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.
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.
***
Lovely interview, and a great last tip. I’m going to see if it improves my writing at work!😁
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview, Marcia and Tabbie! It's so interesting to hear about the inspiration behind your story, Tabbie, because I pictured Dr. Pimple Popper while I read it. My partner loves that show. Lol! I also love your last tip about word vomiting. Thanks for sharing how you heard about WOW. We all loved your wonderfully imaginative and humorous story and thought it was such a clever way to talk about trauma. Well done!
ReplyDelete