Interview with Deidre Bennett, Runner Up in the WOW! Spring 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

Deidre lives and works in West Virginia where she raises a feral preteen daughter. She has a passion for mental health awareness, Appalachia, and helping her friends and community however she can. She writes fiction for fun in her spare time and shares personal essays on her blog. 

If you haven't read "Broken Chains and Spilt Milk" yet, click here and then come back to see what Deidre has to say about her writing process. 

WOW:  What was the inspiration for this powerful piece of writing? 

Deidre: I wrote the original draft of this story over ten years ago as part of an assignment for a creative writing course. I've made small changes to it over the years, but I shortened it significantly for this contest. The idea is loosely based on things my mom used to tell me about her childhood as the oldest of three sisters, but the events of this story are completely fictional. 

WOW: At the beginning of your story, you reveal the setting to your readers. How do you make the Appalachian Mountains real for people who haven’t experienced the area personally? 

Deidre: It was less about making the story real for the readers and more about sharing Appalachia as I know it. I've had to shovel snow in March (and sometimes later in the year). The truck was based on one my grandfather drove when I was young. The meal Joey prepared is a favorite that I've made myself countless times. The dialogue is based on conversations I've had or overheard. It becomes real for the readers because it is my reality. 

WOW:  What a strong lesson in borrowing from the world around you.  You have so much detail packed into this brief story. How do you decide which details to use and how to get the most impact out of them? 

Deidre: I wish I had an inspired answer. My writing method is a lot like the popular saying about sculpting an elephant: "You just chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant." Obviously, it's not that simple, but it's hard to explain. 

I tend to "brain dump" and go back after a day or two (or a year or two) and remove pieces that don't fit. This editing process involved finding ways to manipulate language to meet the word count limit without sacrificing the message. I removed inner monologue and trusted that Joey's actions and words would convey her feelings. I tried to picture what Joey would experience through her five senses and wrote it down. 

I'm grateful I found this contest because it made me strengthen a story I've been attached to for years. 

WOW:  On your website, you discuss the fact that you had another site where you wrote as Nadine Frederick. You left it behind to communicate with your readers as yourself on your new site. Can you tell us a bit about that experience and why you decided to do this? How are you now more yourself? 

Deidre:  I initially started a blog to work through personal realizations and share things I was learning to hopefully benefit others. I used a pseudonym because I wasn't ready to share this journey with most people in my personal life. As I made connections and built community through the blog, that fear of being vulnerable in real life started to subside, and I was excited to show off my work. I took a hiatus from writing for a while to deal with life and came back less apologetic and self-conscious. I used to feel that oversharing was my personality flaw, but once I embraced it in writing and life, I made connections and friendships that I wouldn't trade for anything. 

WOW:  What a journey!  It also explains why your writing feels so personal.  It is.  What else are you working on in addition to flash? Where can our readers find your work?  

Deidre: I have been working on a novel in bits and pieces over the last several years, but it's not close to ready for the public eye. I stopped trying to force myself into a particular niche or genre, and I occasionally write articles or essays based on whatever the brain bees decide to buzz about and publish them on my website at www.writelikeme.co. 

WOW:  Thank you for taking the time to share your brain bees and your personal writing journey with us, Deidre.  I know that I hope to see more of your writing in the future!