How I became a writer...
Linda Mitchelmore Paignton born and bred Linda Mitchelmore is living proof that when a door closes, a window opens. She started writing as an escape when her hearing suffered a dramatic deterioration. Since then she has had over 300 stories published and become a successful author. Anita Newcombe finds out more.
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stories in a wide range of magazines. When the agency espite having become a prolific short story later closed down, Linda was well enough known to sell writer and a much-published author Linda in her own work and her success grew. She tells me, “In Mitchelmore still describes her writing as a the early days there were about twelve magazines that hobby albeit “nicely paid.” I am meeting Linda at her would regularly take and pay for submissions. Nowadays, home in Occombe Valley and any concerns I have about however, there are only a few like Take a Break, Woman’s being able to communicate freely with her are quickly Weekly and The People’s Friend who who will accept dispelled. She can hear reasonably well now thanks to a cochlear hearing implant and soon gets used to the timbre unsolicited manuscripts.” I wonder how long it takes Linda to dream up and of my voice. Linda explains that her hearing deteriorated gradually, probably due to a virus, although no one knows write her short stories and she tells me, “I can write 1000 words in a couple of hours; the words just pour out of me. for sure. She tells me, “The high sounds disappeared first. I seem to think differently from I realised that I couldn’t hear the Despite this discipline, other people and luckily I’ve got a phone.” Then came various plateaux as her hearing dwindled to zero and people are more important great imagination.” Once she was well established as she found herself profoundly deaf. so if anyone calls round, a short story writer, Linda decided That Christmas, the family was Linda just stops and makes to progress to a novel writing course at home waiting for the Queen’s time to see them. with the same tutor Margaret, Speech to come on the television, who encouraged her to join the Romantic Novelists’ when Linda’s mother-in-law told her, “You won’t be able Association’s New Writers’ Scheme. This proved to be a to hear the Queen so have a browse of this magazine great move for her writing career and Linda’s first novel To article while we listen.” The article was a Woman’s Turn Full Circle was published by Choc Lit in 2012. Own writing competition and Linda thought, “Why To Turn Full Circle is based in Brixham and Torquay not?” So she gave it a try, entered and was amazed to be between 1909 and 1911 with the plot evolving from shortlisted in the top twelve with her story subsequently Linda’s family history, painstakingly researched by being published. Linda explains, “I was thrilled that I was her husband Roger. Roger’s great uncle George was a actually paid for my story and this definitely kick-started fisherman who owned two fishing boats working out of my writing career.” Brixham. Poor old George lost his first boat in a storm It wasn’t always easy though. After a good start in selling her stories, her progress started to slow. She reveals, and then had an accident at sea causing him to lose his livelihood and his tied cottage. When Linda heard about “I got rejection, after rejection, after rejection!” So she this sad tale, she had a ‘lightbulb moment’ and started took a course that was offered in Writing Magazine and thinking about what might happen if she transposed the started working online with her tutor Margaret. Margaret managed to find Linda a short story agent who placed her story so it became a young girl who was left alone in the
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April/May 2015
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