Interview with 2024 Q3 Creative Nonfiction Essay Runner Up, Emily Gates Prucha

Emily Gates Prucha teaches English and writes about education, active travel, and multicultural family life in the Czech Republic—the land of beer, castles, and Krtek (The Little Mole). Her “Half 'n Half” column ran for more than a decade at The Prague Daily Monitor. Her personal essays have been published on Motherwell, Entropy, The Keepthings, and other international outlets. When she's not teaching or drafting a story, she loves baking chocolate chip cookies and mountain biking with her Czech husband and three teens. Find her online at www.halfnhalf-life.com or @halfnhalfprague on Instagram.

Check out her winning essay "Finding Room to Breathe" here and then return to learn more about her.

---Interview by Jodi M. Webb

WOW: Congratulations on receiving two awards: runner-up award for “Finding Room to Breathe” and an honorable mention for “What birthing a dead calf taught me about life”. Can you explain how two entries so different came from the same writer?

Emily: Most of my Creative Nonfiction writing has been in the form of vignettes about my Czech American family and my experience as an American raising multilingual children in a village outside Prague, Czech Republic, my husband's native country and my adopted homeland. Both of the pieces I submitted to the WOW contest were drafted in the same online flash fiction course during Covid. While I am more comfortable writing vignettes in the vein of "What birthing a dead calf taught me about life," during Covid I found myself with more personal, reflective time, and I tried to stretch my creative writing beyond my comfort zones. I am currently in my mid-forties living in a house full of older teens, and there is no better time to be honest with myself on the page. 

WOW:  So tell us how these pieces made it from online course assignments to the WOW Creative Nonfiction Essay contest?

Emily: I entered the WOW Creative Nonfiction Essay contest because I wanted to see if a story I had written about a significant life moment with my father could resonate with a larger audience. I had worked hard on the story, "What birthing a dead calf taught me about life," and incorporated feedback from my writing group, so I thought it was time to be bold and submit. When I realized the contest permitted multiple entries, I entered "Finding Room to Breathe," on a whim at the last minute.

WOW: Just goes to show that we should follow our whims more often! You have been writing since your children were babies and they are now teenagers (eek!). How have you seen your writing evolve over the years?

Emily: When my children were younger, I wrote a weekly online column called "Half 'n Half" that related our family's (mis)adventures adapting to life in the Czech Republic from my perspective as an American married to a Czech. I mainly wrote about how I experienced life in the Czech Republic by observing my children as I raised them in Czech culture - what was similar to my own upbringing / what was different. 

Now that my children are older teens, I feel more compelled to write about my own inner life and the changes I have experienced after living so long outside my birth country. Hot themes for me at the moment are identity and belonging - as a mother, as a woman, as a wife, as an American in the Czech Republic, as a new Czech citizen (after 20 years I finally applied for an earned dual citizenship), as a human in our ever-changing global world. 

WOW: In “Finding Room to Breathe” you describe how your family supports you as you struggle with personal challenges. How do they support you professionally? 

Emily: Well, right now, I am visiting my parents in the US. Tonight, we are hosting a grilling party, and while my children and husband are prepping for my brother's family to arrive, I'm holed up in my mom's office. No one has bothered me. No one has come to ask where the silverware is or which placemats to use. They appreciate that I have a limited time to use for my writing, and my daughter literally pushed me into the study after I lamented that I really needed to respond to your interview questions before our early morning road trip departure tomorrow morning. 

For many years, I kept my writing very private - it was a hobby that I didn't allow to interfere with my duties as a mother, teacher, or wife. I wrote during nap time or late at night. Now, I am bringing my writing more into focus. And my family has responded positively.

I am also fortunate to have two writer friends in Prague who have read my work for years. Without them, I would not have had the courage to submit to contests or literary magazines. I am still working on developing my literary citizenship, but I have also had wonderful (albeit shorter term) connections with editors, writing coaches, and writers from online courses. And yes, family/friend support definitely makes us better writers!

WOW: I love the idea of each of us developing a literary citizenship. So tell us, in between grilling, family visits and making literary connections, what are you working on now?

Emily: I am currently working on a memoir about finding a home without a zip code . Visiting the US and listening to family stories is the best form of research. :) 

WOW: I agree! And I imagine it's delicious too. Enjoy your grilling party and we're looking forward to reading more of your work.

Banned Book Week 2024: Freed Between the Lines

 

September 22 to September 28 is Banned Book Week. Despite my own recent experiences with the challenge against my own book, there is some good news. 

In the last week, Publisher’s Weekly reported that between January 1 and August 31, 2024, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 challenges. Because so many challenges involve many books, the total number of challenged titles was 1,128. How is this good? 

For the same period in 2023 the numbers were 695 cases and 1,915 titles. These numbers look pretty good when you realize that the 2023 total (1,247 cases and 4,240 titles) represented a 65% increase over the 2022 numbers. Trending down is huge! 

But why are the numbers dropping? PW listed a number of factors, and I went in search of information. The magazine's number one reason was the fact that successful lawsuits have overturned bans. For example, earlier this month, Nassau County Florida schools returned 36 books to their libraries. Parents, students, and authors brought the federal suit against the district because there had been no public review – a part of the district’s stated review policy. As part of the suit, school officials admitted that one of the books, “And Tango Makes Three,” a picture book about a penguin family at New York’s Central Park Zoo, contains no obscene material and is suitable for students. Obscenity is one of the buzz words used in many book challenges. 

Another reason for the drop is that teachers and librarians are fighting the bans. This means educating themselves not only on book selection but on how to explain book selection to non-librarians. They are also educating themselves on students’ rights. This includes the US Supreme Court’s Pico Case. This ruling calls school libraries a space for ‘voluntary inquiry’ in which students have a right to read. Materials cannot be prohibited based on viewpoint or doctrine. 

Another factor mentioned by PW is the work of advocacy groups which is an excellent segue into the news, or lack thereof, in my own challenge. For those of you who don’t remember, my book Black Lives Matter with Duchess Harris, is part of a 30-book challenge in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. So what about my challenge? As is the case with so many things that have to do with books and publishing, it is all moving very slowly. The only news that I’ve had since the initial challenge is an email from Gianmarco Antosca with the National Coalition Against Censorship to tell me that they are reaching out to those who are against the challenge to offer support and guidance. It is wonderful to know that someone big is paying attention. 

It feels like you are alone when your book is challenged. But you aren’t. And as bad as the numbers still look, things are getting better. 

