Sharon French asked Karl Wiggins:

What do you think makes a good story?

Karl Wiggins Sharon, apologies I've only just seen this. What I really think makes a great story is a sudden twist at the end when you say "Wow, I never saw that coming."

I have so much admiration for those writers with outstanding, far-fetched, comical, sometimes brutal, often ludicrous and downright fab imaginations. I have never, ever written fiction in my life because I completely lack the artistry, yet there are so many writers who allow their imaginations to fly, build a plot, build a sub-plot and continue to write superb story lines in that fashion.

All I’ve ever written is from my observations of life. I’m a piss-taker, which doesn’t necessarily make for a great writer, but it’s what I do. I don’t take my subject matter too seriously, and have little patience for anyone who does.

But I do enjoy reading fiction, and apart from the twist it has to be real. I recently read a book placed in the bad lands of Bermondsey, South-East London, but the author failed completely when attempting to write conversations in the colloquial dialect or using the cultural nuances of the area. Nobody expects an author to write in the Glottal Stop (Oh' Ken' Row' for Old Kent Road and so on), it would be impossible to read, but at least try and make the gangsters sound tough.

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