Connor Donahue
Our judge, Sophie Haydock, commented that this was a ‘surprising story’ and I really agree with her. Finding an unusual subject/perspective helps a story stand out. Can you tell us where you had the idea for ‘To Hail the Pale Horse Rider’?
It was surprising to me as well! I usually find my way into a story through some strong, arresting image that resonates with me in a very particular way and refuses to let go, and in this case it was a man sunbathing in an industrial park. I’d heard a true crime podcast describe a serial killer called The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Row do this during his crime spree in Cleveland in the 1930s, and apparently bodies started showing up around that construction site shortly afterwards. I didn’t particularly want to write about a serial killer, but the image of a strange, grown man doing that was something that I couldn’t shake.
The rest of the story developed around that, a lot of it having to do with the way I was feeling at the time I wrote it. I had just moved to Belfast to pursue my master’s degree, had never lived abroad before, didn’t know anybody yet and was questioning my decision to take such a big step on relatively short notice. I’m extremely glad, now, that I did, but at the time I was feeling very anxious. Worrying a lot in a vague, lingering way that never seemed to fully touch—or crash—down, which is definitely a feeling that worked its way into this story.
Your winning story has so many layers and is very unsettling. Do you spend a lot of time drafting/editing? I’m really interested to hear about your process?
Yes, I do spend a good deal of time editing. I’d say it’s at least 50/50 versus the writing of the first draft, but often quite a bit more on the editing end.
The first draft is always strictly for me, with nobody else in mind, including the reader. This draft is unfit for human consumption and I would be horrified for anybody to see it. At this point I’m really just trying to get a sense of the story—its shape, who the characters are, what the meaning or meanings are underneath the plot. When I’ve finished, I’ll take a week or two away so that I can come back with fresh eyes for the second draft.
For the second one, I keep a reader in mind—usually a couple of people whose opinions I value and trust, and I’ll edit based on what I imagine they’d say. I also edit for grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. as I go along, so these drafts tend to be okay from a technical perspective and I can spend the later read-throughs focusing on other aspects of the story.
For the last part of the process, I’m mainly trying to get the whole thing to feel right on a gut level. It never ends up feeling 100% okay, of course. But when I get to the point where I’m spending a good chunk of time deliberating over single words or a comma versus a period, that’s usually a sign that I’m nearing the limits of my editing abilities and that the story is as ready as it’s ever going to be to ship out. This part can be anywhere from 10-20 read-throughs, at least, and might take a few weeks to a couple of months.
You said in your bio that you’re an aspiring novelist and you obviously clearly enjoy writing stories too. Do you write in both forms simultaneously? How do you know when an idea is better suited to a short story?
That’s something I’m still trying to work out at the moment, actually! As a rule, I work on one project at a time and see it through to the end before beginning something else. That’s what I’ve been doing with my book for the last six months or so, but there’s a contest coming up in April that I’d really love to submit something to. I’m considering taking a brief break to write something for that.
All my stories, really, have started as short stories. They stay that way when I can see all the way to the end—at least in a rough way, where I have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen. But when they just keep going and new things open up, when new characters emerge and it’s not clear how things get worked out, that’s been a sign to me that there might be a bigger story to tell. Figuring out where the line is between these two is definitely still a work in progress.
What short story writers do you enjoy reading? Are there any you’d recommend?
Oh man, so many! Stephen King for sure—Full Dark, No Stars has some of my favorites from him. Shirley Jackson, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Flannery O’Connor are also right up my alley, and Carmen Maria Machado has an amazing collection called Her Body and Other Parties that I couldn’t recommend enough. Really, anything that’s dark and atmospheric and touches on murder either directly or indirectly as a function of plot is probably going to be catnip for me.
Finally, any advice for writers entering this year’s award?
I hardly feel qualified to be dispensing advice, but if I had any it would be to write whatever captures your interest and has done for some time. If an idea has been lingering for a while and won’t let go, then see where it leads, and don’t let fear or other people’s opinions enter the equation. Additionally, the books On Writing and The War of Art by Stephen King and Steven Pressfield, respectively, were both enormously impactful to the development of my writing practice. I’d highly recommend checking them out—they’re full of much better advice than I can give!
Our 2025 prize closes on 31st March. We look forward to reading your stories!
Alison