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 55 books for young readers.  

• To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  
• Click here to find her newsletter.

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin again on October 7, 2024. She teaches:

• Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work 
• Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 
• Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

Interview With Claudine Wolk, Co-Instructor for Sit & Write: Begin

 

If you are looking for a course to get you back into the groove of writing, look no further than Claudine Wolk and Kate Brenton's Sit & Write: Begin. In this six-module online course, you'll receive much-needed inspiration and guidance on building confidence and sparking creativity and other resources for your author journey. Best of all, it's at an affordable price of only $97. Make sure you check it out then come on back for our interview with Claudine Wolk, one of the co-instructors you'll find in the course.

-- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Congratulations on the launch of your Sit & Write: Begin course. Tell me about the instructors! Share more about your and Kate's background.

Claudine: I am an author, book marketer, podcaster, and essayist who loves to share book marketing and publishing strategy with authors. My philosophy is to make book promotion as simple to understand as possible so that authors are actually excited to do it and make it work for them to sell their books.  Find me at ClaudineWolk.com.

Kate is an author, teacher and speaker who empowers others to bring their brilliance into the world and onto the page. She believes in the transformative alchemy of writing and helps others see the value (and narrative arc) of their stories. Find Kate at KateBrenton.com.

WOW: You both have such a unique background that you bring to your students. What led you to create this class?

Claudine: Thanks so much.  Kate and I were invited to bring our approach to local & live presentations, which we called “Writers Helping Writers.”  The responses were immediate. The information was so helpful and motivational to our attendees that we were compelled to reach as many authors as we possibly could to share the secrets we had learned. We took our longer, three month deep-dive course (Sit & Write) and pulled out the top level, get-you-going gems to make a video, mini-cohort that participants could take and digest in their own time and at their own pace. Viola, Sit & Write: Begin! 

WOW: How awesome! I love how it evolved. What can people expect from taking this class?

Claudine: The class combines writing and book marketing instruction so that every author will come away with a clear vision for their book, combined with crucial, fundamental knowledge of book marketing. This is the game-changer for when authors are ready to write and publish their book. After taking the course, writers are excellently positioned to complete, publish and sell their books.  We take the “scary” out of writing and book marketing. 

WOW: I'm so glad you do that. There's so much to learn about the book writing and publishing process. Who is this class right for?

Claudine: Anyone who is ready to embark on the journey of writing a book and becoming a published author. 

WOW: Sounds like our readers! What will people leave with after taking this course?

Claudine: A clear vision and plan for their book and the breath of what is possible to market and sell it.  

WOW: I love that. At what stage in someone's writing life (or career, if you will) should they be to take this course?

Claudine: This course is designed for the aspiring, beginner author; however; it is also valuable for authors who would like to come at the experience of writing a book from a refreshingly new perspective.  Established authors who desire to embrace a new book marketing strategy to sell their books will profit enormously from this course.

WOW: I love what you have given back to the writing world. 

Readers, make sure you check out the Sit & Write: Begin course, which will cost you only $97. A must-have as part of your writing journey.

Interview with Jennifer Thomas, 2nd Place Winner in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

 

Jennifer Thomas grew up in the wilds of Miami, Florida. She loved to watch the pelicans soar, so ugly they were beautiful. Seeing them die off from the effects of DDT in the 1970s made her a lifelong environmentalist. As a teenager she read vast amounts of science fiction, especially early feminist sci fi, which inspired her to imagine how the world could be different. For the past 40-ish years she has lived on the North Shore of Massachusetts, making a living as a machinist, science writer, and teacher (though not all at once). Recently she began writing flash fiction, delighting in how the Muse cavorts inside word count constraints. To Jennifer’s surprise, her stories have been accepted by several publications, including Flash Fiction Magazine, 365tomorrows, and now Women on Writing. You can find some of her work at www.jenniferthomas.net. 

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Welcome, Jennifer, and congratulations! What was the inspiration behind writing this particular story, "Who Will Kill the Spiders?" 

Jennifer: One Sunday I went to a bridal shower, where I gave the bride-to-be a cast iron pan. I went home to where my own cast iron pan—originally my late husband’s—was languishing on the stove. The story came to me as I pondered my motivation for giving the bride the pan, and for neglecting my own. I workshopped the story in a critique group, where many of the participants, it turned out, also had some kind of attachment to a cast iron pan. With their help my story improved, but I still felt it was a bit schmaltzy and flat. Out of the blue came the idea of weaving in the “guessing game” as a narrative thread, and I also changed the ending to be a bit more ambiguous. I was happier with the story and sent it off to WOW! 

WOW: I have to say I love that last line! Judge Emily Williamson noted how impressed she was that the top three stories in this contest used something familiar and concrete to "build a world both past and present, and to dive into the things unseen." Can you think of any other concrete items (like the cast iron pan) in your own personal life that would make a great anchor for another story? 

Jennifer: Hmmm, I’m looking through my running list of story ideas and not one revolves around a concrete, familiar object. So I’m taking a mental inventory of familiar objects in my house—there are none I’d regret seeing vanish before my eyes. Well, there’s one exception: a collection of a few thousand family photographs ensconced in plastic cases in a closet upstairs. You know, the photos you got when you took the film canister to Walgreens and drove back a few days later to pick up the envelope of prints and negatives. As you perused those photos, remembrance flowed from your hands to your gut—that goofy kindergarten graduation, the annual Thanksgiving debauchery, those corsaged almost-grown kids endearing their way to the prom. You could winnow the photos, digitize them, store them in a folder in the cloud—to join the (literally) 14 trillion other digital photos in existence in 2024. But should you? I think there’s a story there. Also upstairs, in a drawer, are five or six pairs of pantyhose. I am 100 percent sure I will never put on pantyhose again. I think there’s a story there too. 

WOW: I think you may be right, both about the photo prints and the pantyhose! Your bio says you have always enjoyed reading science fiction and this influence shows up in much of your published work. How have your recent stories been inspired by modern-day events taking place in our world? 

Jennifer: I still remember the thrill I had as a teenager getting monthly selections in the mail from the Science Fiction Book Club. What attracted me to those books was not rocket ships and outer space; it was how the authors reimagined the human condition. In Ursula LeGuin’s 1969 "The Left Hand of Darkness," for instance, inhabitants of the planet Gethen are “ambisexual”—moving between male and female—with far-reaching effects on their society. Quite the thought experiment, at the time! A lot of today’s speculative and science fiction pulls in a dystopian direction, understandably given our wobbly democracy, the creep of anti-human technology, and the spiraling climate crisis. Some of my published stories depict not-too-farfetched struggles in a not-too-distant future, extrapolating from what’s happening under off-the-hook capitalism. But I’ve also tried to write stories with optimistic, if not happy, endings, however improbable. 

