"Well, character is the north star; the revelation of it is what you aim for, and the feel and pull of it is how you steer. But plot is how you get there."
Interviews
Mini-Interview with Hillary Leftwich
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I write flash because I’m not a traditional writer, and I like being able to write a piece without having the constraints of the short story form. What makes it different for me is being able to take a character or a scene and … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Hillary Leftwich
Mini-Interview with Nuala O’Connor
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I’ve always been obsessed with small things, tiny well-made objects, aswell as prose and poetry in its teeniest forms. I love concision, precision and neatness – I was a fan of Ivor Cutler and Emily Dickinson and other sharp, economical writers in my teens … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Nuala O’Connor
Mini-Interview with Anna Vangala Jones
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? It is incredible how we can illustrate, evoke, imply an entire life or world in a few pages, in a brief series of moments. Something small that is so much larger and more powerful in scope than it first appears, something that is fit … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Anna Vangala Jones
Mini-Interview with Sarah Arantza Amador
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I fell in love with flash twenty years ago when I read Augusto Monterroso’s “The Dinosaur” for the first time. It is a perfect diamond of a story – a single sentence long and it contains a whole world! I was so impressed by … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Sarah Arantza Amador
Mini Interview with Fiona J. Mackintosh
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I have always had a tendency to write long, sometimes too long. So flash was a revelation to me. I’ve had to learn how to convey back story in hints and whispers and to pare my language down to the essence. It’s made me … Continue reading Mini Interview with Fiona J. Mackintosh
Mini-Interview with Melissa Goodrich
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? It feels like anything is possible in a shape that small. It’s like striking a match - quick friction, heat, a perfect edgeless flame burning-down close to the fingertips. For me it’s different because it’s quicker. There’s less lingering in your sentences and paragraphs--in … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Melissa Goodrich
Mini-Interview with Bronwen Griffiths
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I love writing novels but a novel is like a marriage. Writing a novel requires a long-term commitment whereas flash is more like a passionate affair - it’s often instant and exciting. I think there’s more opportunity to be playful with language and to … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Bronwen Griffiths
Mini-Interview with Barbara Byar
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I started writing flash before I knew what it was. In 2015, I started a writers’ group here in Kerry and set weekly prompts for members. The target word count of around 500 words was dictated by how long it would take to read … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Barbara Byar
Mini-Interview with Chance Dibben
Why do you write flash? What makes it different for you? I was first really introduced to flash by Deb Olin Unferth. I was lucky enough to take her Very Short Story course when she briefly taught at the University of Kansas. At the time I was thinking more in terms of poetry for what … Continue reading Mini-Interview with Chance Dibben