Interview with Alma Thomas: Winter 2025 Flash Fiction Runner-Up

 Alma's Bio: Alma Thomas is a writer, as well as yet another lawyer amongst the legion in Washington, DC. She practices law by day and also by night, unfortunately, but she finds time to write in the interstices. She has a lively interest in ancient languages, history, and myths and legends, including Arthurian legend. She also dabbles in cat fostering and gardening.

If you haven't read Alma's story, "Traces of Iseult," please take the time to do so and then come back to read her interview.

WOW: How did you choose the Legend of Iseult (Isolde) as the starting point for your story? 

Alma: I read that the guest judge had written a book based on Tristan and Isolde and it reminded me of my own fascination with the myth, and some stories I wrote in the past about it. One thing I’ve always loved about the Arthurian myth is the idea that these are characters and tableaus that will be reborn time and time again. The implications of that along with Tristan and Isolde’s eternal, magically-influenced love made me think – what would it mean for these characters to just keep finding each other throughout time, inexorably? 

WOW:  Interesting how a thread found in the story led to your own story. Your story moves from legend to futuristic science fiction. How did you choose the times and places? What settings did you consider that did not make it into the story? 

Alma: I wanted to start with the Arthurian myth and then try to move through a variety of ages, including our current one. The far futures that felt hardest to imagine fascinated me the most. I thought of each setting as correlating to a stage in their relationship. Like ones you might move through in a normal relationship, but stretched out across the ages. Would they hate and resent each other at some point, the eternal bond between them feeling more like a weight than a blessing? Would they come to some understanding of each other? I saw it as somewhat tragic, but also hopeful. Which is why, perhaps, the sci fi settings ended up being so dystopian. I thought of doing a nearer future setting in between the present and the far future, but ultimately that setting just didn’t work as well or evoke the atmosphere I was looking for. 

WOW:  Which leads to our next question. Revision is an important tool in shaping a piece of writing. How did this piece change throughout the revision process? 

Alma: In addition to word-smithing and adding and removing some elements on re-reading, I tried to do what I could in these short scenes to create some visual cues for readers, and to create a unique atmosphere for each. When I revise I think about it almost like sifting flour. I’m looking through the text for what doesn’t work, what is missing, what is needed, and refining. 

WOW: What advice do you have for writers who are curious about flash fiction? 

Alma:  Just dive in. I was intimidated but it’s actually very fun to try to write a compressed story. The limitation of having to get a story across in a small number of words creates a constraint that gets your creative energies flowing. And because it’s so short, you can spend a lot of time on revising and re-writing, which is a great way to hone your writing skills. 

WOW: Your bio explains that you are a Washington D.C. attorney. Can you explain to our readers how you fit writing into your crowded schedule? 

Alma: I wish I could say I have a strict schedule I stick to, but the truth is that I just find spaces here and there where I can. It helps to submit to contests like this one to keep me focused and writing. I try to be less particular about where I write – if it’s on my phone’s Notes app while I’m sitting in a train station, and that’s what works, then that’s what works.

WOW:  Then that is, indeed, what works!  Thank you so much for sharing your process with our readers and good luck on your current writing projects.

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