Meet Marti Leimbach, Runner Up in Winter 2020 Flash Fiction Contest

Marti Leimbach is the author of seven novels, including New York Times bestseller Dying Young and Daniel Isn’t Talking. Widely translated, and published worldwide, Marti is a core tutor on the Master’s programme in creative writing at the University of Oxford. Her upcoming novel, Dragonfly Girl, will be published in February 2021 by Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins.

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on your top ten win in our Winter 2020 Flash Fiction competition! What inspired you to enter the contest?

Marti: Every so often, I write short pieces in order to keep my fiction sharp. Writing with a word limit means you are paring down your work to the barest minimum you can without compromising on character development. It's a great practice even if its done purely to hone skills. However, when I wrote Fourth Of July I knew I had a piece that was more than practice. It has a voice and urgency to it that was worthy of developing further. I saw the opportunity of a competition as a nice framework to get me motivated to revise it into a publishable piece.

WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, “Fourth of July?” I liked how it’s written in the implied second person voice, without the “you” pronoun stated.

Marti: Second person is perhaps the most point of view with the most immediacy in fiction. It makes that silent request of the reader: imagine this. Imagine yourself in this. If you use second person you are challenging yourself as a writer to provide that imaginary experience at a high level. Otherwise, your demand to the reader will not only be resisted but possibly resented. In Fourth of July I provide an experience that I hope the reader will respond to with, "Yes, I'll come with you on this one. Definitely."

WOW:  What do you enjoy about flash fiction writing versus the other kinds of writing that you do?

Marti: When flash works, there's no more satisfying feeling to me. It's a complete thing with few, if any, real flaws to it. A novel is a different animal. I will always find things in it that are too long or overwrought or even embarrassing. I'm talking about published work now. But with flash, I rarely find anything in it that I regret. It's so short, so succinct, that either the whole thing works or the whole thing doesn't.

WOW:  You have a new novel, Dragonfly Girl, coming out early next year. What has your novel writing journey been like with this book?

Marti: Dragonfly Girl is a YA action novel that came to me, in part, in a dream. I've never had anything like that happen and I had to go with it. The first eighty pages just took me with them. I hardly had to work at all. After that, I had to push a little up through the middle. There is a sequel in progress and there was always going to be a sequel. The story is more than a single volume and I've known that from the start. I've never written YA and I've never written a novel knowing there would be a sequel, so it's all very new to me.

WOW: Sounds interesting! Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Marti. Before you go, do you have any tips for our readers who may be thinking about entering writing contests?

Marti: Don't worry about whether you win or not. Love the process of writing and use contests as an opportunity to meet deadlines, get feedback, share in the writing community and enjoy your work. Two rules for writing I go by are: 1) Sit in the chair 2) Take chances. Think of writing contests as another reason to do both. And good luck!

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

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Michelle Dwyer, 2nd Place Winner in Creative Nonfiction, Wears Many Hats Well

Second place winner Michelle Dwyer wrote an amazingly smart essay for our Quarter 4 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest! If you haven't read, "The E is Silent," then hurry over and do so now. Brilliant ending!

Michelle lives in Cedar Park, Texas, not too far from her eldest son, whom she affectionately refers to as her Aggie graduate. Her youngest son lives at home and is completing his first year of college. She is a single parent, and has often lost her mind. She says her daily life of chaos brings out her best writing.

By day, Michelle works for Sun City’s fitness department in Georgetown, Texas, as a certified personal trainer and Parkinson’s group fitness instructor. By night, and by the crack of dawn, she writes after the world has gone to sleep and right before it awakens. She received her MBA from Texas A&M University Central Texas/Tarleton State University, and her MFA in creative writing from National University in La Jolla, California.

Michelle has been writing for twenty years, published a compilation of short stories, and is currently working on the prequel to her breakout novel, Intimate Nightmares. She writes fiction under the pen name Krymzen Hall.

Visit her at krymzenhall.com.

WOW: Congratulations, Michelle, on winning 2nd place in our creative nonfiction essay contest with your essay, "The E is Slient." I'm not giving away why the title is that--our readers will need to go check out your amazing essay and the incredible last line. Holy cow, that's one of those lines you read and think: I wish I would have thought of that. Did that just come to you? Or did you have to work for it?

Michelle: I literally changed the title at the last minute! During the time I was writing the essay, the title was different. I don't even remember what it was now, but I do know it was lame. I had read the essay one last time, and the new title just popped in my head. It fit, so I went with it.

WOW: It is a good one! I love when writing genius happens like that. Why did you choose to write in the 2nd person, you? We read a lot of essays like that now, and I think our readers would be interested to know if you started it like this or did your essay evolve into what it is now?

Michelle: The essay started out in second person, and I never thought of it any other way. I believe all women, or at least most, have that one moment when the world caves in over a significant other, and we need to snap out of it. I felt that writing the essay in first or third person would give the reader a nonchalant experience. Writing the word "you" instead of "we" or "I" gives a direct hit to the reader, a kind of tough love geared specifically to the person absorbing the words. I wanted to write something highly encouraging while giving somebody a kick in the ass, so she can start realizing her worth.

