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Jacquelyn Malone is a poet whose work has been published in multiple journals, including Poetry Magazine, Poetry Northwest, and Ploughshares. Previously, Jacquelyn won a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fellowship grant as a poet, but her flash fiction piece is the first fiction piece she has sent out to be published. She recently completed a novel, which is the story of the murder of one twin by his brother, a story that takes place in a Southern fundamentalist farming community in the late 1950s. Jacquelyn has worked as a writer and editor in the software industry for over a decade. She has taught technical and scientific writing and editing at Northeastern University.
Jacquelyn's story, The Hair, is a must read. Head over to the contest page if you haven't had the opportunity to peruse this flash piece.
WOW: Jacquelyn, congratulations on earning runner-up honors in the Fall 2009 Flash Fiction contest. I've read The Hair several times and different elements stand out each time I read it. In the story, Ben suffers from a mental health problem. Did his son’s death quicken the symptoms?
Jacquelyn: When I wrote this story, a friend of mine had just lost a child. Her sadness reminded me of my mother’s—she never got over the death of my brother. Both occurrences made me certain that the death of a child is probably the most devastating emotional experience anyone can endure. As I began to think about the story, I wondered what would happen to someone already emotionally frail. What if the person were slightly paranoid? How would the trauma of a child’s death affect such a person?
I see Ben as someone whose reaction to Eddy’s death has been severe enough to disable him, but until the story begins, he has been taking medications that keep the paranoia under control.
WOW: I'm intrigued by the questions you considered. They definitely create tension and build a strong sense of empathy with readers. Establishing tension between characters is essential in moving a storyline forward. How does paranoia affect Mabel, Ben’s wife?
Jacquelyn: As a calm, perceptive person, Mabel is Ben’s opposite. She is worried about her husband and sees signs that indicate a renewal of what was an earlier severe mental breakdown.
WOW: You do an excellent job of creating tension and extending it throughout the piece. The momentum pushes toward the climax, creating an ending that is open to interpretation. Does Ben try to end his life, as well as Mabel’s?
Jacquelyn: I’m not sure Ben is out to kill Mabel as Mabel. He is out to get whatever took his son. He sees the same type wire in her hair, which means Mabel may no longer be Mabel. Whatever evil force took Eddy may now inhabit his wife. I saw his act as rash, instantaneous, and desperate. I wasn’t thinking of him trying to kill himself, though I can see why you might think that.
WOW: The
Jacquelyn: When I wrote this story, a friend of mine had just lost a child. Her sadness reminded me of my mother’s—she never got over the death of my brother. Both occurrences made me certain that the death of a child is probably the most devastating emotional experience anyone can endure. As I began to think about the story, I wondered what would happen to someone already emotionally frail. What if the person were slightly paranoid? How would the trauma of a child’s death affect such a person?
I see Ben as someone whose reaction to Eddy’s death has been severe enough to disable him, but until the story begins, he has been taking medications that keep the paranoia under control.
WOW: I'm intrigued by the questions you considered. They definitely create tension and build a strong sense of empathy with readers. Establishing tension between characters is essential in moving a storyline forward. How does paranoia affect Mabel, Ben’s wife?
Jacquelyn: As a calm, perceptive person, Mabel is Ben’s opposite. She is worried about her husband and sees signs that indicate a renewal of what was an earlier severe mental breakdown.
WOW: You do an excellent job of creating tension and extending it throughout the piece. The momentum pushes toward the climax, creating an ending that is open to interpretation. Does Ben try to end his life, as well as Mabel’s?
Jacquelyn: I’m not sure Ben is out to kill Mabel as Mabel. He is out to get whatever took his son. He sees the same type wire in her hair, which means Mabel may no longer be Mabel. Whatever evil force took Eddy may now inhabit his wife. I saw his act as rash, instantaneous, and desperate. I wasn’t thinking of him trying to kill himself, though I can see why you might think that.
WOW: The
3 Comments on Jacquelyn Malone - Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest Runner-Up, last added: 5/5/2010
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I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I
would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have
enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Alena
http://dataentryjob-s.com
Congratulations, Jacquelyn! "The Hair" is an excellent story - the complex layers you developed are amazing, especially in such a short piece. Well done!
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Alena
http://dataentryjob-s.com