WOW: You've also worked as a science writer. What are some of the topics that you've covered in this occupation? 

Jennifer: The topics have run the gamut, from worker safety to drinking water quality to marine pollution to climate change. It’s been gratifying to contribute to the (albeit Sisyphean) task of addressing these issues. Through this profession I learned to value clarity of message and economy of words, and to put myself in the reader’s shoes. I also had to make sure that every sentence I wrote was factual. Now, writing fiction, I get to make stuff up! My typical process is to think of a situation, put a character in it, and see what happens. 

WOW: Yes, writing fiction can be so liberating! Do you have any advice for writers who are just beginning to explore the craft of writing flash fiction? 

Jennifer: As a beginning fiction writer myself, I’ll offer a few things that helped me get started. First, get feedback on your work. I joined an online author’s group where folks are remarkably generous and supportive. When you get feedback, send away the gremlin of defensiveness; look for the kernel of truth and revise. I’ve never received feedback that didn’t make a story better. Second, take the leap and send your work to publications you like. What do you have to lose? Rejections mean nothing at all about you or your talents, and you might get valuable feedback. Also, use a service to keep track of your submissions; that will save you headaches down the road. Third, find ways to keep it all in perspective. I have a semi-regular meditation practice that helps me when I’m stuck. It’s amazing what shows up when I turn off the thought stream—a new story element (that guessing game!), an unexpected plot twist, greater equanimity about my writing and about life. It doesn’t have to be meditation—whatever gets you out of your head can open space for what you need.

WOW: All practical and helpful pieces of advice! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us on the craft of writing today, Jennifer.

My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F. Stevens: Blog Tour & Giveaway

 

We are excited to launch another blog tour for an incredible book you'll want to add to your reading list. Author Ruth F. Stevens is launching a tour for her novel My Year of Casual Acquaintances. It's a perfect book for readers who like funny-sad, character-driven novels with compelling or quirky protagonists. Join us as we celebrate the tour launch with an interview with the author herself and a chance for you to win a copy of the book.

But first, here's more about the book:

When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures - as long as she can keep things casual.

With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant, a kindly older gentleman . . . and Charlie, a handsome best-selling novelist who wants more from Mar than she's able to give. She learns something new from each encounter. But can she change enough to open herself up to happiness and true connection?

Surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, endearing characters, Mar follows a tortuous and unpredictable path as she navigates the first year of her reinvented life. My Year of Casual Acquaintances is packed with laugh-out-loud moments mingled with scenes of loneliness and self-doubt that will put a lump in your throat.

Publisher: Black Rose Writing (September 26, 2024)

ISBN-10: 168513484X

ISBN-13: 978-1685134846

ASIN: B0D43GW5XZ

Print Length: 322 pages

Purchase a copy of My Year of Casual Acquaintances on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Add to your GoodReads reading list.

About the Author, Ruth F. Stevens

Ruth F. Stevens likes to create stories that will make readers laugh and cry. A former public relations executive in New York and Los Angeles, she is a produced playwright and author of a previous novel, Stage Seven, which was a featured selection of national online book club and Alzheimer’s awareness organizations. Ruth is a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Dramatists Guild of America and serves as a volunteer and acquisitions editor for AlzAuthors.

Ruth lives in Torrance, California with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, hiking, hip-hop and fitness classes, yoga, Broadway musicals, wine tasting, leading a book club, and visiting her grandsons in NYC. Visit Ruth at https://ruthfstevens.com and consider signing up for her monthly newsletter to receive publishing updates, book reviews, and special offers.

Website: https://ruthfstevens.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthfstevensauthor/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfsauthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ruth-f-stevens 

-- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First of all, congratulations on your novel My Year of Casual Acquaintances! What inspired this novel?

Ruth: Thank you! The idea for this novel started at the gym. For years, I’ve enjoyed going to health clubs, where I’ve met lots of fun and interesting people. It struck me that sometimes I’d have a very personal—even intimate—conversation without knowing the other member’s name. There’s something about the gym environment that gives us a sort of casual closeness. I felt certain this could translate into an unusual twist for a novel.

I also like stories about second chances, and the idea that life can still be fresh and exciting through middle age and beyond. So I decided to write about a fit, youthful-looking, fiftyish woman named Mar trying to start over after a bitter divorce…and I set her story in and around a new gym she’d joined as part of her reinvention. Mar was determined to meet new people at the gym and have a good time, but with no commitments. 

WOW: I think that's great insight and I love that setting. One burning question for me: are you a plotter or a pantser or a blend? And why?

Ruth: Definitely a plotter! I had a long career in PR and advertising agency work, so I’ve been writing professionally for years. When working on an article or brochure, I always had to plan it out meticulously—so I later carried over that same discipline into fiction writing. I’ve found that when I know where the story is going and who my main characters are, the writing flows. It’s a great way to prevent writer’s block.

WOW: I'm slowly becoming a plotter myself! So, I totally get the benefits. I love that this novel approaches the idea of loneliness in a fun but deep way at the same time. What was your approach in building out your character and her overall story arch? 

Ruth: The narrator, Mar, is smart and witty and outspoken, and that makes for an often humorous read. But she’s grappling with loneliness and rejection, which is where the serious themes come in. I decided to make her journey an episodic one. Every month she meets up with a different character who impacts her life in a unique way. So each month has kind of its own story arc, but there’s also the overriding arc of how Mar grows and changes in the course of her first year of divorced life.  

WOW: What a great approach! What was your revision process like?

Ruth: The initial draft was harder for me than any other first draft I’ve written. I found the episodic structure to be challenging, and it required intricate plotting and a larger-than-usual cast of characters. But the revision process ended up being more like a fine-tuning process than a major overhaul. I worked on revisions with a critique group of three other writers, and their feedback was incredibly helpful. 

WOW: Good thing you had that kind of help! What has it been like to work with your publisher Black Rose Writing?

Ruth: Reagan Rothe and the team at Black Rose are terrific. They are responsive and efficient, and I believe they are more marketing-savvy than a lot of indie publishers—an important benefit, as book marketing is one area where authors are most in need of education and support. The Black Rose author community is also a strong one, with an active Facebook group, a monthly book club, and more. It’s been a great experience so far. 

