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Born in New York, Terri McGrath Bhatt has always loved words and believes in the power of a good story. That's why we are thrilled she placed as a runner up in our Summer 2012 Flash Fiction Contest with her story, "Evaporate," which you can read here.

Currently, Terri lives in Connecticut with her husband, who is her greatest teacher; her 14-year-old daughter, who reminds and inspires her to be true to her gifts; her beloved, clever dog; and a spiteful, exasperating cat. She holds a BA in media communications with a concentration in writing and journalism from Western CT State University. In addition to short stories, poetry, and song lyrics, Terri is presently working on a screenplay.

WOW: Congratulations on your story, "Evaporate," being a runner up in the flash fiction contest. It's a sad tale, but very powerful! Where did you get the idea for your story?

Terri: Thank you so much! I have to say this character just kind of "showed up" for me. I had recently seen a group of children on a playground and noticed that a few of the more overweight children were struggling to keep up with their friends. They appeared to get winded easily and would simply quit running. One child gave up altogether and sat on a bench while the rest of the children continued to play without him. He didn't look particularly sad, and no one picked on him; but something about it broke my heart. I felt that the adults in his life owed him better. I was frustrated wondering what physical, emotional, and social issues he might one day face as a result of being so unhealthy at such a young age.

WOW: Thank you for sharing that with us. Was it hard to pack all that emotion, anxiety, and angst into 750 words or less?

Terri: With a 750-word requirement, I had to show a snapshot of this character's day that would tell the tale of her life beyond the school bus. While not everyone has experienced bullying or this degree of self-loathing, I think her feelings of self-consciousness, isolation, and of wanting human connection-- all while feeling invisible-- are pretty universal, especially for adolescents and teens.

WOW: How do you develop a well-rounded character for a short fiction piece--it's definitely easier in a novel--but just as important in a short story?

Terri: In a short story, I think characters have to reveal themselves rather quickly if the piece is to be compelling. I wanted to paint a character for whom the reader not only feels compassion, but empathy. She is in a predicament on the bus and has feelings that I think most of us can relate to, even if we aren't asthmatic, morbidly obese, teenaged girls.

WOW: I agree, especially in a flash fiction piece. You have a BA in media communications with an emphasis in writing and journalism. Has this degree helped you with your writing career? In what ways?

Terri: Well, my undergrad years feel like a lifetime ago, so I can't say with any certainty how well my degree has contributed to my writing ability at this point. I worked for a book publishing company for a number of years, strangely enough in a marketing capacity; but until recently, my writing has mostly been for me.

WOW: You are also working on a screenplay? What type of piece is this--action, adventure, chick flick, mystery?

Terri: The screenplay is a glimpse of New York City from the 1930s to the 1950s through the eyes and numerous incredible experiences of my father. It was a really colorful time in the city, and Dad had a fascinating life working for many of those years at Grand Central Station. When people have heard his stories, they would say, "That should be a movie." And it should. So, this is my labor of love, dedicated to him.

WOW: It sounds fascinating. Since it's the new year, what are your writing goals this year?

Terri: First and foremost, to become a working, paid writer! Also, to complete and successfully market my screenplay. It has been really exciting to go through the process of this contest and to have actually placed as a runner up was very gratifying. Thanks to my sister-in-law for encouraging me to do this and thanks to the WOW team! It has been a wonderful experience.

WOW: We are glad we could help in some way! Thank you, Terri, for your time and best of luck to you! 

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

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D.K. McCutchen MFA’d at UMass Amherst back in the Pleistocene. Lack of poetic-DNA led to a creative nonfiction tale of low adventure and high science in the South Pacific titled The Whale Road, which earned a Pushcart nomination & listed as a Kiriyama Prize Notable Book. Other literary thingies followed in Fourth Genre, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Identity Theory, Santa Fe Writers Project and others, as well as several Fish International short story anthologies. Resorting to flash fiction for that astonishing feeling of immediate gratification, her longer works-in-progress include a gender-bender post-apocalyptic novel titled Jellyfish (finalist for a 2012 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant), and its prequel Ice. Meanwhile she keeps her day-job, teaching writing to young science-heads from UMass' College of Natural Sciences, where she is managing editor for CNS student writing at IRL: Points of View in the Natural Sciences.She also cheers from her comfortable armchair for her family’s biocultural diversity research expedition Berkshire Sweet Gold Maple & Marine, which she is quite sure will end up as grist for her story mill. Visit her blog at: D.K.McCutchen: BooksArticlesReviews.

