Michelle’s Bio:
Michelle Martinez is currently a librarian at Sam Houston State University. She lives with her cat but isn’t a crazy cat-lady, merely crazy. Her dachshund is currently being hostage by her parents. Writing is her passion and her future, and so is her mafia-looking boyfriend in New Jersey.
If you haven't done so already, check out Michelle's award-winning story "Unbuckling Orion's Belt" and return here for a chat with the author.
WOW!: Congratulations on placing in the WOW! Summer Flash Fiction Contest. How did you begin writing this story, or what was your inspiration for it?
Michelle: The images from the story started out when I thought of writing something about mythology or the stars, and the phrase "unbuckling Orion's belt" just came to me and I started writing. I typically write poetry when not working on the next great bestseller, and my writing uses mythology at its foundation and, often, core. "Unbuckling Orion's Belt" started over a year or two ago as a free-verse poem for an online writing class. I found it on my flash drive and began tweaking it, and turned it into a prose poem. When I showed this piece to my mentor, he suggested "Unbuckling Orion's Belt" would actually work well as flash fiction. As I worked on this piece, I made some changes for the flash fiction contest, editing out some lengthier parts and learning more about the mythology behind Orion, which included that his mother was an Amazonian warrior. Whether what I read was an accurate version of the Greek myth or not didn't matter to me, I appropriated it anyway because of my own Hispanic heritage and the desire to make the flash fiction more personal in a sense.
WOW!: I love to hear about the evolution and revision processes of a writer’s work. Thanks for sharing! What do you enjoy most about writing?
Michelle: Writing forces me to drop all bagg
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By: LuAnn Schindler,
on 1/31/2012
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Seeds of Change, Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, S Paulina Nelson, author interview, LuAnn Schindler, Add a tag
S. Paulina Nelson's love of the English language began with her immigration to the U.S. from Poland at age 6. She minored in creative writing, with an emphasis on poetry. Her poems have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and have placed in the Dorothy Sargeant Rosenberg poetry prize. Inspired by her love of literature, Paula began writing short fiction last year. She teaches 7th grade English at Carmel Valley Middle School in San Diego, where she lives with her husband and son.
Grab that favorite morning beverage and sit a spell. You'll be glad you did. :)
WOW: Congratulations, Paulina, and welcome to The Muffin. As a teacher, I related to the plot of "Seeds of Change." One writing theory says that personal writing mirrors an author's life. Does your story resemble your immigration to the United States? If not, how did you come up with the idea for "Seeds of Change"?
Paulina: I have certainly experienced poverty and its way of stationing children at a disadvantage. In that regard, "Seeds of Change" resonates with me emotionally. To use an authorial cliche, I wrote 'what i knew,' but the main character and the exact setting were inspired by a video on educational funding shown during my credential program. It has stuck with me for 12 years, and influenced everything from the way I dress for work to how my classroom looks. The takeaway is: how do we expect kids to feel valued when everything in their environment screams that they don't matter?
WOW: A well-taken point. Students need to know they are valued. One of the interesting elements of the story is the dahlia, which symbolizes elegance and dignity. How did you weave that symbolism into the piece?
Paulina: The opening metaphor referencing weeds was already tucked in the back of my mind when I began writing this piece, and Meala aspires to be more than that. The seed she steals represents the tiny germ of beauty available to her and how desperate she is to cultivate it. Referencing the seed cycle project furthered the idea that something spectacular can emerge from almost nothing. Technically speaking, the short form doesn't allow room to mix metaphors, but in thinking about it, poems of mine that have been selected for publication all feature extended metaphors based on nature, perhaps because I believe that all living things are interrelated.
WOW: Personally, I like to see an extended metaphor woven through a story. It adds a cohesiveness that a lot of flash pieces seem to lack. I'm curious, I know you pen poetry. Is this your first contest entry and/or win?
