Meet Megan Waters Winter 2017 Flash Fiction Runner Up

Megan is an avid reader and writer who hails from Long Island, New York. The former cytotechnologist now spends her time reading all the material she can get her hands on to continuously improve her craft.

When writer’s block sets in, Megan likes to dabble on theprose.com where she enters writing contests and plays with poetry. She is enamored with flash fiction and short stories, and hopes to one day publish her first novel currently in the works.

Megan would like to thank her friends and family for pushing her forward while supporting her in her endeavors.

Before reading her interview, take time to read her story, “Lies of a Certain Nature.”  Megan created a story about a character who lies to get what she wants from someone who also lies.  But she’s also set the reader up  for a twist about who is guilty of what. 

WOW: What was the initial inspiration for “Lies of a Certain Nature”? 

Megan: I initially wrote this piece for a different writing challenge, one where the first sentence was provided for the contestants.  I asked myself, “What’s the difference between lying, and lying for a reason?” I decided if a character is going to justify his or her negative behavior, it’s got to be for a really big reason. 

WOW: The big reason is Ali’s, so why did you choose to use Robert as your POV character instead of Ali?  

Megan: I felt that if I used Ali as the POV character, it might reveal her feelings and thought processes too early on in the story. I wanted the reader to discover the motivation behind her behavior at the same pace Robert did. In my eyes, it lent a little more mystery to the story.

WOW: That it did! By leaving out much of the backstory, you enable the reader to see Ali as Robert sees her until her dialogue reveals the truth. How did you decide what details to include and what to leave out of the story?  

Megan: When I wrote the first draft, I had so much more information than what ended up in the final draft. I had to get to know the characters, and once I got a feel for who they were, and what their dynamic was, I continuously edited the content down. I focused on the details which revealed their selfish intentions.

WOW: What was the most difficult part of writing this story compared to other flash fiction stories you’ve written? 

Megan: Revealing the characters’ personalities while driving the story forward in a finite number of words was the most difficult part.  I wanted the reader to have a basic understanding of who these two people were without giving away too much of the plot.

WOW: What advice do you have for writers who are new to flash fiction?

Megan: When writing a first draft, throw word count out the window. Write as much as you can so you, as the writer, understand your characters, plot, setting, etc. Once you have a firm grasp on the main theme of your story, whittle away the extraneous fluff. Also, if you get stuck, don’t get discouraged. Put the story away for a day or two and don’t think about it. When you go back to re-read it, you will see it with fresh eyes and find it easier to edit -- or at least I do!

WOW:  Throw the word count out the window until we know our story?  Ladies, do you think you can do it?  Find out more about Megan and work by following her on Twitter @MeganWaters129.

Interviewed by Sue Bradford Edwards.