Today, I'm honored to interview Sarah Gane Burton, runner up winner in our Spring 2025 Flash Fiction contest. Read her story "Room One" before you check out our interview.
Here's more about Sarah:
Sarah Gane Burton is a freelance writer and copyeditor from Southwest Michigan, where she lives with her husband, two rambunctious children, and a very anxious dog named Roo. Sarah’s writing is informed by her extensive travels and background in anthropology and religion. She has a deep love for speculative fiction, botanical gardens, thrift stores, and looking at other people’s bookshelves. Her poetry has been published in Medical Literary Messenger, Third Wednesday, and Still Point Arts Quarterly. Sarah periodically posts about life and writing on Instagram (@sarahganeburton).
-- Interview by Nicole Pyles
WOW: First off, congrats on winning runner up! What inspired you to write "Room One"?
Sarah: Thank you so much for reaching out! I was so excited to be a runner up! There is a scene in the series “American Gods” where a young woman is confronted by Anubis in the afterlife. Because she believed in nothing, she will be banished to nothingness. I’ve never actually seen the series, just that one clip, but the barren landscape and the woman’s shift from apathy to horror haunted me. I wanted to explore similar ideas of morality and mortality in “Room One."
WOW: I love when a scene like that stays with you. I love the surreal qualities of your story. How did this aspect take shape in your writing process?
Sarah: I had a very clear image of a man, riding an elevator, being blinded by the lights of a long white hallway. That setting and imagery gave me the basics for an almost sci-fi vibe. I wanted to convey the idea of nothingness, of existence being snuffed out. This comes through most strongly in the recycling motif.
WW: It really does. How did your story change during the revision process?
Sarah: The basic plot remained the same, but I spent a lot of time sharpening the language. I wanted terse dialogue and language that propelled the reader, just as the protagonist was being pulled toward Room One.
WOW: You did that well! I see you love to travel! How does that inspire your writing?
Sarah: Visiting new places is a tremendous source of inspiration. I am particularly drawn to natural wonders. I love hiking in jungles or wandering botanical gardens because nature provides so many opportunities for imagining the strange or curious, symbiotic or dangerous.
WOW: Nature is a wonderful source of inspiration. What does a regular day of writing look like?
Sarah: A “regular” writing day sounds wonderful! This story was written for a short story class I took at a local college and all the writing was done in the evening after my kids were in bed. I write when I can, usually on Sundays or a lucky Friday, usually in a cafe or teashop. Sometimes I dictate story ideas to myself on my phone while I’m driving to the grocery store or picking up my kids from school .
WOW: Dictating stories is a great idea! What advice do you have for writers who are reluctant to share their voice with the world?
Sarah: Only one person in the universe has your unique voice. If you are embarrassed because you don’t know if the quality is good enough, submit to a story critique through one of the WOW! Women on Writing contests or a critique offered by a literary magazine. Take a writing class to improve your writing. If you are afraid to publish under your real name, try using a pseudonym. Your writing might not change someone’s life, but it might move them, and that’s something (George Saunders said something like that).
WOW: I love that you recommend WOW's contests. Thank you for that. And thank you for sharing your story with us!
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