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on placing in the top ten in our Summer 2012 writing contest! What prompted you to enter the contest?

D.K.: I teach writing full-time and am a parent of two young storytellers. I have noticed that I send out shorter and shorter stories and essays each year – I even published my first poem last year. I am finishing a novel -- and started another over last summer -- but the time to write is often found in smaller and smaller increments. In fall and winter, I compose in my head during my afternoon commute (never the morning commute, then I have to think about my class lesson plans). Then, when I do get a chance, I have something specific in mind, which is often begging to be written.

Flash fiction, in that context, is very satisfying. It is something I can keep in my head, mulling over, for years if I need to. That may sound odd, but some stories do hang around that long before they make it to the page – at least in a final draft.

I entered the contest because I want to be an active writer contributing to the body of published work (or contributing to the ethereal internet cloud), and because this was a form in which I could write quickly (albeit from an old, unwritten story), edit intensively, and be finished with before the semester started.

I chose Women on Writing because I am a feminist to the core and I liked the idea. It sounds so very Virginia Woolf.

WOW: We'll take that last part as a compliment! What inspired you to write this particular story?

D.K.: This was one of those old stories, one that has hung-about in my imagination since my undergrad days. When I want a Flash Fiction story, I often dig around in my oral-storytelling luggage and consider which tall-tales might be told briefly without losing their punch. Then I test one out on paper and see what happens. I think since I’d told this one verbally and since I’d been thinking about first impressions of old friends, it jumped to the forefront and – irritating as it may sound – pretty much wrote itself – with a little help from me.

WOW: You’ve 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?

D.K.: Flash Fiction is just pure fun really. I enjoy it a lot – when it works. The ones that don’t come together can be a bit of a let-down of course. But then one can move on, or just keep editing. Poetry is something I struggle with, though I’ve written it since childhood. I write it, but the Yankee in me wants everything to have a purpose, and I never even thought of publishing my poems (except that once, and it was a festschrift to a respected professor) so perhaps the form lacks that motivational drive for me. The novel I just finished (provisionally, I’ll probably revise it again), was also just pure fun. It got so stuck in my imagination that it became my daydream material, so every zoned-out moment became a composition opportunity. My biggest challenge was that, since I was writing it in such brief moments, it has a kind of snap-shot quality (not unlike Flash Fiction), that I struggled to make organic to the story. My first published book, WHALE ROAD, was nonfiction, mostly written at sea in waterproof notebooks. The big challenge there was also in revision, pulling everything together, once I was in my comfortable armchair at home, without losing those horribly uncomfortable yet dynamic moments on the water.

At some point during my graduate studies editing became as creative a process as initial composition. That has probably helped a lot in shifting genres. I'm a big fan of creative nonfiction. Overall I may be most drawn to fiction while being a bit more facile with nonfiction, perhaps? Ask me again after I get the novel published!

WOW: Do come back and tell us when the novel is done. What are some of the challenges and highlights of writing flash fiction?

D.K.: Challenges … choosing the right story to fit the length, perhaps, and then editing so that every word counts. I spend an inordinate amount of time editing Flash Fiction. Far more than I can on any three paragraphs of my novel (so far). I have certainly written some FF (mostly about my kids) which fell flat for a general audience. They were just photos of moments that were memorable for me, and might have been appealing to other parents, but not really for a wider readership. Sometimes I try to edit-down a much longer story into a Flash Fiction format, and that can also lose enough cohesion that it just doesn’t work. In general, I think FF is best for me as a new epiphany about an oft-told story, written in one sitting, with the bulk of the time spent on editing -- but not trying to find the short story in the longer piece, if that makes sense.

WOW: With a full time job and other responsibilities, how do make time to write? Do you have favorite tools or habits that get you going?

D.K.: “Productive procrastination” is my favorite. That means, when I have something I really have to do but don’t want to, like grading, I write instead. Don’t tell my students!

WOW: Writing does seem so much more appealing when there are other tasks that need attention. Thanks so much for chatting with us today, D.K.! Before you go, do you have any advice for beginning flash fiction writers?

D.K.: WRITE! “Words words words,” as Hamlet said. Or, as numerous writers from Red Smith to Hemmingway have been quoted as saying: “There’s nothing to writing, you just open up a vein…” It’s your choice whether to visualize that vein as producing blood or gold.