Before signing with Black Rose, I had a contract with a different indie publisher, TouchPoint Press, for this book. After about a year, they stopped working on my project due to massive internal problems, and it became clear that they might never publish the book. Many authors who did publish with them are still waiting for royalty payments going back a couple of years. I’m one of the lucky ones: My contract expired and I signed with Black Rose. Their professionalism has been a breath of fresh air.  In mid-September, the Authors Guild announced that TouchPoint has agreed to shut down publishing operations and abide by a court-enforced payment plan to distribute royalties to those owed money.

WOW: I'm so glad you shared that experience! It's great to share with our WOW writers. What wisdom can you share with writers about pursuing their writing dreams?

Ruth: The first step is to understand what your personal writing dream really is. I met a retired corporate executive who loved to write poetry. He self-published his work using a company that produced beautiful, high quality volumes that he signed and distributed to friends and relatives. This was his sole publishing goal, and he derived great pleasure from sharing his work this way. 

True, most writers are a bit more ambitious. Many of us dream of seeing our work hit the bestseller lists. But in reality, competition is beyond tough and authors with high ambitions must be willing to invest a huge amount of time (and often, money) to break through the noise—with no real guarantee of success. 

On the bright side, I’ve read that out of 1000 people who start writing a novel, only around 3 percent or 30 people go on to finish. So if you’re in that 3 percent, give yourself a huge pat on the back! Then, an estimated 6 out of those 30 go on to see their work published. I can assure you from personal experience, being a published author is immensely rewarding, even if you’re not breaking any sales records. In summary: First define your dream; then pursue it with a balance of realism and optimism.

WOW: That is great advice! What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

Ruth: I’ve completed a sequel to My Year of Casual Acquaintances, titled The Unexpected Guests. Black Rose Writing will publish this book as well, just three months after the first title. The story picks up right where the previous book leaves off. Mar is still very much a player, but she does not narrate the sequel: It is told in alternating POVs of three characters from the first novel who are all very involved in Mar’s life. 

WOW: I can't wait to see it! Thank you so much for your time today. Enjoy the blog tour!

--- Blog Tour Calendar

September 23rd @ The Muffin

Join us at The Muffin when we celebrate the launch of Ruth F. Stevens' book My Year of Casual Acquaintances. We'll be interviewing the author and giving away a copy of her book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com

September 24th @ The Faerie Review

Join by Lily's blog for a spotlight of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://www.thefaeriereview.com/

September 25th @ Words by Webb

Visit Jodi's blog for her review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog

September 27th @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews

Stop by Lisa's blog for an interview with author Ruth F. Stevens.

https://lisahaselton.com/blog/

September 29th @ Book Review From an Avid Reader

Visit Joan's blog for her review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/

September 30th @ Just Katherine

Visit Katherine's blog for an excerpt from My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://justkatherineblog.wordpress.com

September 30th @ Choices

Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post about how casual acquaintances play an important role in our life.

http://www.madelinesharples.com/

October 1st @ A Storybook World

Visit Deirdra's blog for a spotlight of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://www.astorybookworld.com/

October 2nd @ Create Write Now

Visit Mari's blog for a guest post by Ruth F. Stevens about why fifty is nifty for a fictional character.

https://www.createwritenow.com/journal-writing-blog

October 3rd @ Knotty Needle

Visit Judy's blog for a review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/

October 5th @ What Is That Book About

Stop by Michelle's blog for an excerpt from My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com

October 6th @ Storey Book Reviews

Visit Leslie's blog for a review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://storeybookreviews.com/

October 7th @ Life According to Jamie

Stop by Jamie's blog for a review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://lifeaccordingtojamie.com/

October 9th @ Beverley A. Baird's blog

Stop by Beverley's blog for her review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances

https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com

October 11th @ Beverley A. Baird's blog 

Visit Beverley's blog for an excerpt from My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com

October 12th @ Author Anthony Avina's blog

Join Anthony for his review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/category/blog-tours/

October 13th @ Rosh's Reviews

Visit Rosh's blog for her review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://roshreviews.blogspot.com/

October 15th @ Frugal Freelancer

Visit Sara Trimble's blog for a guest post by the author about whether AI is a friend or a foe.

https://saratrimble.wordpress.com/

October 18th @ A Wonderful World of Books

Visit Joy's blog for an excerpt from My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/

October 20th @ Chapter Break

Visit Julie's blog for an interview with author, Ruth F. Stevens.

https://chapterbreak.net/

October 23rd @ Boys' Mom Reads!

Visit Karen's blog for a review of My Year of Casual Acquaintances.

https://karensiddall.wordpress.com/

October 26th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion

Visit Linda's blog for an interview with author Ruth F. Stevens.

http://bootsshoesandfashion.com/

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a copy of My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F. Stevens! Fill out the Rafflecopter form by October 6th at 11:59 CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Shawna Irvin, Runner Up in the WOW! Q3 2024 Creative Nonfiction Contest

 

Shawna Ervin has an MFA from Rainier Writers Workshop through Pacific Lutheran University in Washington state. She was a member of Tin House’s 2023 and 2024 Winter Online Workshops as well as Kenyon Review’s 2023 Workshop for Teachers Online. She was a finalist for Kenyon Review’s 2024 Developmental Editing Fellowship. Recent publications include poetry in American Literary Review, Bangalore Review, Cagibi, and Rappahannock Review; and prose in Blue Mesa Review, Sonora Review, Sweet: A Literary Confection, and elsewhere. Her chapbook Mother Lines was published by Finishing Line Press in 2020. Shawna was a finalist in Ruminate’s 2021 flash essay contest and a semi-finalist in their 2022 poetry contest. Shawna lives in Denver with her family. 

 ----------Interview by Renee Roberson 

WOW: Shawna, congratulations again, and welcome! I enjoyed reading your essay and could relate to so much of it. What first sparked the idea for “Sixteen Steps to Eating a Potato?” 

Shawna: “Sixteen Steps to Eating a Potato” began from a prompt in a workshop where we wrote about a variety of love each week. This prompt was to write about a food, or foods, that I loved as a child. The first time I had enough food to be able to enjoy it was in college. 

I remembered my first weeks in college as a first-generation student and how I did not fit on many levels. As I learned how to be full, I developed a woman’s body instead of a malnourished little girl’s body. It forced me to reconsider who I was, what I wanted, and how to take up space in the world. Even though my experience veered away from the original prompt, I knew that I wanted to write about what I knew. 

