Getting the Words on the Page

While attending a cookout a few weekends ago, a friend introduced me to one of her acquaintances. When this woman found out I was a writer, her eyes opened wide. 

“I would love to do that!” she said. “I have so many ideas . . .” 

We chatted for a few more minutes about what types of writing I do. She mentioned trying to join a local writing group she found years ago online. But when she got to the restaurant where they were all meeting, she said all the women there worked in the industry, either in a freelance capacity or working on staff at local news outlets. She said she felt intimidated because she hadn’t published anything and slunk away that evening, vowing never to return. She mentioned all the Post-It notes she has scattered around her house, thoughts that tumble out of her head and onto the tiny pieces of paper. 

But from what I gathered, this woman (who is several years older than me) hasn’t completed anything. She didn’t mention any essays, poems, or short stories. Just her ideas. 

We exchanged phone numbers so we could talk more about writing. But as I walked away, I thought to myself, “She has writing paralysis.” It made me sad, because I’ve seen it before. My own daughter has it. She loves writing for fun and journaling but when it comes time to produce and submit something creative, she hedges. As she describes it, “I get too much in my head about things.” 

I could tell from speaking to this woman at the barbeque she likely has the same thing. She has romanticized the idea of being a writer so much that she has talked herself out of doing the writing. I’ve been thinking about what advice I could give her. 

Take a writing workshop or online class. There are so many affordable options out there, including the ones here at WOW! While the idea of sharing our work can be intimidating, at the very least, it will require you to put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and complete an assignment. You’ll probably have to submit it to the instructor or others in your class. You will get to read examples of other people’s work and see what topics bode well in essay or short story format. When I helped WOW! instructor Ashley Harris out with a poetry webinar earlier this summer, I was so inspired I came away with five new poem drafts. I haven’t written poetry in years, and I’ve never published any, but seeing her presentation, which included submission markets, lit a fire underneath me. 

Enter a contest. Again, these have tangible deadlines that force you to write. The WOW! quarterly flash fiction contest only requires 750 words. Yes, it’s difficult to produce a compelling short story in so few words, but it’s also very achievable. If you purchase a critique to go along with your entry, you’ll get ideas on what worked and didn’t work in the story and receive encouragement to keep going along the way. Our monthly markets newsletter is also chock full of places to submit, complete with deadlines. I’m listening to an audiobook right now called The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. It takes place in the late 1960s, and one character, Margaret, decides she wants to enter an essay contest a national magazine is sponsoring. She has to go out and rent a typewriter just to achieve this goal—talk about a physical barrier to entering a contest! Thankfully, things are much easier on writers these days. The only barrier we have is ourselves. 

Participate in a writing or journaling challenge. Years ago, I read Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way and got so much out of her daily morning pages exercises. If you’re struggling with what to write, begin a short journaling practice with your morning tea or coffee. Subscribe to a few Substack accounts like this one  and read other people’s work for inspiration. Jodi Webb wrote a great post with 15 writing challenges for writers of all types. You’ll be inspired in no time! 

I promise that if you’re suffering from the dreaded “writer’s paralysis,” you won’t be for long once you begin putting the words on the page.

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and host and creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.

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Leave a Comment Renee Roberson, writing advice, writing contests, writing productivity

Interview with Sophie Niell: Runner-Up Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest

Sophie's Bio: Sophie lives on the South Coast of England and has taught Drama in state High Schools and Colleges for over 20 years. After stepping away from the classroom a few years ago, Sophie completed a Post Graduate course in Creative Arts and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London and has since explored 1:1 work with vulnerable young people using creative writing as a therapeutic tool. Sophie also works with older adults on the recording of their memoirs, providing prompts and exploring different connections in their lives. The story 'Downsizing' explores the connection between grief and place and the overlapping thought pattern between mother and daughter.

If you haven't already read "Downsizing," take a moment to do so and then come back here for an interview you don't want to miss. 

WOW: What was the inspiration for “Downsizing?” 

Sophie: I was thinking about places I used to visit and how my late parents’ house was now gone with all its memories. It has left a huge gap in my life and I was talking with friends about how, if you don’t think too carefully, you can imagine your parents still there (as it is in a different town that I don’t visit often) continuing to live some other kind of life. Mrs. Bolton’s voice is inspired by my mothers and I started to imagine her looking out at the garden and musing on her life. I let her speak to see where it went. 

