WriteFluence

Kathrin Spinnler always made up stories and wrote them down as a child. But after she graduated from university, she turned to teaching rather than writing. Only recently having focused more on this passion again, she is now writing consistently every day and submitting her stories to magazines and competitions. In the future, she hopes to write a longer novel. She calls herself a writer who never gives up. She loves both reading and writing romance and adventure stories.

Writing for Penfluenza she says: “I loved exploring ‘fragrance’ because smell can often get overpowered by the other senses in writing. It’s an unusual topic and I did quite a lot of preparation work, researching fragrance words and methods of writing about smell. This is one of my favorite aspects of doing competitions with prompts: you get to learn more about the art of writing and you broaden your horizons.”

We asked Kathrin a few questions to get to know her better. Here’s what she had to say:

^{Wanna see yourself published in this space? Participate now in our ongoing contest and get published!}

I have been writing since… 

I was very young. As soon as I could read, I knew I wanted to produce my own stories.

My favorite author(s) and book(s)? 

‘Me Before You’ by Jojo Moyes and ‘The Blue Castle’ by L.M. Montgomery

My journey as a writer: 

I always made up stories and wrote them down as a child. But after I graduated from university, I turned to teaching rather than writing. Only recently have I focused more efforts on this passion again. I am now writing consistently every day and submitting my stories to magazines and competitions. In the future, I hope to write a longer novel.

My favorite genre to read / write 

At the moment, I love to write short stories, but I might transition to larger works later on. I love both reading and writing romance and adventure stories.

What advice would you give young and aspiring writers? 

Write every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes. You will be astonished at how quickly you get things done if you work on your skill consistently.

Here’s an excerpt from Kathrin’s winning story The Honeysuckle Blossom that’s now published in Wafting Earthy:

Their six-month wedding anniversary should have been perfect. It was one of those bright, sunny early-spring days when you can feel the world waking up from its frozen slumber. Jake headed home not long after lunch, looking forward to a weekend spent at home with his wife. In no great rush, he took a detour and wandered along a winding countryside road, through the woodlands at the edge of town. He slowed his steps and let the sunshine caress his face.

Once again, he marveled at the way luck had favored him. A beautiful wife, a cozy home and work he was passionate for – there was nothing more he could want. And yet, there was a niggle. Sometimes, he spotted tension in his wife Victoria’s face. She’d lost weight in the past few weeks, pounds tumbling off her already-lean frame. Was there something bothering her that she couldn’t tell him? Why wasn’t she as happy as he was? As he stepped out of the forest, the breeze picked up, rustling the fresh springtime leaves.