Tag: Pauline Shen

Interviews

Interview with Max and Teona Bjork

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be learning more about Max and Teona Bjork, the work they do in managing Writing Battle, and where this writing competition may be headed in the near future. Max Bjork is the Halifax-based creator of Writing Battle and runs it along with Teona Bjork who is a full-time mom and part-time Writing Battle administrator.

There were over 1200 stories in the recent Winter Flash Fiction Battle. What has been the most surprising thing about these tournaments so far?

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Story Reviews

A Piece of the Puzzle. Commentary on Mialise Carney’s “The Hydrangea Fairy”

Pauline Shen

In this first-person narrative, our nameless protagonist experiences an existential crisis personified in the form of a little fairy. This hydrangea fairy appears each night as our narrator is ready to fall asleep and begins nattering incessantly. This disrupts any chance of a full night’s sleep. The consequences are dire; our narrator is visibly wrecked and disheveled.

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Story Reviews

When Your Default Mode is Appeasement. Commentary on Elissa Matthews’s “A Good Man”

Pauline Shen

If you’ve gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelette, then what do you get if you spend your entire life side-stepping eggshells? In Elissa Matthews’s “A Good Man,” the narrator presents this very scenario. We see a man who is known for being, well… good.

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Story Reviews

It’s Not About the Guardrail. Commentary on Desiree Nippard’s “An Early Thaw”

Pauline Shen

In Desiree Nippard’s “An Early Thaw,” the reader witnesses a group of schoolchildren sending lanterns into the sky while playing a send-off tune on recorders. In this ceremony for the deceased, “[y]ou could hear every pause for breath, every off note from the shifting of small fingers as we all allowed the melody to seep into our souls.” (54) This coastal town is grieving, and the narrator reveals the cause with deep sensory descriptions that guide the reader with the right amount of grace and gentleness.

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Story Reviews

Wretched Creature. Commentary on Jennifer Milne’s “Gravy Boat Genie”

Pauline Shen

Writing a story that revolves around an unlikable, nay despicable, protagonist is a bold move. The classic example is Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” However, that protagonist resolves to change by seeing the error of his ways. In Jennifer Milne’s “Gravy Boat Genie,” our protagonist, who serves as narrator, obtains absolution by a different means.

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Interviews

Interview with Garrett Souliere

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Garrett Souliere, Editor/Founder of Quibble Literary Journal. Garrett tells us the story behind Quibble’s founding, describes how the journal has and continues to evolve, and shares inspiring words that every budding writer should know.

When you first founded Quibble, what was the main driving factor that motivated you to launch this independent magazine? 

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Time Management – How to PART THREE

Pauline Shen

How do you manage your time as a freelance writer? PART THREE

In PART ONE of this topic, we established that managing activities is only one part of the equation. In PART TWO, I introduced the crucial element of scheduling in a way that feeds motivation rather than increase the likelihood of burnout. In this post, I’ll describe the final three (out of five total) techniques that work for me at the present time. These are:

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Candid Talks, Nonfiction

Time Management – How to PART TWO

Pauline Shen

How do you manage your time as a freelance writer? PART TWO

In PART ONE of this topic, we established that managing activities is only one part of the equation. What’s crucial is to schedule them in a way that feeds motivation rather than increase the likelihood of burnout. So in this post, I’ll describe the first two of five total techniques that work for me at the present time. If you see something here that you can emulate, great! I hope it works for you as well.

Five techniques that ensure I stay on track with my freelance career:

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