I think I was aware that my voice needed to be there all along, as Stef's voice, but I waited for the right moment to bring her in to expose the fact that this wasn’t real, it was a flight of fancy and Mrs. Bolton had died some time before that. I started getting really interested in what was real and what wasn’t and how the presence of someone in your life doesn’t end when they die. 

WOW: I'm going to go back and reread the story knowing so much more about the voices involved. Revision is such a big part of the writing process. How did “Downsizing” change from first draft to final piece? 

Sophie: There are a few versions of this story, some which are up to 2500 words and the shortest being this one at 750 words. The longer story contains more background to the character of Mrs. Bolton, where she was before that house, how it used to be a B&B and her reflections on how she tried to lift herself beyond the mundanity of some of her life (where she is now trapped). Mrs. Bolton is more frustrated in the longer story and Stef’s voice at the end contains more detail of the trauma of Mrs. Bolton’s death. I think it is sadder and a bit darker. 

I actually started with the shorter version rather than the other way round, so I was occupied with what detail to add rather than remove. The shorter story is more suggestive of the deeper emotions with some reference to a complicated relationship with her daughter, but this is not fully explored. It was difficult to decide how much space to give to Mrs. Bolton and how much to give Stef. It could have been more evenly divided but Mrs. Bolton’s voice was very strong and references Stef quite often throughout, making that relationship front and centre whoever was speaking. 

WOW: This piece is so rich in detail. How did you decide what deserved a spot in such a short story? I feel like this is even more important, knowing the story was originally much longer.

Sophie: I spent a lot of time removing details when I was writing the initial version but I felt it was essential that some remained. The details I chose to include had to contribute to Mrs. Bolton’s relationship with Stef and offer something new to her character. I tried to use the senses to give colour to the story with things they could both see and touch and voices they could hear. As the whole story takes place in one location, I wanted the reader to be able to see and feel it. 

I also drew the perspective in and out with the immediate details in the room contrasting with what was outside the window. Other members of the family like Mr. Bolton and Stef’s brother seem to only exist outside the house, which is interesting, and adds to the feeling of otherworldliness in the world Mrs. Bolton inhabits. And I’m happy with that as it led to me deciding on a clear division between the real memories and the vaguer ‘life’ that Mrs. Bolton was living upstairs. 

One could think about interior and exterior lives and how we live both and I think there was an awareness of this although I’m not sure I could fully express it. Ultimately I was led by Mrs. Bolton’s interior world, and she provided me with the detail as I imagined her looking around. I’m always telling students to use the senses and it really works! 

WOW:  It worked very well. This story has such an amazing twist! What advice do you have for writers who are trying to work surprises into their own work? 

Sophie: I didn’t intentionally set out to have a twist, but I am drawn to multi-narrator writing where each narrator reveals a new perspective. As a tip I think it is worth thinking about what voices surround the central character. By zooming out and looking at what else might be happening to influence the whole story you might find a surprise angle, but I’m no expert! 

WOW:  What a great way to look for just the right twist. In your bio, you relate that you encourage young people to use writing as a therapeutic tool. What do you tell these young people that might be of use to our readers? 

Sophie: As a drama teacher I am driven by character and story and I found that the process of creating a character who is ‘other’ but might hold some of the young person’s own feelings and thoughts gives them the freedom to explore their own identity. The process of writing, as I’m sure your readers know, is therapeutic itself, and there has been much research done into what happens to us in a creative holding space where we can explore versions of ourselves. I would say that although the writing itself is the expression, much of the ‘therapy’ comes in the 1:1 interaction between the young person and their mentor; it is in the prompts given and the questions asked that gently encourage them to question why they hold the opinions they do that much of the exploration and discovery is done.

WOW:  Mentorship is so critical in the creative world!  Thank you so much for taking time to share with our readers.  And good luck with bringing more of your stories to life!

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Leave a Comment flash fiction, revision, runner up , Sophie Elliot, twist

Bring Forward the Bits and Pieces of Your Creative Fiction

 

Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to sit down and read through a short story draft of mine. It had lingered in the archives of my Google Drive folder for a couple of years before I retrieved it. Only recently, in an attempt to get myself digitally organized, did I even find it.

At first, when I read through it, I thought, "Well, it needs work." 