In early drafts, the essay focused largely on eating a baked potato. Gradually, I gained the courage to tell more of my story about poverty and hunger, and what it is like to be so at home in emptiness that being full is foreign. It wasn’t until after I considered the piece finished, that I thought about adding the numbers and title. 

WOW: You recently published the chapbook, “Mother Lines,” through Finishing Lines Press. What do you hope readers will take away from it? 

Shawna: “Mother Lines” came to be during the first year of my MFA program. I was focusing on using the constraints of traditional and experimental forms to explore what it means to be a mother. I hope that readers take away the vast potential of poetry forms to give voice to difficult topics like trauma, disability, and loss. 

WOW: With an impressive list of publications and awards, and a busy home life raising your children, how do you carve out time for your own writing projects? 

Shawna: I struggle to make time for writing. I wish I could say that I didn’t. 

Beyond writing and being a parent, I am also an English professor at a community college. Each summer I tell myself that once the routine of the school year arrives, I will map out times in my schedule to write. Then, during the school year, I tell myself that I will dedicate chunks of time to write in the summer. Both seasons are difficult in their own way. 

Starting in graduate school, I had a goal of having an essay or a batch of poems ready to submit each quarter. After I graduated, I kept up with that goal. I tend to be protective of my goals, so having that deadline creep up every three months has helped me keep writing. 

The strategy that helps me the most with my writing is to take advantage of small bits of time. Even finding 10 or 15 minutes here and there adds up. I leave myself voice messages when I’m waiting in a checkout line or am stuck in traffic, type notes in my phone when a thought pops up as I’m preparing dinner, or I mentally revise and rearrange sections while I’m walking my dog. 

By returning to projects almost every day, I keep them at the forefront of my mind. As often as I can, I set aside time on Sunday mornings to sort through notes or thoughts from the week. By the time I do sit down at my computer, I have a good sense of where I am with a project and can move forward rather than going back to remember where I was. 

WOW: That sounds like a great strategy for time management and it's working well for you! You have publication credits with fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Do you have a favorite out of these art forms and why? 

Shawna: I have two favorite genres – poetry and nonfiction. If I am working on something that is driven primarily by images, I will likely choose poetry. If I am working on something that is more focused on characters or events, I will likely choose prose. Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule. I enjoy experimenting with form and pushing boundaries. What I most enjoy writing is work that doesn’t neatly fit into one genre or another, or that uses aspects of both poetry and prose.

WOW: Who are some of the writers that have inspired your work? 

Shawna: The writers who have most inspired me are people who are generous in sharing their experiences and wisdom on the page, and in their teaching such as Chip Livingston, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Sasha La Pointe, Grace Cho, Geffrey Davis, Jamie Figeuroa, Ely Shipley, Brenda Miller, Ocean Vuong, Richard Froude, and Joy Sawyer. Without any of these strong writers and wonderful role models, I would not be the human or writer I am. I hope to become even a bit like the writers and people I listed above. 

Friday Speak Out!: Journal Submissions as a Path to Success

By Ellen Birkett Morris

When I publish a book or chapbook, people are often curious about how I built the collection, got the confidence to send it out and built an audience interested in reading it. My answer is by submitting to journals and getting work published there. I’ve used literary journals as a training ground, as motivation, to market test my work, and as a stamp of legitimacy and a way to build my reputation as a writer.

There’s so much I’ve learned reading journals. The more I’ve read, the better I’ve become at reading like a writer, with a critical eye on how a story comes together. When a story really works for you, ask why. How has the writer used word choice and imagery to illuminate character and drive plot? Did they pull you in at the beginning and leave you with a satisfying ending?

When you read like a writer, your journal subscription can become a mini-MFA illuminating craft and showing you new ways to write. Be sure to read the editor’s letter at the beginning of each issue because they often comment on why they picked the stories in that issue. You can get a feel for what editors are looking for at various journals. While styles may vary you can begin to see what published stories have in common, and gain insight into elements of craft and style and where your work might fit best.

Journals can also be a wonderful place to read new work, exciting work. You will see certain writers published over time, see their prose develops and get ideas about which writers you might want to take classes with.

Lit journals can be great motivators. Finding calls for submission and answering those has helped me get to work. Use submission deadlines and calls for themed submission as “assignments” to help fuel your writing. I even keep notes in my calendar about which journals are open when and work to have new material to share when submissions open.

Getting published in journals has offered much needed encouragement as my skills have grown. I began writing as a poet, taking classes, reading a lot of good poetry, and letting myself write badly before I got better. When I got a number of poems together, I mustered the confidence to send my work to journals. I started with smaller journals and got a big boost when one of those lit mags published a poem and nominated it for a Pushcart Prize.

I also “test market” my work through submission. When I think a piece is ready, I send it to five or six journals. If they reject the story, I will take another look and work to re-vision the story. In that way I was able to build enough short stories to develop my 2020 collection Lost Girls. The publisher at my small press could see from my journal publications that I was a serious writer.

Now that I have added novels to the mix, I seek out stories that might be best told in an expanded form. My novel Beware the Tall Grass began as a short story “Landing Zone Albany” published in the journal Upstreet in 2016. I greatly expanded the story and added a second point of view character. Many revisions and eight years later, the novel won the Donald L. Jordan Literary Prize and was published by Columbus State University Press. I am sure my list of journal publications helped me when it came to judging whether I was a serious writer.

Writing is hard, and submitting your work and facing rejection can be painful. Let literary journals educate you, motivate you, deepen your work and cement your reputation as a writer.

* * *

Ellen Birkett Morris’s debut novel Beware the Tall Grass won the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang. She is the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award. Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council, and grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Elizabeth George Foundation. Her essays have appeared in The Keepthings, Newsweek, Next Avenue, AARP’s The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time Management with Tomatoes

 

Like most writers I start each day with a widely varied to-do list. Today’s included tasks for my work as a WOW blog tour manager, product testing for an upcoming article, a blog post, updating my social media, composing questions for an interview, revising an article’s introduction and background reading for a new job. And will there be any time left for creative writing?

From there my day usually goes one of two ways:

1. I start one of the tasks on my list and become so engrossed I forget to take a break until hours later when my hungry stomach and/or stiff neck protests.

2. I start one task but that annoying voice in my head keeps insisting “What about this task? What about that deadline? Wouldn’t it be easier to just finish that task from yesterday?” I end the day having jumped from task to task, starting many but finishing few.

