WOW! Women On Writing Blog: Monica Sackman

Interview with Monica Sackman, Runner Up in Q4 2018 Creative Nonfiction Contest

Sunday, December 09, 2018

Monica Sackman is a high school remedial English and Math teacher assisting students in reaching their goal of graduating with their peers. She lives in a very rural part of central Washington state and loves her country lifestyle. Monica is a previous 2nd place winner in a WOW flash fiction contest and has had several of her short stories published in local magazines. She has also self-published a book, The Restless Hunter: How To Survive Life With The Avid Outdoorsman. She draws inspiration from the many unique individuals she meets in her work and travels through Montana and the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing or teaching, Monica enjoys reading, camping, fishing, gardening, and exploring historical places. Her current project is updating her blog. You can visit her there at: www.ruralwriter.com.

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on placing in the top ten in our Q4 2018 Creative Nonfiction essay competition! What inspired you to write your essay, “Embracing the Wait?”

Monica: I actually wrote this essay several years ago. It was much longer because it was such an emotional turning point in my life. Originally, I was writing on a different topic for this essay contest. But it was still too "fresh" and I wasn't ready to share it. So I looked back at some of the things I had previously written and decided to revise "Embracing the Wait." Partly because I once again made a major move, this time with my husband (the same man in the essay!). It was interesting to think back about the differences in the reasons and emotional feelings that were associated with each move. In the first move, I was a single woman in my early 40s. Many people thought it was a crazy, irresponsible risk to take. Women are not well supported in making such moves. Not at the time anyway. I think things are changing, slowly. Women should be encouraged to move out of their comfort zone, to challenge themselves, and reach for their dreams. And they should be allowed to fail and learn from experience if that should happen. The older you get, the more difficult it becomes. But it doesn't mean it can't be done. I was hoping this essay would help people realize that.

WOW: You’ve also placed in one of our flash fiction contests, and have written fiction and nonfiction in various forms and lengths. Do you find one more challenging than the others? Are you drawn to one form more than the others?

Monica: Fiction is fun. I can play around with it. I never feel like it is something I have to share. When I'm writing nonfiction, especially essays, it always ends up being some kind of emotional learning experience. It's like having an "ah-ha" moment. I feel the need to share it with someone, but I usually need some wait time between the writing and sharing because it is so personal. The downside can be that I will want to soften it in some way. I think I did this on "Embracing the Wait." Trying to whittle it down to fit into the word limit was a challenge and I ended up cutting out pieces that were less humorous and more personal.

I don't think I am drawn to one form more than the other. One actually inspires the other. Many of my stories come from personal experiences--my own or something someone has shared with me. I do tend to write more short stories and flash fiction because of my hectic schedule. I did write an e-book. It was a great learning experience. I really enjoyed the research and organizing of the material. I would love to do more of that type of nonfiction writing.

WOW: With your job as a high school teacher, how do you make time to write? What works best for you?

Monica: Such a great question! It is very difficult to find time to write once school starts, especially the first quarter of the school year. I work with students with learning disabilities, behavior problems, and attention issues. At the beginning of the year, it is an endless round of meetings, paperwork, schedule changes, and reports. I get very little creative writing done this time of year. I do a lot of revising of my previous work, writing in my personal journal, and jotting down of ideas for future stories. I usually have a heap of sticky notes collected by Thanksgiving. I also have a mini recorder I carry with me. I talk my ideas or story notes into my recorder as I'm driving back and forth to school. Then I just have to type them up when I get home. I'm a morning person and by the time I get home from a busy day at school, my brain is mush so having the ideas recorded is a blessing for me. I get a little writing done on the weekends, but I'm most productive when I have a few days or weeks off from school. I am hoping to make this my last year of full-time teaching so I can dedicate more time to writing.

WOW: Those are great ideas for anyone trying to fit writing into a busy life! Are you working on any writing projects right now? What’s next for you?