I'm no stranger to the revision process. Once you get started, you can begin to get into the groove and make improvements. 

For this story, though, I couldn't get myself going. Finally, I asked myself, "What about this story do I not like?"

I realized that, while I knew the writing needed polishing, I just didn't like the plot. It ended up being a murder mystery, and don't get me wrong, I love mysteries. I love reading them and listening to mystery-based podcasts. I love watching mystery movies.

Writing them, though? I just couldn't imagine doing it. I reconsidered directing the plot line in a different direction, but instead decided to let the story unfold completely.

Sometimes we get there as writers. A sign of growth is knowing when to let go. 

Yet, I didn't just click the archive button or put it into the folder where stories go to no longer see the virtual light of day. 

I went through it. I grabbed snippets of phrasing I liked and saved them in my OneNote app. Later, I plan to do the same with other stories I've had to let go. 

This myriad of creative sentences could spark a new story. These are fragments that I hope will become a mosaic of inspiration. It's like starting a garden. You have to put the seed in the soil, right? Sometimes, a sentence or a phrase can inspire a completely new story.

So if you have bid adieu to old stories, don't be afraid to grab the fragments that you love. You never know what might come next.

Nicole Pyles is an overworked writer. She loves the Lord and spending time with her family. She dreams vividly and loves writing metaphors in her fiction. When she's not checking her email obsessively, she enjoys watching old episodes of Twilight Zone and black-and-white monster movies. If you ever want to be on podcasts, let her know. And if you have a podcast, you could be her new best friend.

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1 comment Creative Fiction, Nicole Pyles

Interview With Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up Susan Kammeraad-Campbell

I'm excited to interview Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, one of our runner-up winners in our Winter 2025 Flash Fiction contest. Before reading our interview, be sure to check out her story, "Louboutins." Then, return here to read our conversation.

Here's a bit more about Susan Kammeraad-Campbell:

Susan Kammeraad-Campbell is an award-winning author, editor, publisher and literary mentor who has spent four decades helping writers tap into the deepest reserves of their creativity. As publisher and editor in chief of Joggling Board Press, she has curated and championed books that celebrate the spirit of the South – titles that have earned nearly 100 national awards and wide acclaim.

Her path from newspaper reporter to nationally recognized publisher has been anything but traditional, shaped by a rare fusion of creative writing, neuroscience, and a deep belief in the power of story to connect, heal and reveal. Susan’s innovative teaching methods – shaped in part by her work as a medical journalist exploring how memory and creativity are sparked in the brain – bypass conventional writing formulas to help writers access the raw, resonant truths that live beneath the surface.

A dedicated mentor, she has guided more than 40 interns and apprentices and taught hundreds through workshops, retreats and master classes designed to cultivate original voices. Beyond publishing, Susan has contributed to national efforts in community resilience, serving as a researcher, analyst and core writer for federal initiatives focused on long-term disaster recovery. Her book Doc: The Story of Dennis Littky and His Fight for a Better School was adapted into an NBC movie, and her collaborative nonfiction Edisto River: Black Water Crown Jewel won seven national awards including Foreword Review’s Best Non-fiction Book of the Year. Her short story, Lead Soldier, was a 2023 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival finalist.

Named one of South Carolina’s Top 50 Women Leaders in 2022 for her contributions to publishing, education and civic leadership, Susan lives in Summerville, S.C.

---  Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First off, I loved your story, Louboutins. You have a way of bringing the story to life, and I especially loved how you used sound. What inspired this story?

Susan: One of the methods I use in my creative writing workshops involves visual prompts that challenge participants to respond using all five senses. I never assign a prompt I won’t do myself—so this story was born from a piece of visual art.

Here it is!

WOW: That's beautiful! And I really appreciate you do your own prompts too. Your character came across so brave and so daring in this story, right from the start. How did she come to life in your mind before she was written?

Susan: She came to life as I was writing. In the painting that sparked the piece, a woman is seated at a desk wearing sensible shoes. This made me think of a dear friend who does the opposite. She was visiting recently. When I picked her up from her hotel, she appeared wearing dazzling heels that made her tower like a skyscraper. I had never seen shoes like that—had never even heard of Louboutins. Despite having suffered permanent impairment to one of her feet when she was hit by a truck in a traffic accident, she put on those shoes like a proclamation and walked in them that day until she could not. I would later learn that the grueling and protracted divorce from her lawyer husband had devastated her finances, such that she was selling anything of value, including the Louboutins.