***

The Winter 2013 Flash Fiction Contest is OPEN
For details, visit: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2013, Muffin readers! Today, we'll be chatting with Emily McGee, whose story "After Herman Died" placed third in the Summer 2012 Flash Fiction contest. If you haven't had the opportunity to read the piece, head over to WOW!'s contest page and partake. Then, grab a cup or glass of your favorite Holiday cheer and settle in for our chat with Emily.

Emily McGee has lived in Africa, the South Pacific, and three states in four years. She pays the bills by writing for various educational companies, but she’s happiest when writing fiction. Emily and her husband live life on the go, and they recently returned to the U.S. after living in Nairobi, Kenya. Emily writes about travel, and life as a trailing spouse at One Trailing Spouse. You can also connect with her on Facebook and twitter.

WOW: Emily, congratulations on placing third in the Summer 2012 flash contest. The story's premise struck a chord with me. My spouse passed away suddenly about a decade ago. I remember that need for peace and quiet - just for a moment - following his death. How did the idea for this story develop?

Emily: The story actually started with a first line prompt from another contest. After losing that contest, I cut the first line and spent some time pondering the story while on the elliptical machine at the gym. (This is where I do much of my best thinking.) I revised the story after my gym session and after thinking more deeply about how I would react if my own spouse had a long and painful death.

WOW: (Smiles) I do my best thinking when I'm pushing the lawn mower! It's a great time to think. A lot of times, I find myself working on a particular line or phrase and how to make sure it impacts the story. I'm a stickler for the last line leaving a lasting impression. How do you "know" when you've hit gold with the final line? Do you try to make an impact or do you strive for a touch of irony? What's your strategy?

Emily: I try not to think too hard about it, but I feel like I know when I have a good line. The first several drafts of this story just didn't have "it", whatever "it" is.

For all my stories, I revise until I have a line somewhere near the end of the story that can leave a lasting impression. With flash fiction, I think it's even more important the the very last line leave that impression. In longer stories, I'm OK if a sentence on the last page of the story has that special something.

WOW: Completely agree! In journalism, I call it the power quote. With that strategy in mind, not every genre falls into this category, like writing a test question for fifth grade science. You have experience writing for education companies. What types of writing is included under this umbrella?

Emily: I write blog posts, assessments, lesson plans and unit plans. When I write standardized test questions, I feel slightly evil. When I get to write short stories for kids, I have a blast.

I have a Master's degree in education and I used to teach (before my husband and I started moving so often). Between my background and the unrolling of the Common Core State Standards, I've been able to find a lot of work doing this type of writing.

WOW: That's great! As a teacher, I've penned my share of lesson plans and unit assessments. It takes a lot of work, but it's so worthwhile. You also have another unique writing assignment - your blog. When I was younger, I wanted a job where I could travel. Your blog seems like it's part travel guide, part survival guide. How do you decide what types of posts to include?

Emily: I've tried to narrow the scope of my blog to travel and trailing spouse issues. Those two categories still encompass a lot of things though! I write about my marriage, and moving, and life as an expat. My husband and I love to travel, so I also include travel posts.

My blog has been a great writing outlet for me. It's also been a great way to connect with people who have also made career adjustments for the sake of a relationship or family.

WOW: Well, I certainly enjoyed reading about places you've visited. You share a lot of great information. Since you entered and placed in this contest, I'm wondering what information or advice would you offer a writer contemplating entering a contest?

Emily: If you're going to enter one contest, enter many. Rejection happens to everyone, and in my experience, to every story. I have had two short stories place in contests after being passed over in other contests. Rejection stings a bit less if you know you have several stories being read in several different contests. And if you know your story is good, then stay confident and keep submitting. Eventually you'll find success.

WOW:  Excellent advice for all writers to remember. Thank you for sharing, and once again, congratulations Emily!

Interview by LuAnn Schindler

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Merry Christmas to everyone! When I found out that Carol Grannick won second place in our flash fiction contest, I was thrilled. I know Carol from my days living in Illinois because we were both members of the wonderfully supportive SCBWI Illinois chapter. Then when I was assigned to interview her, I was even more excited. If you haven't read Carol's story that won second place, then read "Secondly" here. 

One other note, Carol writes a lot in the genre of children's and YA--her winning story reads very much like one perfect for teens. So, remember this when you are deciding whether or not to enter our flash fiction contest. We take all genres--we are wide open!

