Interview with Emily Shipman: Summer '24 Flash Fiction Contest First Place Winner

Emily Shipman lives in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin with her husband, two kids, and a dwindling colony of Sea Monkeys. She has worked in sugar beet fields, colleges, offices, stadiums, hospitals, and home. In her free time, she writes flash fiction, steals pebbles from Lake Michigan and invests too much love in a baseball team that cannot love her back.

--interview by Marcia Peterson

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

Emily: Thank you! This is my first time winning a contest so there was a lot of dancing and cheering when I found out. I was in a writing program called Monthly Mentorship and my instructor, Katey Schultz, suggested WOW! Women On Writing when I was looking for places to submit flash fiction. I entered the summer contest because the top prize of Tom Bromley’s novel writing class was appealing, and I thought this story could be a good fit. I’m glad I took my shot!

WOW Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, “Sorry Do I Know You?”

Emily: It started with a friendly discussion about how messy I leave our butter tub at home, something I never thought was strange because its butter, crumbs just find their way in there. And then I thought about what these small details might suggest to someone who doesn't know you. This story is completely fiction, but I remember dating in my twenties and some of the questionable behavior I ignored because I was trying to fit a rosy version of that person into my life. I liked giving my narrator the clarity to escape the fantasy she created.

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

Emily: I started writing flash a few years ago when I wanted to find a way back to writing, and jumping into longer forms was paralyzing. I have two young kids and limited time, so flash felt like a way to create complete stories in short bursts. I didn't need to keep track of lots of places and characters because I only needed to focus on one moment. And it is possible to toggle between projects without spending a lot of time rereading before jumping back into the story.

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

Emily: The best way to start is by reading a variety of flash fiction. There are great online websites and journals, or if you want a physical book, I like the Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction edited by Tara L. Masih because it offers examples and prompts to get you started. Flash fiction is fun and when you ask your non-writing friends to read it, it is a very small time commitment.

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

Emily: Thank you, Marcia. I am still new to the flash fiction form, but my best advice to anyone starting to write or starting to write again is to find a few other writers and set a monthly deadline to share something. For three years, I have been Zooming with two other writers and it keeps me on track when I really just want to spend my free time bingeing every ridiculous version of "Love Island" instead of writing.

Also, your verbs are going to do a lot of heavy lifting so choose exciting ones.

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