That friend—her complexities, her contradictions, her courage—became the seed for the character.

WOW: Great visuals! What is your preferred writing process: are you a pantser, plotter, or a mix of both? And why?

Susan: Oh, I am at my core a pantser! It’s why I write—to experience the sheer joy of discovery. I never cease to be amazed by what emerges when I tap the wellspring of creativity.

I become a plotter after the flurry, once I’ve laid down enough raw material to shape it into a narrative with structure and pacing. That’s when writing begins to feel more like sculpting. And I do love to sculpt. But the timing has to be right—the discovery always comes first.

WOW: That's a great balance. I love that you are a publisher as well as a writer! What have you learned in your career that you have applied to your writing life?

That could be a long answer. A very long answer. But here’s the short version:

I love making books—concepting, art directing, elevating new voices, editing experienced ones, creating work designed to last. The business side of publishing? Not so much. But the mentoring? That’s when the magic happens. For me, teaching and mentoring are among the highest forms of engagement. When I help others break through their resistance—whether it’s fear of the blank page or a lack of experience in the literary arts—I’m discovering too. It’s a mutuality loop. The joy I give returns in kind, and I leave every encounter enlivened.

What I’ve learned across the diverse career paths I’ve followed—publishing, reportage, medical journalism, community resilience, housing, strategic planning, teaching—is this: every single one of those opportunities came about because of my writing skills, directly or indirectly. That’s the throughline. Writing well means thinking well. And thinking well opens doors to everything else.

WOW: I agree! I find it fascinating that you also have a science background. How does your knowledge of neuroscience appear in your stories, whether intentional or otherwise?

Susan: Ah, neuroscience. If I hadn’t made my way as a writer, I would have become a neuroscientist exploring how the brain works. Creativity often happens when we take well-traveled synaptic pathways—those rooted in knowledge and experience—and purposefully detour into less-traveled terrain. I design exercises to make that happen. For example, I might ask you to close your eyes and imagine a color. Then name it. Then describe its sound. Its taste. Its texture. You don’t have honed reference points for that—so you reach inward, into memory and imagination. That’s when the original, meaningful stuff emerges. That’s where story lives.

WOW: Great prompt. What is your editing process like?

Susan: Language, structure, punctuation, syntax, pacing—these are powerful tools when used intentionally.

When I teach editing, I break it into levels: developmental, line editing, proofreading. But I always push for understanding. For example, it’s not enough to say, “This comma feels right.” I ask my writers and interns to name the rule. The more you know about why something works, the more precise and powerful your writing becomes.

WOW: I love that approach. How do you know when a story is done?

Susan: If you’re in “plotter” mode, you’ll test it, prod it, question it: Is this a memoir or an essay? A novel or a drabble? Do I have the bandwidth to grow it long, or should I let it live small?

But when you’re in the zone and the story feels like it’s writing itself—it will tell you when it’s done.

WOW: Oh what fantastic insight! How did you come about the WOW contests and why did you decide to enter your story?

Susan: I discovered WOW! while searching for ways to help aspiring writers find outlets and community for their work. It felt like a good place to land—and it is!

WOW: I agree! You have impressive successes under your belt! What words of wisdom or encouragement do you have for other writers who have similar goals or dreams?

Good writers are good thinkers. The more you sharpen your skills as a writer—especially your ability to see from multiple points of view—the more deeply you understand the world.

WOW: I love that. What are you working on that you can tell us about?

For the first time in my long career, I’m focusing wholly on teaching and my own writing. I’ve fallen in love with short-form fiction and am reveling in its precision and punch.

Meanwhile, a novel titled It Snowed in Hollywood has been waiting in the wings for 27 years. I wrote it in a creative heat but set it aside when life and work took over. That novel chose me. And now, at long last, it’s time. 

WOW: I can't wait to see it come out in print! Thank you so much for your time and writing such wonderful stories. 

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Leave a Comment flash fiction, Nicole Pyles, runner up , Susan Kammeraad-Campbell, Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest

Interview with Hannah Andrews, Runner Up in the Q2 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest with "Trickle Down Silence"

 

Congratulations to Hannah Andrews from San Diego, California  for her amazing nonfiction essay titled:

Trickle Down Silence ! 