Paulina: I have won poetry prizes, but this was my first foray into short fiction. I love it! In scene writing, I can focus on wordsmithing, and the plot arc falls neatly into place. Also, the end result is like a tightly wrapped package: one can imagine pulling the ribbon
1 Comments on Interview with Paulina Nelson, 3rd Place Finalist in the Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, last added: 1/31/2012
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By: MP,
on 1/24/2012
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, Jacey Fortin, Runner up, Add a tag
***
WOW: Congratulations on placing as one of the Runners Up in our Summer 2011 competition! What inspired you to enter the contest?
The cash prizes were my main inspiration.
WOW: Well, we do offer some nice prizes! Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, The Exhibit?
Jacey: I realized later that I had stolen the main idea from a story my friend once told me. It’s much altered, of course, and mixed in with a couple scenes from my own life.
WOW: Since you’ve transitioned into freelance work and moved to New York City, how are things going for you? It sounds like an exciting time in your life!
Jacey: It’s a little scary, but going pretty well. Do you know anyone who is hiring freelance journalists or copy writers?
WOW: You can always check our Freelance Job Board for opportunities! What do you enjoy about flash fiction writing versus the other kinds of writing that you do?
Jacey: Flash fiction is a challenge—all that condensing. It’s good practice for the nonfiction writing I do for work.
WOW: That's true, flash can help build strong writing skills. Thanks so much for chatting with us today Jacey! Before you go, do you have any tips for our readers who may be thinking about entering writing contests?
Jacey: If you are thinking about it, you should probably just do it. You’ve got nothing to lose.
* * *
Our Winter 2012 Flash Fiction contest is OPEN:
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php.
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Visit WOW! Women On Writing for lively interviews and how-tos. Check out WOW!'s Classroom and learn something new. Find jobs on the Freelance Job Board. Enter the Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest. Open Now!
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By: Margo Dill,
on 12/13/2011
Blog: WOW! Women on Writing Blog (The Muffin) (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: flash fiction contest winner, Margo L. Dill, summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, Add a tag
It's a small, small world! I'm so happy to introduce you to Denise R. Graham, whom I had the pleasure to interview since she won first place in the Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest. She lives a mere forty-five minutes from me; but even stranger yet, she is in the same critique group that I used to be in about six years ago. I am thrilled to introduce you to her. If you haven't checked out her winning piece, "Better Late," you can do so here.
Denise is the author of two young reader fantasy novels: Eye of Fortune and Curse of the Lost Grove (Mirrorstone, 2004 and 2005). Her stories have appeared in such publications as A Cup of Comfort for Writers, a number of Magic the Gathering® anthologies, and Woman’s World. She lurks in her supervillain secret lair deep in the heart of darkest mid-America with her co-supervillain, the inimitable Ron Morris, and their henchkittens, Kafka and The Morrigan. Her passions range from reading to 80s alternative music to all things Caribbean and beyond. She’s a grateful Scribes Tribe groupie. Her current projects include a YA novel rewrite, a screenplay rewrite, and more flash fiction.
WOW: Congratulations, Denise, on your first place win. How exciting! What was it like to get the news that you had won first place with your story, "Better Late"?
Denise: Thank you! I rarely enter contests, and I thought my lack of experience might work against me. So finding out my story took first place was a fantastic surprise.
WOW: Where did you get the idea for the story?
Denise: I read about an appeal of a murder conviction. I wondered about the victim's family and friends. How they might feel, what they might do, how the emotional scars might change them. The story grew from that.
WOW: It's always so interesting to discover where writers get their ideas for stories. Is it difficult for you to write an entire story in 750 words or less? Do you tend to write more than enough--and have to CUT, CUT, CUT? Or do you have the opposite problem--never enough detail or enough words? In other words, what are your strategies for a flash fiction piece?
Denise: I generally don't try to fit a story into any specific size or format. I just write, and then I see how the work can be improved, whether that means expanding or
3 Comments on Denise R. Graham, 1st Place Winner Summer 2011 Flash Fiction Contest, last added: 12/13/2011
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Very interesting interview with plenty useful technical content about writing tools, methods and techniques not often seen in an on line interview. Congratulations to Paulina for her well deserved recognition.