing was not something I’d done much of before but which I really enjoyed.
WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?
AE: I would say just to write a lot, whatever you feel like writing, whether you finish a story or not. I’ve been told by people at the ‘Imagining History UK’ summer writing programme that no time spent writing is wasted since it’s a muscle and the more you use it, the easier it becomes. I really like that idea!
WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?
AE: One day I would love to write a historical novel. It seems daunting but even more exciting. I don’t know how authors have such patience to stick to one piece of work for so long, but I know it would be a real adventure!
WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?
AN: Brie, the wise, caring and pleasant horse from The Horse And His Boy. I love horses but ever since reading this book when I was younger, all non-talking horses have somewhat paled in comparison and seem just a tad disappointing. Here is a horse who will think before he acts and only throw me off if richly deserved! Plus, the ride would never be dull with his stories about Narnia.
The Dividing Line is available to read in the Author Of Tomorrow Anthology, Myths, Mysteries & Mavericks, which is available via BookSmart by Worldreader.
You can find out more about Abbie, and her winning short story, The Dividing Line, here.
*****
Issue 26, featuring Patrick Vernon OBE, is out now. You will find it in libraries and other outlets. Alternatively, all current and previous editions can be found on our magazines page here.
You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.
*****
If you or someone you know has been affected by issues covered in our pages, please see the relevant link below for information, advice and support: https://pentoprint.org/about/advice-support/