Check out Hannah's submission, Trickle Down Silence as well as all the other winning entries and then stop back here to read Katherine's enlightening interview with Crystal J. Casavant-Otto from WOW! Women on Writing. 

Hannah's Bio: 

Hannah Andrews writes poetry, CNF, and short fiction. Her work has been selected for the print versions of 2025 Gold Man Review West Coast Literary, San Diego’s A Year in Ink (2024), Shaking the Tree (Volumes 5 and 6 ) and performed onstage at the San Diego Memoir Showcase. Her essays and flash fiction can be found online at Imogene's Notebook, Adoptee Voices E-Zine, and The Narrative Arc, among others. She’s currently on the umpteenth draft of her adoptee memoir, None of This is Yours. Originally from the midwest, she now resides on the west coast, with her faithful Lab mix Josie, three resident cats, and a rotating cast of foster felines.  

WOW: Hannah- thank you so much for taking time today to chat with me. Thank you also for your personal and touching entry into the Nonfiction Essay Contest and Congratulations! We have just a bit of time today so let's get to it! 

Thank you for writing such a personal essay - what is the take-away you'd like readers to gain from Trickle Down Silence? 

Hannah: Too often, we stand up for others (as we should), but fail to extend that same compassion and empathy to ourselves. We may see our experiences as “not so bad” or not as traumatic as those of others, and perhaps they aren’t, but then, trauma isn’t a contest. Negative experiences leave their marks on us, often cumulatively. That’s part of the reason I wrote this essay in the second person, as if I were speaking to someone else, though, of course, that person is also me. It was just enough distance to be really honest with both my younger and current self, to say, “Yes, you’ll be okay, but this stuff is always going to sting. It will always be there.” You wouldn’t brush off a friend who told you these things. Don’t brush off yourself. My hope is that readers empathize not with me, but with themselves. 

WOW: That was heavy and hit a bit close to home. I'll just say thank you and move on.

Where do you write? What does your space look like? I’d love to know more about your adoptee memoir if you’d like to share? 

Hannah:  My writing space is a sort of repurposed bonus room. It’s now a cove with bookshelves and window seats I made myself. I’m not crafty, but I cut foam and covered it with fluffy white blankets and throw pillows. Immediately, my dog jumped in and claimed one seat and my cats the other, so I don’t sit and write in those window seats as I’d imagined, but in my chair at the desk in front of them. Tucked in with my favorite authors are 4 anthologies I’ve been honored to have essays included in, in case I ever try to tell myself I’m not a “real” writer. It’s cozy and quiet, filled with my favorite words and my faithful furry friends. 

As for the memoir, well, it’s a work in progress. I’m currently on the third (maybe fifth) draft. I had a great editor helping me with this last draft, and all my writing groups weighing in along the way. It began when I met a birth mother and author at a writing conference. I was writing fiction only back then, but wandered into a memoir group. I’d never met a birthmother and meeting her immediately sparked my own journey to find my origin story. 

We adoptees begin our known existence in “chapter two” most often. So, “None of This is Yours” is the story of my search for my chapter one, maybe even my prologue. But what began as a search for my first mother, for history, for answers, turned into so much more. And led to more questions. I found I’d buried so many feelings about being relinquished, about not having biological connections, about so many things. It was not the fun reunion story I'd hoped for, but it has changed my life. And it all began with meeting another woman (Laura Engel, author of “You’ll Forget This Ever Happened") sharing her story. Her story led me to mine. I’m so glad I walked into that writing conference. 

WOW: You've given me so much to think about today. Thank you. I love how you explained beginning in chapter 2 as an adoptee. It makes sense but I had never looked at it that way.

Do you have advice for your younger self when it comes to making decisions, believing in yourself, and/or writing? What would your current self say to the younger you? 

Hannah: Well, I doubt my younger self would listen to me. She was pretty headstrong. But, I’d tell her that she’s going to make some epically bad decisions, and that’s okay. I’d beg her to not stop writing for those two and a half decades I stopped writing for. Other than that, I’d just encourage her to live life to the fullest– to live life out loud, to travel, dance, sing, whatever, be young. Make some bad decisions, learn from them, forgive yourself. And write it all down. It may not seem worth remembering, or noting, but it is. 

