Catriona Butler lives in Bicester in the UK and has previously had fiction published in Shoreline of Infinity.
How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I’ve been writing all my life. My first series of “books” was crayon drawings and little stories of a hen called Hen, written when I was about 5. My dad, Rob Butler, inspired me to start writing short sci-fi/fantasy stories as he’s had a lot published in online magazines so I wanted to have a go too. Fact or Fiction is my first solo piece, following a joint story with Dad which was published in Shoreline of Infinity last year.
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
I read all sorts. If I had to take one book to a desert island it would be Lord of the Rings, and fantasy is probably my favourite genre. I love His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, especially as I live near Oxford, which is where the books are set. But another of my absolute favourites is Gone With The Wind, which is at the opposite end of the fiction spectrum!
How do you measure success when it comes to your writing?
Most of what I have written has just been read by family and friends as I have only started to send stories out to publishers recently. So at the moment it’s a big success to get a story accepted in an online magazine!
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
Note down any random ideas you have straight away – there will always be time for writing them up properly at some point in the future but it’s important to make sure the ideas don’t get forgotten as time passes.
How do you deal with rejections?
As Dad is experienced in contacting publishers, and he’s retired so has plenty of time on his hands, he submits my stories for me. This filters out the rejection process and I only hear any news if a story is successful!
In your opinion, how important is a writing degree or MFA when it comes to achieving success in writing fiction?
My degree is in Earth Sciences, with a PhD in Glaciology, so I have no writing qualifications whatsoever. I gave up English at 16 and focused on sciences instead. However, I’ve always read fiction in my spare time and I think reading a variety of books is the best way to improve your own writing.
What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?
It would be great to build up a bigger stock of story ideas, so I need to follow my own advice above and remember to write everything down. I’ve also got a few half-finished stories so I need to focus on completing those. The writing process is a great way for me to relax, but if they get published then that’s an added bonus.
What are your writing goals for the next five years?
My PhD involved considerable fieldwork in Greenland, which is a place and a lifestyle most people never get to experience. I’d love to find the time to write down all the experiences I had out there and maybe turn it into a book.
What book(s) are you reading right now?
I’ve just finished A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. At 1400 pages it was a slow read as I usually read while travelling on trains and planes but it was too big to carry around. I don’t like the idea of e-readers as I love having a physical book to hold.
Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.
Check out https://www.shorelineofinfinity.com/soundwave/. The story I had published with my dad in Shoreline of Infinity was the first featured story in their new podcast – episode zero of Soundwave.
