Interview with Mary Ellen Wall - 2017 Fall Flash Fiction Runner Up

WOW! recently announced the winners of our 2017 Fall Flash Fiction Contest and we are proud to announce Mary Ellen Wall from Owensboro, Kentucky as one of the runners up with Three Fingers.

About Mary Ellen

Roaming from Egypt to the Philippines to Holland to the Hebrides to Tasmania to a tiny Indian Ocean atoll and to points between opened my eyes to others. Being a US Navy Machinist working on nuclear submarines widened my technical knowhow. A few degrees grew my understanding of form and substance. Building my log cabin in the Kentucky woods gave me a refuge from the world’s turmoil. Brewing my own ale, bitter, porter, stout, wine, cider, kyser and mead (and drinking it) made me ready to spin some stories.

I’d love to meet you! Visit maryellenwall.com



----------interview by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Mary Ellen's Cabin -
Creekside

WOW:  You have been literally everywhere – do tell how you ended up in a log cabin in the woods of Kentucky? Other than your current home, where was your favorite place to live or visit during your career as a US Navy Machinist?

Mary Ellen: As a kid in Louisville, one of our favorite treats was driving out to my Daddy’s old
stomping grounds just south of Bernheim Forest. I’d play in the creek…far downstream from where Daddy was fishing. At Twilight he’d make weird creature sounds and say the Greeps were coming for us. I certainly have been all around the planet and have seen wondrous sights from the canals of Amsterdam to the pyramids in Cairo. I stood on the beach of a coral atoll in the Chagos Archipelago and watched a distant ship with full canvas sail by. No distant marvel surpasses the scene of a creek tickling the smooth brown stones, it’s like they’re laughing. Now my log cabin deep in a thick forest has the Wild Branch running right through my front yard. I hear the owls, the coyotes and the whippoorwills as the sun goes down, and sometimes I think I hear Greeps.

WOW:  I love that you sent me a photo of your cabin along with your response. This is absolutely breathtaking! Now tell us, where do you write? What does your space look like?

Mary Ellen: The insanely big library (think ‘book obsession’) upstairs has six big windows. That’s where I sew, make jewelry, paint acrylics, write and listen to the birdsong all around me. I cozy into an old green leather recliner, within reach of a homebrew, and type away on my archaic laptop. Hours pass. Much of my writing includes a rural setting, making things, or as in Three Fingers – painting.

WOW: I imagine your environment is super conducive to thought flow - thank you for sharing!

You write about a suicide attempt; would you care to elaborate on this topic and why it is near and dear to you?

Mary Ellen: In my 20s I could not find an anchor for my soul. I was living in Southern California, in the Navy, and was very depressed about divorcing a cheating idiot I was a fool to marry. I suffered debilitating migraines and most of the men in my division showed no mercy. I’ve always been a loner, so no support group. The glorious way out in the story was a thread from the ragged cloth from that dreadful time. I am a firm believer in ‘write what you know’.

WOW: So brave of you in many ways Mary Ellen. I want to let our readers know that I provided a list of questions and you were able to choose which you wanted to answer - thank you for being brave enough to answer such a tough and personal question. I admire your strength.

What advice would you give to other writers toying with the idea of submitting their work to a writing contest?

Mary Ellen: Don’t jump into just any contest. I wasted so much money, there are so many rip-offs. My advice is to look for reviewed, vetted contests. WOW is the greatest site for writers I’ve found, with valuable classes and services, and they do a contest that works to promote the writers. I did win a prize for the second Dutch refugee/alien book, but nothing was as exciting as winning a spot in the WOW contest for Three Fingers. I wish WOW! did book contests, too!

WOW: Thank you for such kind words - and you never know what the future may bring! Thank you for the suggestion!

What’s next for you? What are your writing goals for 2018 and beyond?