WOW: I feel like our younger selves are incredibly similar and oh yes, those epically bad decisions - we should write a book about those!

What role has journaling and/or writer's groups played in your life? 

Hannah: I don’t journal, though I start most days writing– either part of a project or just random clearing out the cobwebs of my brain. My goal is always 1000 words a day, which I achieve about a third of the time. As for writers groups, I rotate between a few- all online. I have a local San Diego read-and-critique group that has been incredibly helpful with both fiction and nonfiction for the past four years. I have also been part of several writing groups that are all made up of adopted persons. Their insight, lived experience, and support is invaluable. I also write and share short fiction with a group I met through a prompts fiction contest. 

WOW: Sounds like you have a wonderful system in place to keep you forging ahead with your writing - love it!

What is your history with writing contests? - tell us what prompted you to submit to this particular contest? What would you like to tell other authors concerning contests and submitting their work? 

Hannah: A good friend of mine told me about WOW (Jean Widner, who was a runner-up with her piece, “The Flame,” in 2023’s Q4 CNF). My history isn’t long. I’ve entered a couple of dozen in the last two years: poetry, fiction, memoir, and CNF. My first was the 2021 San Diego Memoir Showcase, and I wrote about my disastrous first marriage. My piece was in the top 10 and selected for stage performance (by an actor, not me) and publication. After that, I was hooked. I entered more, both locally and online. And mostly lost. But I keep entering. I’m not really competitive, but the contests have deadlines, guidelines, and structure. I need that discipline. Competitions keep me writing, re-writing, editing, and polishing. 

My advice to authors considering entering this or other contests or submitting to online or print publications is – do it. Dive in! It’s a great opportunity for exposure and a valuable learning experience. And you never know who needs to read your words, whose life you may touch. And also, it’s just pretty darn cool to see your words in print.

WOW: Thank you Hannah for your great advice to others when it comes to writing and writing contests, and thank you for sharing with us in today's interview! You're a bright light for all of us writers and readers! I look forward to our paths crossing again and until then - keep writing (and smiling)! 

Today's post was penned by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Crystal Casavant writes. 

Everything. 

If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2025. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day. 

Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) and fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers! 

Check out the latest Contests: 

www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Leave a Comment adoptee, author interview, casavant-otto, crystal casavant, crystal otto, essay contest, hannah andrews, memoir, nonfiction, writing contest

Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Goals?

“I’ve been in a writing funk.” 

“I just can’t get anywhere with my fiction.” 

“I haven’t written in weeks.” 

Writing friends and writers on social media have been making statements like these. Everyone seems to be in the doldrums. I know that I haven’t made any progress on the nonfiction proposal that was my primary writing goal for the year. 

What’s the reason? It is easy to blame politics. Or the economy. But any change can be unbalancing. We have a family wedding in less than a month. I’m not the principal organizer but I am working on several wedding-related projects. And updating the kitchen. And digitizing a library catalogue. And I’ve got contracted projects. 

There are a lot of good things on that list, but even good things require energy. And, let’s face it, we each only have so much energy. So, if you are in a funk and not meeting your writing goals, it is time to reevaluate those goals and reenergize. 

Here are some questions you might ask yourself. 

Is there too much on my plate? 

 My own answer to this is YES. And that’s why some of the above things are being pushed back. It’s the only way that I have the energy to do the things I really want or need to do. Now for those writing goals. 

Are they things I really want to do? Or are they things I think I should do? 

There is a difference between things you want to do and things you think you should do. For the things on the should do list, is this because there’s a deadline? Or is it because someone said, “You know you really should get that done?” Maybe you put “finish writing my novel” on your list but what you really enjoy is essay writing or flash? If that’s the case, maybe the novel needs to be deprioritized. 

Have important circumstances changed? 

Maybe you made something into a goal but now you need the energy for something else? Or the market for the piece of writing you wanted to do is no longer viable? Or, as you’ve gotten into the project, you realize that you hate that type of writing? That’s happened to me before. I took a job writing leveled readers. Although I friend of mine loves doing them, I found it tedious beyond belief. I finished the contract and then ran for the hills. It was not an experience I wanted to repeat. 

And perhaps most importantly, is there something I need out of my writing that I’m not getting?

If you want to write or feel like you need to write, but nothing is catching your attention, maybe you aren't down on writing but simply need to find something new to write. Try Jodi’s writing challenge here on WOW! . By sampling new types of writing, you may well find the thing that pulls you back into writing. 

