--interview by Marcia Peterson
WOW: Congratulations on your top ten win in our Summer 2024 Flash Fiction competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?
Carole: WOW! Women on Writing has been an inspiration for me in various ways over the past 10—12 years. I’ve appreciated essays from your staff contributors. I enjoyed Margo Dill’s work in writing about and publishing children’s books, and later Nicole Pyles with whom I worked on several reviews and interviews for the Blog Tours she conducts. See at http://CaroleWrites.com
You published one or two short pieces I submitted to your Friday “The Muffin” spot. I was encouraged by those acceptances. I’d entered one of your contests more than 10 years ago. Annoyed that my story didn’t “place,” I had strong motivation to try again. I think the decade has taught me to respect failures as much as successes, realizing you can learn from both. In fact, energy may derive as much from failure as from success.
WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, “One Soldier’s Afflictions?” You captured Arthur’s thoughts and experiences in such an insightful and beautiful way.
Carole: Thank you for your kind words. While enrolled in a novel course, I began a story fifteen years ago about a war veteran who suffered PTSD. I suppose my concept of that veteran stayed with me over the years and became Arthur. Time somehow drew me closer to this imagined character. The figure of Arthur calls me to respect the sacrifices our soldiers make, sacrifices so often overlooked.
WOW: What do you enjoy about flash fiction writing versus the other kinds of writing that you do?
Carole: It's very unusual for me to attempt flash fiction, since I spend most of my writing time in poetry. But I gained satisfaction from being able to shape and write this piece within a very short timeframe. Doing flash also made me strive to make every word count and to eliminate unneeded words. This is something Carol Smallwood, a Michigan poet, repeatedly demonstrated to me through her writing.
WOW: What advice would you give to someone wanting to try writing flash fiction for the first time?
Write what’s on your heart. Know your character(s). (In flash fiction, present only one or two characters.) If possible, use an arc with rising and falling action; then bring the story quickly to a close. In the case of “One Soldier’s Afflictions,” I’d lived with the character so long in my imagination that the story almost wrote itself.
WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Carole. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?
Carole: My tip for writers: when you’ve established a connection with a worthy literary site, stay with it and use what the site offers to your advantage. I’ve lately benefited, for example, from the Markets Newsletters at WOW! They’ve steered me to make pitches to journals I might not otherwise have considered. I also read the Craft Corner articles. Course offerings, too, were a great benefit. Chelsey Clammer boosted my writing efforts within a mere four weeks as much as a year-long course I’d taken elsewhere. I feel happy to be associated with Quill and Parchment, a journal that highlights poetry and poetry reviews, along with engaging artwork. When I contribute to that site, and to The Ekphrastic Review, I feel I’m writing directly for the editors and their readership; it helps to be able to envision your “audience.”
WOW: What advice would you give to someone wanting to try writing flash fiction for the first time?
Write what’s on your heart. Know your character(s). (In flash fiction, present only one or two characters.) If possible, use an arc with rising and falling action; then bring the story quickly to a close. In the case of “One Soldier’s Afflictions,” I’d lived with the character so long in my imagination that the story almost wrote itself.
WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Carole. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?
Carole: My tip for writers: when you’ve established a connection with a worthy literary site, stay with it and use what the site offers to your advantage. I’ve lately benefited, for example, from the Markets Newsletters at WOW! They’ve steered me to make pitches to journals I might not otherwise have considered. I also read the Craft Corner articles. Course offerings, too, were a great benefit. Chelsey Clammer boosted my writing efforts within a mere four weeks as much as a year-long course I’d taken elsewhere. I feel happy to be associated with Quill and Parchment, a journal that highlights poetry and poetry reviews, along with engaging artwork. When I contribute to that site, and to The Ekphrastic Review, I feel I’m writing directly for the editors and their readership; it helps to be able to envision your “audience.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment