Congratulations to Second Place Creative Nonfiction Winner, Aimee Carlson

Sunday, May 20, 2018
We welcome Aimee Carlson to The Muffin today because she won 2nd place in the Quarter 2 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest with her essay titled, "Inconceivable," which is about infertility. If you haven't read her essay yet, please see this page.

Aimee was born and raised in South Florida, but she moved to Indiana thirteen years ago where she currently lives with her husband and three dogs. She loves life and strives to live every day to the fullest. Her favorite type of writing involves taking a difficult situation and helping others to find the humor in it. Forever the adventurist, her hobbies vary widely, including everything from writing to ghost hunting. She’s always willing to try something new and never says no to a good time. This leads to many embarrassing stories, which you can read more about on her blog, "The Rant Farm". She has been a featured writer in The Mamalogues and has been a contributing writer on various websites. She is currently working on a new humor piece and is in the process of writing her first novel. Visit her blog at the-rant-farm.blogspot.com.

WOW: Congratulations on winning 2nd place in the WOW! Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest. Your essay, "Inconceivable", is about laughing at some of the absurdity that comes with infertility. What made you want to write this essay?

Aimee: Thank you! I wrote the essay to reach out to other women on the same journey who were feeling hopeless and defeated. I wanted them to know that they weren't alone.

WOW: Yes, because infertility is often such a heartbreaking and of course personal journey for each woman. How were you trying to reach out to other women through your essay? What is your universal message or theme?

Aimee: I want this to be a subject that is okay to talk about and to be open with. Infertility is a lonely and disheartening battle. Let's talk about it. Let's laugh about it. Let's support each other through it. A woman's greatest superpower is empathy and great things happen when we relate to each other and remember that we are not alone.

WOW: This is very true about so many subjects--including the recent #metoo movement. How did it feel when you found out you won 2nd place in this contest? What does that do for your belief in your writing?

Aimee: It felt amazing. The hardest thing for me to do has been to put myself out there and be vulnerable enough to let others read my writing. Knowing that others were able to relate to my story and connect is the most rewarding feeling that I could ask for. It gave me the confidence to keep writing.

WOW: We are so glad to hear that! You also have a blog, which we tell our readers about in your bio, but tell us a little more about it and what we can find on it.

Aimee: My blog is primarily humor-based. I write about everyday life and the ridiculous predicaments I tend to find myself in. You will find some serious essays on there as well about grief and healing.

WOW: It sounds like the perfect combination for many of our WOW! readers. So what project is next for you?

Aimee: I am currently working on my first novel. It is fantasy-based and stems from my love of Greek mythology. I'm excited about it and am enjoying the challenge that comes with writing something a bit different and longer than I'm used to. However, while I'm working on this project, I will continue to share my silly stories about navigating this crazy thing called life while having some fun and laughs along the way.

WOW: That sounds great, Aimee. Good luck with all your future projects! It sounds like you have the perfect attitude to get through this thing we call the writing life, too! 

2 comments:

Angela Mackintosh said...

Aimee - Infertility IS a lonely and disheartening battle and one that I know well. Thank you for writing about it in such a relatable, humorous way! Writing funny is so hard and you nailed it.

Good luck on your novel! I also love Greek mythology, so I'm intrigued. :)

Sioux Roslawski said...

Aimee--Being able to write about a topic that's often heartbreaking takes a deft hand. Your husband insisting the timed sex was with him--sooo unreasonable. ;)

Good luck with your future writing projects. And I'm with Angela. I went through a Greek mythology phase--checked out nothing else from the bookmobile, so your novel sounds interesting.

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