GALLEY BEGGAR PRESS SHORT STORY PRIZE 2025/26
Ten questions with GBP Short Story Prize author Chris Williams
HI CHRIS! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SUBMITTING ‘ALL ABOUT CINDY’ TO THE GBP SHORT STORY PRIZE AND CONGRATULATIONS ON ITS LONGLISTING. COULD YOU OFFER OUR READERS A SENTENCE OR TWO, TO INTRODUCE IT?
Thank you! It’s about a woman who’s obsessed with an acquaintance, and bends her version of reality to accommodate her obsession.
PLEASE TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT ITS INSPIRATION, AND THE WRITING OF IT.
Growing up, my older sister had several love—hate relationships with other girls. I’ve always been fascinated by this kind of relationship, so that was my starting point. Once I’d written ‘I hate my best friend,’ Cindy’s voice came to me as someone who appears decisive but is actually lost and unsure, which in turn informed the plot.
‘ALL ABOUT CINDY’ IS TOLD BY AN UNRELIABLE PROTAGONIST AND IS ALSO A STORY WHICH PLAYS WITH NOTIONS OF VICTIMHOOD. (FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I STARTED READING IT, I THOUGHT, ‘WELL THIS IS EASY, CINDY IS THE ARSEHOLE.’ BUT THEN THAT SHIFTED TO, ‘HM, MAYBE THERE ARE TWO ARSEHOLES HERE’ – AND THEN SHIFTED AGAIN WHEN, BY THE END, I WAS STARTING TO FEEL SERIOUSLY WORRIED FOR SOMEBODY ELSE ALTOGETHER.) CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT (I) THESE CHARACTERS, AND (II) STRUCTURING A STORY THAT INVOLVES SUCH SHIFTING SANDS.
The characters I most enjoy reading are full of contradictions, so once I had established Lauren as unlucky and downtrodden, I wanted to give her some traits that took her away from martyr. The same goes for Cindy, who sees herself as a benevolent helper but is subtly undermining, and both characters have significant self-knowledge blind spots.
FEMALE SEXUALITY, RAGE AND SUPPRESSION SEEM ALSO TO BE CORE THEMES RUNNING THROUGH THE STORY. DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS – AND CAN YOU SAY A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THAT?
Yes, these are definitely themes. Growing up as a queer boy, I believed at times that I was a girl, and was consequently interested in the female experience, so have always read and watched a lot of works by women. Although I no longer have gender dysphoria, I still find femininity fascinating and like to explore this in my writing.
Growing up in the eighties and nineties, I internalised and suppressed a lot of homophobia, which later came out as rage. This is the energy that has gone into ‘All About Cindy’.
‘ALL ABOUT CINDY’ IS OFTEN VERY FUNNY. THE GAGS ALWAYS HAVE PURPOSE AND USUALLY HAVE A STING IN THE TAIL, ADDING TO THE OVERALL SAVAGERY. COMBINED WITH THE CONVERSATIONAL VOICE OF ‘ALL ABOUT CINDY’, THEY MEAN THAT YOU TELL A VERY DARK STORY IN A BRIGHT, BOUYANT WAY. HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THIS LIGHTNESS OF TONE IS?
I’m glad you find it funny. When I’m reading fiction, light and shade is essential or I’m likely to put the book down. Lightness doesn’t have to come from overt humour. Eimear McBride and Anna Burns both present trauma with a surreal, irreverent tone, with flashes of humour. Colm Tóibin does so using a writing style that appears simple but is actually very complex.
OK! ON TO WRITING IN GENERAL. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? DO YOU HAVE A DAILY ROUTINE?
Around twenty years, on and off. As a freelance conference interpreter, I make a lot of international train journeys, which are great for writing and thinking. When I’m not away for work, I tend to write for a couple of hours in the morning, sometimes in cafes with friends, sometimes on my own at home. In the afternoon, I’m more likely to rewrite or read.
WRITING AND REWRITING: WHAT’S YOUR RATIO?
It took me years to understand the importance of rewriting. It’s hard to say, but probably one quarter writing to three quarters re-writing.
AND WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A coming-of-age novel about a gay teenager in 1990 who falls in love with a straight boy, with dramatic consequences. And a few short stories, at various stages of completion.
OTHER WRITERS. TELL US ABOUT SOME YOU ESPECIALLY ADMIRE – AND ALSO WHAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY READING.
This list could be endless! Aside from the three Irish writers above: Michel Faber, Carson McCullers, EM Forster, LP Hartley, W Somerset Maugham, Jean Rhys, Miranda July, Manuel Puig, André Gide, Niccolò Ammaniti, Gabriel García Márquez and many more.
What I’m reading now: John the Revelator by Philip Murphy and After the Funeral, a collection of short stories by Tessa Hadley.
“THE HORROR OF THE BLANK PAGE.” DO YOU FEEL THAT HORROR? AND HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE OTHER WRITERS TO GET BEYOND IT?
I don’t suffer from this too much as ideas often pop into my head unbidden. I do however remind myself that the first draft (and indeed subsequent drafts) can be as bad as I want, as expecting perfection can be a real block to creativity.
CHRIS WILLIAMS is a writer and conference interpreter (French, Spanish, German, Italian) who has lived in Mexico, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany, and now lives in Hove in southern England. He has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize twice, and longlisted for competitions including Brick Lane and the Alpine Fellowship. He is currently working on a novel based on his experience as a gay, autistic, music-obsessed teenager growing up on the Isle of Wight in the 1980s.