Carol is a writer and clinical social worker, who writes poetry, picture books, and middle grade/young adult fiction, as well as personal essays. She lives in the Chicagoland area and has been an active member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for over a decade. Several of her picture book manuscripts have won national awards, and her children’s fiction has appeared in Crickets and Highlights for Children. Her articles and essays have been published in national media as well as on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio. Her new blog, http://TodayIAmAWriter.blogspot.com, helps keep her on track, and her regular column for the Illinois-SCBWI newsletter, Prairie Wind, explores many aspects of the writer’s psychological and emotional journey.

WOW: Welcome to The Muffin, Carol, and Merry Christmas! Let's start with talking about your second place contest win for your story, "Secondly." What inspired you to write this story?

Carol: I began writing from a seed of authenticity that veered quickly into fiction. The most important lesson I keep learning about my own writing is that when I can connect with a feeling that is authentic, even if that emotional experience is not "true" in the nonfiction sense, I find a powerful voice. If I can do that--and for me it's not easy--everything flows from that. The voice, the deep inside of my narrator, will help me determine the words I choose, the format, the length.

WOW: We are glad you found that "powerful voice" in this piece. So, what are the themes you are exploring in this short, but powerful, piece?

Carol: I think I wanted, unconsciously, to pose a moral dilemma for a character who feels victimized, then suddenly has the tables turned on her. During revision, I recall deciding that I would have her fail at taking the high road. Doing that left me thinking, wondering, seeing both sides. I felt it was a strong way to leave the reader thinking, also.

WOW: I think that's what makes your story stand out--we expect characters to take the "high road." Then when they don't, we are like, "WOW! I wonder what I would have done?" It gives the reader more to think about, in my opinion. We've known each other for a while through our SCBWI-IL connection. This story seems like it's targeted for young adults. Would you agree? Are there a lot of publication opportunities for short fiction for the YA market?

Carol: I do agree, Margo, absolutely. I'd say [ages] 13 to 17. I would love to see more markets for short fiction for young adults, but other than CICADA, and a number of wonderful anthologies with stories from somewhat to fairly well-known authors and illustrators, I'm not aware of potential markets.

WOW: I agree with you--as you and I discussed during this interview process--we need more YA short fiction. Hmmm. It's food for thought. (smiles) Why did you decide to enter WOW!'s contest?

Carol: I jumped at the chance to submit it to the WOW Summer Flash Fiction Contest because of the reasons above. My story had been sitting in a computer file, and the contest seemed to be a good match!

WOW: Yes, our contest is a potential market basically because if you win, you get prizes AND a publication! You are also a clinical social worker (your day job). Does this job play a part in what you choose to write for children? Or do you try to keep writing and day job separate?

Carol: I've been a clinical social worker in organizations and in private practice for decades; and other than a few short essays about people who are no longer in this world, whose names are never used, I do not use content from my therapeutic work. That sharing is confidential, and I've never breached those ethics. That said, I believe everything in life is interconnected. I neither see my therapeutic work as "separate" nor as automatic subject matter. The concerns that show in my writing are about my life concerns, whether that's ethical issues, body image issues (which has been a professional focus), the nature of facing down fears, or anything else.

WOW: You also have a regular column for the SCBWI-IL newsletter and a blog. How do you fit everything into your busy schedule?

Carol: I go out of my way to avoid negative stress. I wake and write very early in the morning; then there's non-writing work time; time to move my body; time for errands, participating in my community and politics; and more time to write and now explore illustrating my own picture books. I do well with a fairly planned schedule, which includes unscheduled time to relax with a book or my husband and/or friends. I'm not "crazy-busy," and I love time alone, as well as time with others. My blog is a simple commentary to keep me on track as I focus on my writing, and my column for the PRAIRIE WIND, the Illinois-SCBWI newsletter takes a lot of time, but it's periodic--and it helps me focus where I'm at as a writer. If I do happen to get too busy, I'll feel overwhelmed, take note of it, and remember Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD. Then I just pick one thing to do.

WOW: That sounds like a wonderful way to go about it. I completely agree that having a schedule helps you to fit more into your life, but you do have to give yourself time to relax and permission to change the schedule if need be. Thank you so much for your time today, Carol. Anything else you'd like to add?

Carol: Many thanks to you, Margo, for the interview, and to WOW! Women On Writing, for the great work they do and the ongoing opportunities they provide for us!

Margo L. Dill is a children's writer, blogger, online instructor, and editor. Visit her website here.

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G.G. Silverman lives north of Seattle with her husband and dog, both of whom are ridiculously adorable. When she isn’t writing, she loves to explore the mossy woods and wind-swept coast of the Pacific Northwest, which provide moody inspiration for all her stories. She also enjoys bouts of inappropriate laughter, and hates wind chimes because they remind her of horror movies.

