---Interview by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Congratulations on placing as a runner up in our Q4 2023 Creative Nonfiction contest! What inspired you to write your essay, “Lion’s Tooth in the Wind?”
Bethany: I wanted to write about infertility, but I wasn't sure if the story was still mine to write. I was a mother of two when I wrote the essay. However, my writing group encouraged me that the story was still mine to write.
WOW: How did your essay develop, both in your initial thinking about it and in the revision process?
Bethany: I knew I wanted to write about infertility, but I also wanted to write about something else as a metaphor, something in nature. I just wasn’t sure what. Then, I had the experience of teaching my son how to blow dandelion seeds and I knew it would be the perfect metaphor. So I wrote the main narrative and the dandelion sections together, researching as I wrote.
WOW: Congratulations on placing as a runner up in our Q4 2023 Creative Nonfiction contest! What inspired you to write your essay, “Lion’s Tooth in the Wind?”
Bethany: I wanted to write about infertility, but I wasn't sure if the story was still mine to write. I was a mother of two when I wrote the essay. However, my writing group encouraged me that the story was still mine to write.
WOW: How did your essay develop, both in your initial thinking about it and in the revision process?
Bethany: I knew I wanted to write about infertility, but I also wanted to write about something else as a metaphor, something in nature. I just wasn’t sure what. Then, I had the experience of teaching my son how to blow dandelion seeds and I knew it would be the perfect metaphor. So I wrote the main narrative and the dandelion sections together, researching as I wrote.
WOW: What tips would you offer writers who want to move into writing creative nonfiction but feel some fear about sharing personal stories?
Bethany: I would say don't feel pressured to write about something you don't feel comfortable sharing. But sometimes, getting something "out there" can be cathartic and empowering.
WOW: That's a good way to look at it. What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?
Bethany: I would say don't feel pressured to write about something you don't feel comfortable sharing. But sometimes, getting something "out there" can be cathartic and empowering.
WOW: That's a good way to look at it. What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?
Bethany: I'm reading Meander, Spiral, Explode by Jane Alison because I love writing craft books and I've heard great things about this one.
WOW: As we move into the end of the year and the holiday season, do you have writing goals you plan to accomplish? How do you approach this extra busy time?
Bethany: I've already accomplished a lot this year, including two chapbooks and a full-length poetry collection. So my plan for the holiday season is to give myself extra grace, read whatever interests me, and write when I want to (without any pressure to accomplish anything in particular.)
WOW: As we move into the end of the year and the holiday season, do you have writing goals you plan to accomplish? How do you approach this extra busy time?
Bethany: I've already accomplished a lot this year, including two chapbooks and a full-length poetry collection. So my plan for the holiday season is to give myself extra grace, read whatever interests me, and write when I want to (without any pressure to accomplish anything in particular.)
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