If you also need help making the best use of your time, I suggest the tomato technique.

Actually the Pomodoro® Technique, named after the tomato shaped kitchen timer that Francesco Cirillo used when developing his time management methods. The Pomodoro® Technique is simple: predetermined chunks of time dedicated to one task with short breaks in between. Then, after four chunks of work a longer break. Cirillo pinpointed 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes for breaks as the sweet spot but you can adjust to what works best for you.

Originally developed as a study aid, I think this technique works well for writers also. The trick is to use your 25 minutes for one single task and ignore things that will “just take a minute” like emails, social media, and other distractions. Stick to task and dedicate one of your Pomodoro chunks to returning emails, invoicing clients and all the other business details of writing.

 Also, keep track of how many Pomodoro chunks it takes you to complete a recurring task. Can you write a blog post in one Pomodoro or do you need two? Is it better to dedicate two Pomodoros to your inbox at the beginning of each day or split it – one Pomodoro at the start of the day and one Pomodoro at the end of the day? Overall, this is about becoming more aware of how you are using (and wasting) your time and where you can make improvements.

I often found that my creative writing was last on my to-do list and, as such, often got abandoned in favor of other tasks. But with the Pomodoro® Technique you can schedule one Pomodoro for creative writing each day. It feels manageable because it’s ONLY 25 minutes. Looking at it another way, you get 25 scheduled minutes each day, something you might have skipped in the past in favor of other tasks or simply because you were wiped out after a day of concentrating on other tasks.

Cirillo prefers an actual physical timer (shaped like a tomato, of course) but there are many online apps to use. I like the fun (and free) Pomofocus app you can download to your laptop, desktop or phone. You can personalize it with different colors, sounds and time lengths. They’ll give you a heads up when you only have 5 minutes left in a pomodoro and compile a report tracking your time useage.

We’ve all heard that we should divide out days up into brief segments of focused work. Sometimes, we need a little help making that a reality. Try a tomato!

Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to pretzels to butterflies to treehouses.  Sadly, the groundhogs have eaten all her garden's tomatoes. She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing. Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb.

Interview with Jenna Tico, Author of Cancer Moon: How I Survived the Best Years of My Life

Today we are excited to bring you an interview with Jenna Tico, author of Cancer Moon: How I Survived the Best Years of My Life. Published through She Writes Press, fans of creative nonfiction will love this book with its humorous observations and insights as well as the reflective passages that resonate with that little voice inside our heads that says "But what if I had done this instead?" Jenna took the time out of her busy promotion schedule to answer a few questions about her writing and editing process, her path to publication, and other essayists who have inspired her own work. 

 

About the book: For fans of You’ll Grow Out of It, this comedic patchwork of flash-prose, essay, and poetry snapshots a millennial performance artist’s journey from late bloomer to adult, inviting twenty-something women to embrace their self-worth, sexuality, and own-your-weird mentality. Growing up in Santa Barbara, California, way too close to the Hollywood dream machine, Jenna Tico’s self-worth wanes to invisibility when her identity becomes enmeshed with validation from celebrities and spiritual F-boys . . . until she claws her way back to empowerment. Here, Tico shares vulnerable personal essays, stories, and poetry—all grouped following the cycles of the moon—chronicling her journey from late bloomer to full grownup. Observing the world of twenty-something relationships from perspectives as diverse as a bachelorette houseboat, a music festival afterparty, and the airplane ride to a death bed, she validates the experiences of women who feel like they have been abandoned by the generation that came before them. Her self-reflective stories encourage healthy life choices for young women without telling them where, what, or how to live their lives—and always with a healthy dash of humor on the side. Simultaneously hilarious and poignant (without the whiff of morality play), Cancer Moon invites readers to embrace their twenties—aka the “age of wallowing”—as a humorous and necessary step toward understanding how we become who we want to be in the world.

You can find the book at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

 

About the Author: 

Jenna Tico survived the best years of her life by incessantly journaling, scribbling poetry, and distracting herself from her questionable choices with potato chips and excellent friendships. Now in her mid-thirties, she is a community-builder, performing artist, wife, mother, writer, and group facilitator. Jenna lives with her family in Santa Barbara, CA. Learn more at www.jennatico.com. 

----------Interview by Renee Roberson

WOW: Your book, Cancer Moon, is a collection of essays, flash prose, and poetry. What led you to explore writing creative nonfiction? 

Jenna: I’ve always been drawn to creative nonfiction, both as a writer and as a reader. It’s never felt cut-and-dry to me, because I find others’ lives to be endlessly fascinating. Even though I believe it is never fully possible to remove ourselves from our art, even for fiction writers, something about fully owning it and saying “this is me–take it or leave it” has always appealed to me. Partially because I felt a lot of the content in the 2000’s (aka my coming-of-age era) was so glossy, but also because I’ve never been great at hiding my truth, or how I feel. Ever since I was a child, I’ve worn my experiences (and my moods) pretty openly, for better or for worse. It just felt natural to me to translate that through writing. 

WOW: Are there any CNF authors you'd recommend other writers explore if they would like to learn more about the art form? 

Jenna: I love the work of Jessi Klein, whose work came across my desk as I was working on compiling my own book—and gave me so much encouragement in claiming my voice and story. She feels like a literary soulmate. I also adore Samantha Irby—talk about laugh-out-loud—and David Sedaris, particularly his early work. Cheryl Strayed, of course. Anne Lamott. And some of my biggest CNF heroes would probably never align themselves with the genre—Miranda July and Sheila Heti, for example—but their bravery in writing has inspired me to tell my own story and be bold with the format. 

WOW: Thanks for all these great recommendations! The pieces in Cancer Moon are organized underneath the various cycles of the moon. What made you decide to use that particular structure for the narrative? 

Jenna: Cancer Moon spans the decade of my twenties, which was a period of growth, change, trial-and-error, and expansion that was many things… but rarely, if ever, a straight line. Feelings or experiences got bigger, yes, but then they shrank again. If I felt light, darkness was always around the corner, and vice versa. Looking back on my twenties, I felt resentful of society’s expectation of linear progression. So, knowing that I wanted the title to play upon my natal moon placement, the sign of Cancer, one day it just clicked: I could base the structure of the book on the cycles of the moon… with, as I say in the intro, the “the only constant being change, and the amount of light visible.” 

WOW: You utilized the use of footnotes as humorous anecdotes throughout this collection. Those made me laugh out loud more than once. What led you to this creative choice? 