Monica: I have a novel I have been working on for a couple of years. It hasn't been a priority, but it is something I hope to finish one day. I have several short stories I started over the summer. I would like to get them finished up and put together an e-book. I think about how busy my life is and how difficult it is to engage in reading just for the entertainment value. So I was thinking a collection of short stories for the busy person to escape into (when they have those rare free moments) would be a fun project and one I could manage with my busy schedule.

As I mentioned above, I plan on leaving the classroom at the end of this school year so I can devote more time to writing. After 30 years in the classroom, I am definitely feeling ready to move on. I've been working on my website/blog and learning how to get that going. I plan on doing some freelance writing, as well as creative writing. It's a continual learning experience. Sometimes it's frustrating, but it is always exciting when I see even the smallest bit of success.

WOW: Best of luck to you with everything, and thanks so much for chatting with us today, Monica! Before you go, can you share a favorite writing tip or piece of advice?

Monica: A favorite tip or piece of advice? Hmmm...I hardly feel qualified to give either. But that may just be it. We often don't feel qualified or good enough to write something worth sharing. For years, I didn't share my writing with anyone. When I finally got enough guts to join a writing group, I discovered I wasn't the only one feeling this way. Once I started sharing my writing and opening myself up to constructive criticism, I realized how much more inspired I became. I am continually learning about writing and creating. I feel so much more supported which makes me more willing to share and take risks with my writing. I guess my advice would be to find a writing group (or start one!) and start sharing and learning together.

****

For more information about our quarterly Flash Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Essay contests, visit our contest page here.

Leave a Comment balancing writing life, Contestant interview, creative nonfiction essay winner, Marcia Peterson, Monica Sackman, Q4 2018 Creative Nonfiction Contest, writer inspiration

Monica Sackman, Third Place Winner, Spring 2014 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

An epiphany; it can rise from out of the most unlikely scenarios. Eva’s epiphany comes courtesy of a lone mare in Coming Unfettered. I encourage you to read Monica’s winning entry; perhaps you will have your own epiphany! But come on back to meet this new voice in country writing, Monica Sackman.

Monica, known to family and friends as Mikey, is an educator and aspiring author. She enjoys living the country life in central Montana. Monica has been writing stories for years, often for her students and now for her adorable grandchildren. Having lived in central Washington before moving to Montana, she finds inspiration for her writing in the farming, ranching, and small town people she meets. She also enjoys learning and writing about the history of the west. Her secret “dream vacation” would be spent finding and exploring old ghost towns. When not teaching or writing, Monica likes to hang out with her husband, play with her horses and visit her grandchildren. She is developing her website, www.mlsackman.com, which she considers a work in progress. She also plans on launching her own blog about living the country life. Watch for her in mid-August at www.ruralwriter.com.

WOW: Hi Monica, congratulations on placing third in our Spring 2014 Fiction Contest! We’re so glad to have you with us today.

On your website you mention that writing is an integral part of who you are, yet it seems that bringing your stories out into the big, wide world is a new part of the journey for you. Share a little bit about this new direction in your writing life.

Monica: It is true that I have only been sharing my writing, even the fact that I like to write, for a little over a year. As a child, I loved to read. I read everything. Then I began writing little stories and poems. I even wrote a short play that my cousins and I put on at a family Christmas party. As I entered my teens, my writing became more personal and I rarely shared it with anyone. I came from a working class family and writing wasn’t considered work, so to speak. Nevertheless, I decided I wanted to go to college and major in English. I attended a college fair where one of the college recruiters told me to “go home, find a nice boy, and get married.” Even though he was a stranger, it was a huge discouragement to me. So basically, I did just that, got married, had two children, but continued to write off and on, stuffing my stories and poems into drawers, nooks, and crannies. Then two years ago, with my children grown, my new husband and I decide to take on an adventure by moving to the middle of Montana. I was feeling a little sorry for myself, missing my friends and family. I knew I needed to do something “productive.” So I took a creative writing class which required students to share their writing. It was an online class, so it did not seem so intimidating. My instructor encouraged me to join a writing group. I was scared to death. But it was a great experience. The members of the group totally understood how difficult it can be to share your writing, especially in the beginning. At this point, I had not shared my writing with my husband or any of my family. My mother was staying with me and one evening, I read her a poem I had written and then a short story about my grandmother. I started crying before I could finish the story. It was such a relief to share it. My husband and my entire family have become huge supporters. The next step for me was (and is) to start sharing outside my comfort zone by submitting to contests, magazines, etc. I did submit a short story to a magazine last fall. I wasn’t surprised by the rejection letter. In fact, I took it to my writer’s group and shared it with them. I told them I now felt like a bonafide writer.