Mary Ellen: I have a science fiction series about a no-holds barred Dutch refugee girl who smuggles giant aliens to a faraway colony planet I’m part-way into publishing, a task I’m woefully behind on. Next, I have several stories in a sci-fi series featuring a New Mennonite hero and the savvy heathen woman he teams up and am waiting for the chance to write enough to fill a book. I also have written three rather wordy shorts about an angel who loves to come to Earth and listen to music, but naturally always finds a dire situation he must attend to without revealing his identity. Another shorts book? Meanwhile, I’ve written about twenty short and flash stories including Three Fingers. I recently asked Chelsey Clammer to review a few stories and she gave me excellent feedback as well as places where I might get them published. I have a feeling that’s going in front of the priority list!

WOW: This interview has been absolutely lovely and I have a feeling we will be working together again in the future! Thank you for your insight and inspiration and congratulations again as one of the runners up for the WOW! Women on Writing Fall Fiction Contest! 

Check out the latest Contests:

http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Interview with Tina Tippett - 2017 Fall Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

WOW! recently announced the winners of our 2017 Fall Flash Fiction Contest and we are proud to announce Tina Tippett from Eldersburg, Maryland as one of the runners up with The Naming.

About Tina

Tina Tippett makes her living as a legal assistant in a busy law firm just outside of Baltimore. She began jotting poetry in the margins of her schoolwork in elementary school and continued to do so through her career as an English major at the University of Maryland.

A single mom, writing often took a backseat to balancing work and home-schooling her two beautiful daughters. After losing her mother in 2001, she rediscovered the cathartic quality of writing and was able to complete her first novel, Dreams of Mother, the following year. A series of life-changing events brought on a writing hiatus which lasted until 2014. That year, she reached back and self-published Dreams of Mother.

Empty-nested within the last year, she’s discovering the conflicting distress and freedom that come with the territory, and with encouragement from her fiancé, she’s spending some of that extra time reconnecting with her muses. She is enjoying re-honing her skills on flash fiction, short stories and writing lyrics with fiancé David, a bluegrass musician.

She remains very close to her two daughters, one of whom is married and pursuing a degree in early childhood education and the other who has a passion for creative writing as well. She currently resides in Eldersburg, Maryland with her fiancé and their senior citizen cat, Max.

Tina is an avid reader of what she wants to write—women’s mainstream literature. She is working on her second novel, and planning her October wedding to her best friend, David.

One of her most treasured material items is the hard copy of Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much is True, which he autographed to her during a speaking engagement in 2014. The inscription reads, “All the best to a fellow scribe. Enjoy the journey.” Placing in the top ten in her first flash fiction contest has bolstered her confidence—she is taking Mr. Lamb’s advice.

----------interview by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

WOW:  Let's dig right in and ask the toughest question first. I'm impressed with your bio, but it leaves me wondering:   How do you juggle a busy career as a legal assistant and your role as a single mom with your passion and love of writing? What advice do you give others who may struggle with time management?

Tina: I struggled for years with time management, which can subconsciously be a good excuse to give in to self-doubt, and I’ve been guilty of that. “Oh, I just don’t have time,” can be your way not to admit, “I don’t feel like it will be good anyway.” Even as a recent empty-nester, my job is so busy and high energy that I struggle to find time. But it helps to prioritize yourself – tell yourself honestly where writing comes on your list of important things in life. As women - moms, employees, spouses, friends - it’s important for women to remind themselves they don’t have to do everything. I’ve found that on my priority list, writing comes just under my family, fiancé and job. The time to write has to be carved from somewhere less important on the list, even if it seems difficult. I may sacrifice a half hour of sleep in the morning before work, or forgo a favorite tv show, or even skip dusting or scrubbing the tub one weekend. The grime and shows will still be there later. Creativity can be fleeting, and the rewards of feeding your passion are endless.

WOW!: Wait, what? We don't have to do everything? Such a common thread with mothers. Thank you for your great advice. Now that we've discussed time, let's talk about space: Where do you write? What does your space look like?