WOW: It really works with the themes in your essay. The other thing you did well in this essay is take an old universal theme--the pain of heartbreak (we have all been there) and turn it on its heels, giving it a positive spin and almost a self-help feel. Why did you choose to "continue" the story, and not leave us in agony?

Michelle: I'm not quite sure what you mean, but I think you are referring to the concept of stalking yourself. I had read an article where researchers had studied the brains of people who'd been ghosted or abandoned. The results indicated that our responses to this sudden act are similar to that of drug addiction withdrawal. That's why we act so crazy when somebody leaves us. I paired that with the concepts of self-care and self-love, two ideas that I feel have finally received more recognition. As women, we are usually taught to put everybody else first; and when we don't, we are selfish, which is a bunch of B.S. I am glad this notion is changing. What better way to love yourself than to love yourself through a heartbreak.

WOW: No doubt. I love that you paired heartbreak and self-care together. It's one of the only healthy ways to make it through a breakup. You are also a novelist under a pen name. Can you tell us about your novel and the prequel you're working on?

Michelle: My first novel Intimate Nightmares is about a woman who has to come to terms with some secrets that snowball and cause a lot of pain and grief for herself and the people around her. In order for her life to stop crumbling, she has to do some pretty unthinkable things to heal herself before she loses everything. The novel focuses on her marriage and the marriages of her friends. The prequel focuses on her as a young woman in college and how she met her husband. The trials and tribulations they go through during college set the backdrop for Intimate Nightmares. I write under the pen name Krymzen Hall.

WOW: That sounds intriguing! You also are a testament to how people with day jobs can still pursue their writing dreams. Tell us a little about your writing schedule, especially as a single mom. I know now your sons are older, but it wasn't always that way.

Michelle: Thank you! I write in the morning and at night. There is no magic formula. The sacrifices are steep. You just have to be stronger than the storm. Just like the saying goes: If you want it bad enough you'll find a way; if not, you'll find an excuse. That's really what it comes down to.

WOW: I love that--"You have to be stronger than the storm." Thank you, Michelle! You are very inspirational. We appreciate the time you took to answer these questions. Best of luck to you!

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P.O.V.:The Magic of One, Two or Three

Three people. One event. Three points of view. All three vary because, face it, each person keys in on certain sensory details that stand out or appeal to them. Each person brings past experiences to the situation and formulates an opinion or perspective based on those elements.

The same principle surrounds point of view in storytelling. If you put insert-magical-number
characters in one scene, each views the action and reacts, based on individual instincts and quirks created by an author.

While some stories thrive from different points of view (and sometimes, alternating P.O.V. is a wonderfully successful plot device), many tales flounder because the writer hasn't investigated which perspective best fits or advances the storytelling.

Is there a magical formula that helps writers determine which point of view is best?

No.

But distinct advantages and disadvantages of first, second and third person storytelling do exist. Let's take a look at each viewpoint and weigh the pros and cons.

First Person: The I, me, my, we narrator. It's the participant viewpoint, although the narrative doesn't have to be from a major character.

Why It Works

• It's natural. It's how we converse.
• It focuses on the narrator's perspective.
• It establishes a distinct internal voice, especially with main characters.

How It Causes Problems

• It only tells one point of view.
• It doesn't show what other characters think or feel.
• It forces the narrator to always be present.

Second Person: The you narrator. Honestly, it seldom works. In my editing experience, I've never read a story told from this P.O.V. that didn't fall flat. That's not to say it won't work, but it's complicated.

Why It Works

• It's different. When the storytelling is spot on, it builds rapport with the reader.

How It Causes Problems

• It fails to establish a rhythm. And sometimes, it ends up sounding like a cluster of imperative sentences. Who wants to feel like they're being told what to do or believe?

Third Person: The she, he, they narrator. The most commonly used point of view, third person works so well because it feels like the reader and narrator share secrets. Readers become privy to information that the clueless characters don't understand. Now, you'll need to determine if an unlimited or limited presence works best.

Unlimited Omniscience uses any character to convey the story.

Why It Works

• It lets multiple characters tell the story.
• It keeps readers interested.
• It (usually) hastens the pace of the story.

How It Causes Problems

• It can be confusing to the reader, especially if too many characters are involved in telling the story.
• It can reduce the rhythm of prose.

Limited Omniscience shows the thoughts of only a few characters, and most often, one character's thoughts equal a single scene or chapter.

Why It Works

• It allows several characters to tell the story.
• It keeps readers interested.
• It picks up the pace.
• It lets the writer focus on one or two characters and delve into their motivation.

How It Causes Problems

• It eliminates problems of using unlimited omniscience for writers.

No matter what story a writer is telling, it's important that the point of view is consistent. Too many voices, too many shifts in thought, too many disadvantages = a piece of writing that's dead on paper.

P.O.V. is about the eye, not the I. And that's the magic of one, two or three.

by LuAnn Schindler. LuAnn is a freelance writer and columnist. Read more of her work at http://luannschindler.com/.

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4 comments creating rhythm, first person, LuAnn Schindler, narrator, point of view, POV, second person, storytelling, third person