WOW: Oh boy, so many of us can relate to that story! It’s such a shame, how we let the years pass before diving in… I’m wondering, why do you say you have a “co-dependent relationship with writing”?

Monica: As a teacher, I do a great deal of writing. Sometimes I get frustrated by the technical type of writing my job requires and the timelines that go with it. But, I am good at it so it comes pretty easy. The creative writing that I would love to have more time to do just doesn’t seem to flow as easily or it comes in spurts. Those spurts give me energy, make me eager to write more, and I hate when I have to interrupt a delicious flow of words because of other responsibilities. But I do try to use that energy to make my technical writing a little more interesting. I also try to apply it to my classroom since I have to teach writing to middle school students. When I have little creative writing time or my words and ideas seem stagnant, it becomes apparent in my classroom and my other writing.

WOW: Oh! Great description... As writers, we all strive to pen a memorable line. In Coming Unfettered I particularly liked “an old boundary marker long forgotten, yet rooted in wide open isolation” and the way it ties in to the end of the story. What was your process for writing that line and tying it to the main character?

Monica: That’s my favorite line in the story too. This story was based on an actual incident that happened to my neighbor. As she was sharing the story of the horse with me, I was looking at the old fence post and thinking how it used to mark a boundary, a line that wasn’t supposed to be crossed, yet no one remembered who put it there or why. My neighbor, a widow of about seven years, lives a pretty isolated life, as I had been doing since moving to Montana. We were both living in wide open isolation, tied to boundaries we had established long ago, forgotten, but so rooted in our psyche that we didn’t realize they were holding us back. I was definitely thinking of my neighbor when I wrote that line and myself, as well. Although I would like to think that I am beginning to let go of some of those old boundaries.

WOW: It sounds like you are growing past them beautifully.

Monica, if you could see your muse, what would she look like? (I think I have a good idea, let’s see if I’m right…)

Monica: Funny, I’ve never really thought of my muse, not specifically anyway. Let’s see. She’s definitely a red-haired cowgirl riding a black mare carrying a couple of good books, paper and pencils in her saddlebags. She can open gates without getting off her horse. On hot summer days, she drinks cold beer and talks about the good old days. In the winter, she bakes cookies and cleans her rifle. She can’t decide whether bribery or intimidation inspires me most.

WOW: That is too funny! I guess the cookies and the rifle explain the bribery and intimidation tactics.

Many writers have a “dream project,” something they would love to write or a manuscript that remains in their heart—and their desk drawer; what is yours?

Monica: My dream project. Yes, I have one. It’s one of those things I haven’t really shared with anyone. I guess it is time to put it out there. I have been working on a novel, off and on, with the working title “Bakken Wife.” It’s based somewhat on my experiences but also on the stories other wives and girlfriends have shared about what life is like for them when their husbands/significant others work in the oil fields of North Dakota. It is a difficult situation for most of them. There are many misconceptions about working in the oil fields. The general consensus is that it isn’t worth it. The story focuses on one couple in particular, their strained relationship, frustrated dreams and a sense of hopelessness that causes them to wonder if living apart “for the money” is really worth it.

WOW: That sounds like a wonderful idea! Thank you for letting us in on your secret. Maybe now, with all of us behind you, you can get that one really rolling. Just remember to come back and share it with us! Congratulations again, and thank you for coming by The Muffin.

Ready to let go of old boundaries? WOW’s Fall 2014 Fiction Contest is Now Open! So revamp that old idea or brainstorm a new one—we want to read it!