Tina: I probably have this in common with many writers – I do my best work while either driving to work or trying to fall back to sleep at about 2:00a.m. That’s when the phone “memo” or voice recorder works for notes. But when I sit down to turn those sparks from the most inopportune times into fiction, I have an old green recliner that has seen better days that I climb in, laptop in hand. If I need to pause and it’s daylight, I glance out at my bird feeders which calms my mind and often gives me focus.

WOW: Those little creatures can help put us in the right place or should I say "write place"!

What advice would you give to other writers toying with the idea of submitting their work to a writing contest?

Tina: Submitting to WOW was one of the best choices I have made as a writer, and the option of purchasing a critique is great for those struggling with confidence, as I was. It’s an opportunity to learn and grow as a writer. I was invited to join a Facebook closed writers group last year, and it has a bimonthly flash challenge for which I wrote my first ever flash pieces. The admins give feedback and are always available for questions. It began a cycle that is still in motion. Placing in WOW has given me the confidence to keep writing, and I find the more I write, the more I want to write and the easier ideas and words flow. I’d suggest if you’re on the fence about submitting to a contest, edit and polish your best piece until you’re sick of reading your own writing, then jump off that fence on the side of courage. All you have to lose is a generally nominal entry fee, but there is so much to gain.

WOW: Such kind words - thank you! (and dear readers, I didn't pay Tina to say any of that!)

What’s next for you? What are your writing goals for 2018 and beyond?

Tina: I finished my only novella in 2002, after which a series of challenging life events halted writing for many years. Now that I have fallen back in love with writing and do so almost daily, I am vigorously developing characters, plots and taking notes for my next novel I’m toying with the title Trash to Treasure, taken from the adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. My goal is to have the first rough completed by year’s end. I’d also like to overcome my fear of query letters and finding an agent, and perhaps seek an agent to take my first book, Dreams of Mother, from its current self-published format to traditional, even if it required a major re-write.

WOW: I figured you were working on something - you don't seem like someone who sits idle.

I must also admit, I am tickled pink about interviewing you. I also have a signed copy of Wally Lamb’s I Know this Much is True – and I’m super jealous that you’ve met him in person. Can you share with us some of what you learned from him and listening to him speak in 2014 as well as your take a ways and how that’s helped you as a writer?

Tina: I’m sure when someone thinks about going to see an author speak, they are prepared for all the mirth and excitement of a silent auction. But Mr. Lamb was humble, warm and very funny. He lends an everyday human aspect to someone whose work I revere. And what I remember best was him describing his process, which I could actually relate to – it helped me overcome my personal doubts about my own process. Where I read so many folks talking about outlines, plot notes, etc., I am far too unstructured to try that. Apparently, so is Wally Lamb. He shared with us something that I relate completely to: he starts where he starts, just an idea, no beginning, climax, or end in mind. An image, a voice needs to be captured, and (hopefully, if you’re lucky) that character tells you what’s coming, or that plot reveals itself to you. I used to tell myself this was creative, but really, I thought I was making an excuse for myself not being well structured or organized. During the writing of We Are Water, he struggled with plot so badly that he described himself sitting in his basement playing with one of those old paddle toys with the pink ball tethered to a string. That image is still so empowering (and humorous) to me –I used to imagine the greats hammering away at a typewriter or keyboard, possessed by muses, plot points painted on a perfect timeline with their character’s names, zodiacs and psychological issues perfectly in their minds. But I learned from Wally Lamb that I might just have this one thing in common with successful and talented writers: some of them just might start with a scrap of an idea, struggle, wing it, and work hard until the craft molds it into a gift. It’s amazing to learn you might be doing something right all along, especially if it works for you.

WOW: This interview has been absolutely such a joy and thank you for sharing your Wally Lamb experience! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas and congratulations again as one of the runners up for the  WOW! Women on Writing Fall '17 Fiction Contest! 