There is no single solution to not wanting to write or not being able to write.  But answering these questions might set you on the path to a solution.  Does anyone else have a solution to suggest?

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.  

• To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  

• Click here to find her newsletter.

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:

• Pitching, Querying and Submitting Your Work 

• Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

• Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults 

 

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Interview with Isabel Cristina Legarda: Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest Third Place Winner

Isabel’s Bio: Isabel Cristina Legarda was born in the Philippines and spent her early childhood there before moving to the U.S. She is currently a practicing physician in Boston. Her work has appeared in the New York Quarterly, The Dewdrop, The Ekphrastic Review, Cleaver, Ruminate, Qu, and others. Her poetry chapbook Beyond the Galleons was published in April 2024 by Yellow Arrow Publishing. She can be visited at www.ilegarda.com or on Instagram (@poetintheOR). 

If you haven't done so already, check out Isabel's award-winning story "The Dress" and then return here for a chat with the author. 

WOW: Congratulations on placing third in the Winer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest! What excited you most about writing this story? 

Isabel: I was both excited and intimidated by the risk it entailed. Magical realism isn’t for everyone, and it can sometimes be devalued as a narrative mode, by both readers and writers. I hoped to do something meaningful with it, as so many writers I admire do—express something about the relationship between mothers and daughters in a way that was both unusual and enjoyable. 

WOW: Thank you for sharing that. Your risk has paid off! What did you learn about yourself or your writing while crafting this piece? 

Isabel: I learned that each piece has its own energy, and if we try to control it instead of working with it, we can end up down the wrong path. I originally tried to write this piece as a longer short story with a larger cast of characters, wedding prep, discovery of a betrayal, and all this extra prose, but really it wanted to be a flash piece. I’m glad I threw out the longer version. It wasn’t working. As one of my writing instructors (Judah Leblang) once said, “Follow the energy.” 

WOW: I had never thought of it before as each piece having its own energy, but that’s so true. I see that you’re a poet and have published your poetry, including a chapbook titled Beyond the Galleons. What connections do you see between writing flash fiction and poetry? 

Isabel: The short forms are in many ways the hardest. Distilling things down to their essence takes so much work! I love the way Flannery O’Connor defined story: "A story is a way to say something that can't be said any other way, and it takes every word in the story to say what the meaning is." The same can be said for a poem. In both flash fiction and poetry, I see imagery and precision with language as key elements for creating that meaning. I think having a poetry practice has made me a better fiction writer and essayist, because there’s always a voice inside trying to get rid of the extraneous and really hone in on what’s vital, in every sense of the word. 

WOW: That’s an excellent quote, and a very poignant connection between poetry and prose. What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it? 

Isabel: I just finished The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, which I loved even more than The Handmaid’s Tale, and I just started the short story collection The Missing Morningstar by Stacie Shannon Denetsosie. I came across it while browsing online for short story collections, and when I went to check out the opening pages, I had that OMG feeling—the one that makes you HAVE to read a book because of the voice you encounter, and the gorgeous writing. I went to the publisher’s site to order a copy right away. 

WOW: That HAVE TO feeling is every reader’s dream! Thank you for those recommendations. If you could give your younger self one piece of writing advice, what would it be and why? 

Isabel: Stop worrying about whether or not you have talent. Grit is more important. There are many writers more gifted than you who won’t connect with the readers they might want to connect with, because they don’t keep submitting or, even worse, don’t keep writing. If you believe in the work, KEEP WORKING. Don’t give up. There’s room for everyone’s voice—not necessarily on the NYTBSL, but somewhere. Find the spaces that are meaningful for you and don’t worry about everyone else. 

WOW: Excellent advice! Anything else you’d like to add? 

Isabel: For some people, writing is an identity, not just an activity. If this is you, find people who get that about you, and support it, and celebrate it. We need those voices in our lives. 

WOW: Thank you so much for sharing your story and your thoughtful responses with us. Happy writing! 

Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, founder and editor-in-chief of Sport Stories Press, which publishes sports books by, for, and about sportswomen and amateur athletes. Connect on IG or Twitter @greenmachine459.

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Leave a Comment Anne Greenawalt, Isabel Cristina Legarda, Third Place Winner, Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Contest