Interview with Anny Stone, WOW! Fall 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

Anny Stone is trying to resuscitate her dream of being a writer who actually writes. In the daytime, she is a librarian. She mostly writes about the odd frequency of her mind. She writes to connect, to find those with a similar frequency. You can reluctantly find her on Instagram @mrsjohnwaters.

--interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on your top ten win in our Fall 2024 Flash Fiction competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?

Anny: Thank you! I’m thrilled to have been placed and grateful that this weird little story finally has a home. I found WOW through my desperate searches for writing competitions that might give my voice a shot. I’ve entered a few past contests since, and I’m always impressed with WOW's communication and supportive environment.

WOW:  Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your entry “How to be unsuccessful at modern dating?” I’m guessing that the story, while darkly humorous, is close to reality for many people.

Anny: I’ve workshopped this piece several times, and I’m always amazed at how many really resonate with this one. We all want to believe we’re the most socially awkward person in the room, but it’s just not true. Modern dating, which pretty much defaults to dating apps now, is a weird form of social torture. Nobody likes it or is good at it, yet here we are. This piece rubs the border of fiction and personal essay. It definitely came from a place of feral insecurity and from that random intense hiccup of loneliness that finds you at 10 p.m. on a Friday.

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

Anny: Don’t get flustered by traditional plot structure. Flash is fun because there’s more acceptance for anarchy and play. Capture a moment, a feeling, a memory, whatever—it’s your move.

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

Anny: I’m about to finish Close to the Knives: A Memoir of Disintegration by David Wojnarowicz. It’s haunting, infuriating, raw, and devastatingly beautiful. Memoirs are hugely influential to me as a writer and as a human being living in this inflamed world. Collect voices, all types of voices, and continue to fine-tune your capacity to listen.

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

Anny: I always go back to Toni Morrison’s “Write what you want to read” advice.

***

Leave a Comment Anny Stone, contest runner up, Contestant interview, Marcia Peterson, WOW! Fall 2024 Flash Fiction Contest, writer inspiration