Check out the latest Contests:

http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Marci Mangham, Runner Up, Spring 2014 Flash Fiction Contest

Please welcome back Marci Mangham, runner up in our Spring 2014 Flash Fiction Contest. This is Marci’s second win in our Flash Fiction Contests; her first time was in Spring 2007 with The Wedding Zinger. Marci has a knack for little, ending story twists! Please enjoy her winning entry, Behind the Curtain, and come for a chat with the author.

Marci is the worst writer on earth. Okay, maybe not. But creativity comes in spurts these days, so she is very happy to have written a little something new. Marci published a short story collection called Both Ends Burning in 2007 and has 2 unfinished novels waiting for some attention. This is her second time placing in the WOW contest, so here’s hoping it will be a catalyst to get her writing “groove” back. She has also been featured in WOW’s Friday Speak Out. Marci lives in Dallas, Texas with her German Shepherd, Louis, and daydreams of living in Colorado and writing the great American novel...or HBO’s next great series.


WOW: Welcome back, Marci! When did you first realize you enjoyed writing stories?

Marci: I was in the gifted and talented program when I was in 6th grade and one of our assignments was to write, illustrate and bind our own little book. The binding part wasn’t so great as I’m not particularly crafty, but I loved writing and drawing. I won 1st place for my story about a German shepherd who saved his family from an intruder.

WOW: First place; what a thrill for a young writer!

Marci, in Behind the Curtain you captured the tense relationship between the doctor and her patient perfectly! What was your inspiration for Mr. Watkins?

Marci: I was without insurance a couple of years ago and had to go to the ER of our local county hospital. While I was waiting I saw two deputies bring in a shacked prisoner. I could feel the tension as they walked him past us. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to meet that guy in a dark alley, even in shackles. Well, maybe if my dog were with me!

WOW: You’ve published a book of short stories and have two novels on your desk; how would you compare the experience of, or discipline needed, between short stories and novels?

Marci: I haven’t finished a novel since 1994, and even though I threw it away, I actually enjoyed the experience of writing and growing with the characters and story over a year’s time. But as I’ve gotten older, I have become more ADD and my attention span is roughly that of a 6-year old these days, so I really need to recapture the dedication and discipline to get back to my unfinished novels. I was cranking out short stories at a pretty fast pace 7-8 years ago and so I decided to put them all together and publish a little collection. I’m currently not so prolific, but I’d like to at least start writing them more frequently again.

WOW: Tell us about your writing process; do you tend to know the ending and work backward, allow the story to unfold with time, or…?

Marci: I’ve done both, actually. It really depends on what my idea and inspiration are. For this story, I pretty much knew right away how it would end. One that I submitted for the summer contest began with me consulting a writing prompt app that gave me a setting of a dry cleaner, and paper clips as object. Then I just started writing, and ended up being inspired by something that had just happened to a friend. I had no clue how that one was going to end up when I started writing.

WOW: We’d love to hear more about your novels—tell us a little about the one you are working on now.

Marci: Well “working on” might be a bit strong (back to the attention span thing), but one is about Santa Claus. It’s definitely not a children’s story, though. It begins with him sitting on a toilet unable to go, thinking about what he has in common with Jesus. He is in crisis and is very depressed about how he treated Rudolph, the never-ending snow and cold, and being stuck for eternity at an age where everything hurts and creaks.

WOW: Fantastic opening scene! Be sure to let us know when that one is finished!

Thank you, Marci, for visiting with us today. Maybe we’ll see you back here with a third win!


Will you win our next round? Entries for the 2014 Fall Flash Fiction Contest are now being accepted. We can only allow 300 submissions so don’t wait too long to send your in!

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Check Out Winning Writers: Contests and More

I'm really excited to introduce you to Adam Cohen and his wife, Jendi Reiter, from the website, Winning Writers. Like WOW!, it has been voted by Writer's Digest as being one of the 101 most useful sites for writers. After reading the interview below with Adam and discovering all this site has to offer--from contests to free newsletters, from tips and contest insider information to an inexpensive subscription to a searchable database of over 1250 contests--you will be checking out Winning Writers today. This is one interview and website you won't want to miss! 