Jenna: I’m glad to hear it! Most times, those asides were for my own sanity; to be able to take a pause in the middle of a moment and be like, “can you believe this?” or to clarify a point that didn’t need to be embedded in the narrative. Also, because some of the pieces were written in my early twenties—and I deliberately decided to leave them intact—I used the footnote to reflect from the perspective of my older, wiser self. To poke fun at the blind spots or judgments I had at the time, but grew out of. For example, in "Cabo is the New Cabo," I describe the experience of being exposed to a crew of new mothers on a wild bachelorette weekend, shocked by their level of debauchery. The addition of a later footnote—after becoming a parent myself—allowed me to laugh at the naivete I had at that party, with more empathy for what those women may have been experiencing, going through, and needing to revisit. 

 

 

"It was important for me to feel I was in integrity. I tried to lead with accountability for my own part in things, and to really say: 'I don’t blame you for anything, and I am grateful for what I learned during our time together. I wouldn’t change it.'" 

 

WOW: Writing creative nonfiction can be tricky when you're writing about people in your life that are still alive. Were there any pieces you considered not including in the final draft of the book and if so, why? 

Jenna: Yes, one thousand percent. As a recovering people-pleaser, a lot of the initial hesitation I had came from not wanting people to be mad at me—particularly family, or those whose identities would not be changed. I also felt afraid to include the pieces about my abusive relationships because, in many ways, I am still unraveling and recovering from the shame and fear that built up during those eras of my life. In that way, choosing to include them was excellent medicine, and reminded me of the WHY behind this project—why telling our stories in our own words is always a therapeutic opportunity. What helped me most was to write the stories down, without imagining anyone ever reading them, and then going back and titrating/adjusting where necessary. I also made an effort to reach out to the four people who I thought would be most affected by the book, with varied results. Regardless, it was important for me to feel I was in integrity. I tried to lead with accountability for my own part in things, and to really say: “I don’t blame you for anything, and I am grateful for what I learned during our time together. I wouldn’t change it.” 

WOW: I love that. I've also come to realize my own accountability in things I did or said when I was younger and that has resulted in a shift in my perspective sometimes when writing CNF. In an interview you did with the Santa Barbara Independent, you shared that you worked with a book coach to help organize the pieces you included in Cancer Moon. What led you to that decision and would you recommend it for other writers? 

Jenna: The experience of working with a book coach came somewhat magically. I had never even heard of it as an option, let alone sought one out. I approached the wonderful Rachael Quisel, an accomplished novelist and copyeditor, for some assistance in editing a few of my essays—I was curious if there was a through line, or if I could workshop any to be ready for a collection—and she was the one who connected me with Yvette Keller, who at that time was just beginning to dip her toes into the world of book coaching. I was her beta client; and the process of bouncing ideas off her, sending material, and following her prompts to stay accountable was by far one of the most helpful things I encountered in this journey. I got lucky with Yvette, because she really saw the heart and soul of my piece, and found her OWN professional value in helping me. I’d recommend it for anyone who knows they want to create a specific piece, but need help identifying a clear path to get it out. 

WOW: You published Cancer Moon through She Writes Press, which is a hybrid publisher. What would you say are the benefits of publishing through this type of model? 

Jenna: For me as a first time author, the hybrid model felt like the best of both worlds: traditional distribution and professionalism, with more mentorship and choice built in. She Writes Press gave me a strong YES, a vote of confidence, when I needed it—and allowed me a lot of agency in my process, which was a corrective experience. Their initial feedback on my submission was thorough, thoughtful, and heartwarming—I instantly felt that they GOT it, and were willing to take a chance on a multi-genre piece, which is rare. I began to frame the whole thing as a 2.5-year mentorship program in an industry I knew nothing about (but wanted to join), and that made it feel so worthwhile to invest in. I’ve also appreciated the element of working within a cohort of other authors, where we are encouraged and given tools to UPLIFT one another on our journeys, rather than compete. I’ve gained so much from bouncing off the other women in my group, and taking in their wisdom on everything from publicity to managing emotions. 

 

 

"I love everything about live storytelling, especially when participants are telling personal tales in their own words. There’s a layer of vulnerability there, where the healing and transformation are proportional to the risk taken."

 

WOW: That's a great way to look at it! Not only an investment in yourself, but as a mentorship program in publishing. I'm sure She Writes Press would agree with you! In addition to being a writer, you are also a storyteller. Could you tell us more about Backbone Storytelling and what you enjoy about it? 

Jenna: I love everything about live storytelling, especially when participants are telling personal tales in their own words. There’s a layer of vulnerability there, where the healing and transformation are proportional to the risk taken. As a group mentor who spent many years facilitating social-emotional education in public schools, I consider myself a student of how to create spaces that not only feel safe, but BRAVE. As a performing artist, I love watching people use their bodies and voices to translate the experiences that have happened IN our bodies—which is part of the reason that Backbone is always themed around the body. That, and the fact that no matter our differences, we all have a body. Sometimes I find I can hide more easily when I’m writing, because of the separation between the action and the reaction of a reader—but in storytelling, you don’t have that kind of buffer. So leaning into that art form, and learning from others in the space, has made me a bolder writer… and definitely a more compassionate, curious person. I figure if it has that effect on me, what could it possibly do for others who feel at odds/ different from those around them? 

WOW: If you could go back and talk to a 23-year-old Jenna now, what would you tell her? 

Jenna: Oh goodness. First of all, you look beautiful, and it’s totally fine if you wear that shirt every day. Don’t stress. The best people in your life, your REAL people, will stick around no matter what—you don’t have to force it. Having a singular career path or artistic medium is overrated. If he doesn’t text you back, it says something about where he is at, not your worth—leave your phone in the car, go in the ocean, and change out of your bathing suit afterward. (Nothing good ever came of sitting in a damp bathing suit.) You WILL meet the love of your life. And then you will also struggle, because no relationship will ever be perfect. It’s okay. You WILL meet your children, and it will be better than you can ever imagine. You won’t always feel so chaotic. Chocolate pudding is not a food group, but enjoy THAT while it lasts. You’re going to be okay. Also, if you’re tired… go home. There will be other opportunities to stay up. Go home.

WOW: Jenna, thanks again for stopping by and best of luck with your book promotion for Cancer Moon: How I Survived the Best Years of My Life.