She holds a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and also completed the Writing for Children program at the University of Washington. She also owns a branding and graphic design firm.

Ms. Silverman placed as a finalist in the 2012 PNWA annual literary awards for her short story, “The Black Dog of Porto Negro.” She is currently working on her first YA novel, a hilarious feminist twist on the zombie genre. Chat with her on Twitter @GG_Silverman

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Summer 2012 writing contest! What inspired you to enter the contest?

GG: Thank you! I’ve been putting serious effort into launching my writing career over the last few years. I’m building up a body of work, and wanted to test the water for my stories, to get some validation and ultimately publish. WOW! has a great reputation with incredible guest judges every season, so your contest seemed like the right opportunity to do all of that. Having my story published on your site has given me fantastic credibility as a writer.

WOW: Thanks for the kind words about WOW! Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, The House of Butterflies?

GG: It was inspired by a life-changing conversation with a friend. I was at a critical point with the last draft of my novel, where I had major fears about expressing darker ideas, and she asked how my writing was going. I said I was afraid that when my book was finished and I came out of my shell as a writer, that I’d be seen as a frightening spider instead of a beautiful butterfly, and the world would revile my work. That’s when she told me it was okay to be a spider, that the world needs spiders. So, I’ve embraced my spiderness, meaning, I’m being true to myself as a writer and have accepted my position as someone who explores darker themes. The House of Butterflies has become a sort of personal manifesto. It’s my first published work, and I’m taking it as a sign that I’m becoming who I’m meant to become.

WOW: What a wonderful development for you. I love that you’re embracing your spiderness. Have you always enjoyed the genre, and how did you learn to write great flash fiction?

GG: I discovered flash fiction two years ago. It started as a way to keep writing when I need to take small breaks from my novel. I believe it’s important to write as much as you can, because you get better and faster with practice and time.

Also, I like to write flash fiction when I travel. It’s fun to dash off a story on a flight and have a sense of completion. Though the polishing aspect can be maddening, sometimes requiring up to eleven or twelve drafts. Writing a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end, in a very limited word count, while creating an evocative atmosphere with beautiful description, is quite challenging. But I love it. I really believe that flash fiction makes you a better writer.

It’s also a great way to honor readers who are busy and want a satisfying story they can read quickly. With the increasing popularity of e-readers, I think flash fiction is here to stay.

WOW: It's always interesting to learn about other people's writing routines. Could you tell us when and where you usually write? Do you have favorite tools or habits that get you going?

GG: For starters, I take a long walk every day, and I’m fortunate to live near incredible trails. My favorite walk is through a burnt-out swamp punctuated by dead, spiky trees. A bald eagle is usually perched overhead, and the sky can be really moody. The quiet atmosphere is meditative, and ideas often come to me there. Sometimes they come in the voice of a character. I might record a thought or a scrap of dialogue on my phone with a voice recorder app. If it resonates with me after my walk is done, then it’s something I’m really excited about, and I try to express it in writing.

I’m also a self-employed graphic designer, and keep a flexible work schedule so I can write or edit a few hours each day, usually in the afternoon. But unexpected things do happen, so I’ve learned to seize odd bits of time to write productively in short bursts whenever I can. I usually write first drafts long-hand (if it’s my novel, a chapter at a time) then transcribe and edit on the computer. When I write long-hand, I can do it anywhere, but when I’m on the computer, I prefer the ergonomic set-up of my office. When I’m writing, I have a strict No Internet rule. No Facebook or Twitter. I allow myself only fifteen minutes at the beginning of the day, but I’ll spend more time during lunch or when I’m done for the day, because I believe it’s important to start cultivating an audience and connecting with people.

Once every few months, as a special treat, my husband and I take short road trips to the coast to get away from the distractions of everyday life. We hole up in a cabin and soak up the scenery for inspiration, while getting lots of writing done.

WOW: Walking always yields lots of ideas for me too. What's one bit of advice you would give to aspiring writers?

GG: Discipline and perseverance are everything. Practice writing until you realize that you can’t not write, that you would feel sick if a few days went by and you haven’t written. By then, you’ll develop the momentum and stamina you need to do great work.

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

GG: Rejection is a blessing. It’s an opportunity for you to go back, take another pass at your work, and make it sing.

And, don't rush to submit. Taking an extra day to let a piece breathe, so you can review it with fresh eyes, can make a world of difference.

***

The Winter 2013 Flash Fiction Contest is OPEN
For details, visit: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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