WOW: Welcome Adam, to The Muffin! We are happy to have you here today. Let's start by telling us a bit about your site, Winning Writers, and why you created it.

Adam: My wife, Jendi Reiter, and I started Winning Writers in 2001. Jendi has extensive knowledge about literary contests, which ones are good and how to win them. We wanted to make this information available to the public online at a reasonable price. We also wanted to warn people about certain contests to avoid. We call them "vanity contests." They tend to be unselective and most interested in selling products, like expensive anthologies.

WOW: That sounds like a terrific service for writers. So, when a writer goes to your site now, there are a lot of opportunities available to him or her. Let's start with the contests. What are a couple upcoming contests that you have going on?

Adam: All four contests hosted at Winning Writers are open now. We directly sponsor the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (no fee) and the Sports Fiction & Essay Contest. We assist Tom Howard Books with their Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest and their Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest.

WOW: After reading the guidelines for all of them, they sound like great opportunities for writers--especially the humor poetry category--no entry fee and $1000 top prize. In order to enter contests, what does a writer need to do?

Adam: All four contests accept entries online at WinningWriters.com. The Tom Howard contests also accept entries by mail. Before entering, we encourage contestants to read previous winning entries published on our website. We have also made years of judges' comments available, so contestants can understand what makes an entry stand out.

WOW: That is a great idea to allow writers to read previous winners AND judges' comments! What is Literary Contest Insider? [new name]

Adam: Literary Contest Insider is our online database with 1,250-plus detailed profiles of poetry and prose contests. It represents years of distilled knowledge and research to help you find the best contests for your work--fast! Search and sort contests by prize, fee, type, and many other criteria. We suggest specific contests for beginning, intermediate, and well-established writers, and estimate the potential impact each contest might have on your career. A contest we highly recommend will probably have much more impact than a contest we're neutral about.

We love it when good writers not previously "plugged into the contest circuit" begin to get recognition because we guided them to the contests that are effective for them. Access to Literary Contest Insider is $9.95/quarter, with a 10-day free trial period at the start. You can start a trial at http://www.winningwriters.com/lci

WOW: This database sounds fantastic for writers interested in contests and at a very reasonable price! Besides contests, you also offer a free newsletter. What type of information is in the free newsletter and how do writers sign up?

Jendi and Adam

Adam: Our free e-mail newsletter is built around the best free literary contests--profiles of contests in our database that have no entry fees. Every month you get a heads-up on free poetry and prose contests whose deadlines are approaching. There are over 150 of these. Subscribing to our newsletter gets you instant free online access to The Best Free Literary Contests. We have over 40,000 newsletter subscribers. You can subscribe at http://www.winningwriters.com/free

WOW: There's also a section of Winning Writers, titled "What's New?" What will writers find on this page?

Adam: This is where we announce useful resources for writers and news about new and changed contests. Entering new contests can be a good strategy--they are less likely to be swamped with entries than well-established ones.

WOW: That's a great tip! What about under the "useful resources" section?

Adam: Here we organize our directory of resources into categories like "Markets and Contests," "Resources and Contests for Students," "Literary Societies," and "Exotic Forms." We also provide a large library of poetry critiques--a place to learn about a wide range of techniques, plus suggestions on where to submit various styles of poems.

WOW: It sounds like you could spend hours on your site, finding useful tips, ideas, and contests for a writing career! Anything else you'd like to add about Winning Writers?

Adam: We have a rapidly growing Twitter feed with links to contest news and award-winning poems and stories. Follow us @winningwriters.

WOW: Thank you, Adam, for sharing all of this information with our readers today. You have a wonderful site, and I hope that many of WOW!'s fans and followers will become yours, too. 