Interview with Tabbie Hunt: Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest First Place Winner

Tabbie Hunt is a children’s book-packager turned freelancer. She writes in the small cracks between life and is particularly interested in failings, feelings, and funniness, with a side order of fantasy.

When she’s not pretending to be an adult, she rescues and fosters cats and dogs, who in turn rescue her right back. She lives up a hill with her husband, two sons, and a pile of beasts. She dreams of quietly going round the bend in the wilderness.

You can find her work in Daily Science Fiction, Gingerbread House, Alice says go Fuck Yourself, The Melting Pot, and Witcraft, among others.

She can be found at www.facebook.com/tabbie.hunt.9

--interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Spring 2024 Flash Fiction competition. What prompted you to enter the contest?

Tabbie: I hadn’t submitted any writing in a while, thanks to life getting in the way, so was really just looking for friendly places to test out my vulnerable courage. A few fellow writers mentioned WOW and when I checked you out there was such a lovely positive vibe that I just went for it. I won’t say it took away my fear entirely, but I felt able to submit and survive.

WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, “Broken Yesterdays?” It’s such an interesting, thought provoking piece, and leaves a lasting impression.

Tabbie: Thank you, that’s so kind. I really wish I could say that the story sprouted from prestigious seeds, but in fact it was an episode of Dr Pimple Popper that inspired me! There was a particularly effective drainage – sorry if that’s a little graphic - which left the patient sobbing with relief and gratitude, and I thought how brilliant it would be if negative feelings and experiences could be removed in a similar fashion. I wanted to build a little humor in, so that it wasn’t an entirely grim reader experience, but I also wanted to show that trauma isn’t always something we can let go of easily, particularly if it has been part of us for a long while and feels almost too familiar to forsake. Also, whilst writing, my black cat was being an utter pain, squeaking and pawing at me, which is how the ‘Broken Yesterday’ spirits were given form. Don’t worry, I’ll never put my cat in a jar!

WOW: Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you?

Tabbie: I really struggle to complete longer pieces of writing, although I continue to work on my various unfinished novels. Flash is a lovely way for me just to have fun, and gain satisfaction from having a complete piece of writing fairly quickly. I guess what makes it different is how stripped back it needs to be in order to deliver enough plot, dialogue, setting and character details, in a small space, for a satisfying story. I absolutely love the torture of cutting words and forcing myself to get to the point!

WOW: What advice would you give to someone wanting to try writing flash fiction for the first time?

Tabbie: It’s really helpful to read the work of other writers, plus there’s a ton of useful information online which is well worth diving into. Ultimately, you should write something that you love, in the way that only you can. And don’t be afraid to let yourself be tugged in all sorts of unexpected directions, as you go along, as these often lead you to the story that you were somehow supposed to write.

WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Tabbie. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?

Tabbie: Thanks so much for having me, and thank you again for choosing my story. I think I’ll be delighted forever.

Yes, I do have a favorite writing tip and that’s to write a really terrible first draft. By all means start with a rough plan or idea, but just vomit out those words into a great spaghetti-tangle spew. Afterwards, you can pick out the good stuff for closer inspection and throw bleach over the rest, but if you try to write perfectly from the get go, you’ll block your brain and strangle the story.

***

Interview with 2024 Q3 Creative Nonfiction Runner Up, Sayantani Roy

Sayantani Roy grew up in small-town India and writes from the Seattle area. Her work has found home in Alan Squire Publishing Bulletin, Ekphrastic Review, Emerge Literary Journal, Gone Lawn, Heavy Feather Review, The Hooghly Review, TIMBER, West Trestle Review (forthcoming), and elsewhere. This season, she is participating as a mentee in the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship program. Say hello on Instagram or X @sayan_tani_r.

--interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on placing as a runner up in our Q3 2024 Creative Nonfiction essay competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?

Sayantani: I came across WOW on social media and saw many of my favorite writers featured there—either as contest winners or as expert interviewees. I knew I had to enter!

WOW: “Longing, Belonging” is a poignant essay and the way you formatted it worked
well here. What inspired you to write this particular piece?

Sayantani: I wrote this in a class with writer Paige Towers, and she encouraged us to use a slightly offbeat form. I chose vignettes for this flash essay because I could cover several decades of my life and also leave readers to ponder over what was left unsaid. I was definitely influenced by Julie
Marie Wade and Brenda Miller’s book of essays, Telephone, which I was reading at that time. It
is a collaborative work of intertwined vignettes, and the style had a powerful effect on me.

WOW: Are you working on any writing projects right now? What’s next for you?

Sayantani: I am polishing a couple of old and new poems and flash pieces. I am also working on a slightly longer short story right now, which I am workshopping as part of the AWP (Association of
Writers & Writing Programs ) Writer to Writer mentorship program. I am so fortunate to have as
my mentor the writer Jennifer Savran Kelly, whose debut novel Endpapers was nominated for a
2024 Lambda Literary Award.

WOW: What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it?

Sayantani: I am reading “The Wheeling Year—A Poet’s Field Book” by former United States poet laureate Ted Kooser. It is a year-long chronicle of observations and insights. These are akin to short
journal entries that are “sketches and landscape studies made out of words,” as he puts it.
Some of these have appeared in magazines, but many are raw observations that make me
catch my breath. For example, the last entry in January is this—"In the long, low, ivory shafts of

January light, a crow, alone on the melting ice of the river, follows its shadow, pecking at it,
drinking it in.” How lovely is that? Kooser has filled six decades’ worth of such workbooks, and
these undoubtedly give shape to his poems. I picked it up to draw inspiration from it—to learn
how to look at mundane things because they are anything but.

WOW: You've gotten me interested in Ted Kooser's work! Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Sayantani. Before you go, can you share a favorite writing tip or piece of advice?

Sayantani: Thank you so much for this opportunity. It’s a great honor.

A writing tip that has worked for me is to write a relatively strong first draft. I suppose it depends
on what you call it, but my first draft is the one where I begin writing seriously. The famous
“shitty first draft” to me is what happens in the freewriting stage. I let it all out and then sit down
to write the real thing. I may take portions of the freewrite, but at this point, I am writing afresh
from memory. I hardly look at the freewrite anymore. I don’t stop every now and then to look at
grammar and diction for the first draft, but I do write in a structured way keeping in mind its final
shape. That’s not to say that I don’t shift things around or I can create a flawless structure from
the get-go. I do revise extensively. But, if my first draft is totally different than what I have
envisioned as the final form of the piece, or if it is very rough, it takes me ages to polish it, and I
lose momentum.

***