WOW! readers, don't forget to check out Winning Writers by clicking here.  

Interview conducted by Margo L. Dill, author of Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg.

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4 comments Fiction Contest, poetry contests, writing contests, writing support, writing websites

Milkweed Editions National Fiction Prize

Hey, WOW! readers, take a look at this competition for the fiction writers among us, which appeared in the February 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest Magazine.

Milkweed Editions, an independent, nonprofit literary publisher, will award the National Fiction Prize to the best work of fiction Milkweed accepts for publication during each calendar year by a writer not previously published by them.

They’re accepting manuscripts anywhere from 150 to 400 pages in length and the following categories are eligible: novels, short story collections, and novellas. Works previously published in book form in the U.S. are not eligible, but individual stories or novellas previously published in magazines or anthologies are.

The prize winner will receive publication by Milkweed and a $5,000 cash advance against royalties.

For complete details, surf over to Milkweed Editions site here.

And best of luck to you!

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Leave a Comment Contest, Fiction Contest, Jill Earl, writing contests

WordClay Short Story Anthology Contest - No Entry fee!

Website: www.wordclay.com

Deadline: May 31, 2008 (11:59 PM ET)
No Entry Fee

Prizes:

Grand Prize Winner: A check for $500; A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 stories

One Runner-Up: A check for $250; A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 stories

Fifteen Short Story Anthology Finalists: A Printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 short stories

-----

How to Enter:

Step 1: Participants need to register here. By registering, you ensure that WordClay will be able to contact you if you win prizes or are selected as a finalist.

Step 2: Email your short story and cover letter to contests@wordclay.com as separate attachments, in MS Word files. Up to three entries per contestant.

Maximum Length: 5,000 words

Please see the full guidelines of how to format your entry:
http://www.wordclay.com/promopages/shortstorycontest.aspx

• There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.
• There are no previous publishing requirements required to enter this contest.
• Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to length limitations. All decisions by the judges are final.
• Each writer retains the copyright to his or her work.

Finalist Judges can be seen here.

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Check it out ladies! It's free to enter, so why not give it a shot?
Visit: http://www.wordclay.com/promopages/shortstorycontest.aspx for complete guidelines. And good luck!

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2007 ZOETROPE: ALL-STORY SHORT FICTION CONTEST

From our friends at Zoe:

website: http://www.all-story.com/contests.cgi

e-mail: contests@all-story.com

THE JUDGE: Joyce Carol Oates, the National Book Award-winner and Zoetrope contributor, will award the top prizes.

PRIZES: The first-place prize is $1,000, second-place prize is $500, and third-place prize is $250.

LITERARY AGENCIES: The winner and seven finalists will be considered for representation by the William Morris Agency, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency.

THE DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked by October 1, 2007. The winners and finalists will be announced at the website December 1, 2007, and in the Spring 2008 issue of Zoetrope: All-Story.

LAST YEAR’S WINNER: William Preston’s “A Crisis for Mr. Lion” was published as a special online supplement to the Spring 2007 issue.

COMPLETE CONTEST GUIDELINES:

We accept all genres of literary fiction. Entries must be: unpublished; 5,000 words or less; postmarked by October 1, 2007; clearly marked "Short Fiction Contest" on both the story and the outside of the envelope; accompanied by a $15 entry fee per story (make checks payable to AZX Publications). Please include name and address on first page or cover letter only.

We welcome multiple entries ($15/story) and entries from outside the U.S.; please send entry fee in U.S. currency or money order. While we cannot return manuscripts, we will forward a list of the winning stories to all entrants who include an SASE. Entrants retain all rights to their stories. We do not require specific formatting, provided the story is legible.

MAIL ENTRIES TO:
Zoetrope: All-Story
Attn: Short Fiction Contest
916 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

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Leave a Comment All-story, Fiction Contest, Francis Coppola, short story, virtual studio, Zoe, zoetrope contest