Tag: Writing Community

Interviews

Interview with Anne Wilkins

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from the delightful Anne Wilkins, contest-winning writer of science fiction and horror, based out of New Zealand. Anne shares her experience with writing contests, anthologies, and persisting past letters of decline. Anne also opens up on the personal side of balancing writing with life events, family, and career decisions.

Anne, you’ve got heaps of writing achievements! Multiple contest awards, several runner-up spots and honorable mentions, and an ever-growing list of publications. How long have you been writing and what made you decide to enter competitions?

Oh wow, that’s so kind of you to say because I still very much feel like a beginner. I was that kid that loved creative writing in school, from primary right through to high school, but by the time I got to university there was no time for it. All I ended up doing at university was essays, most of them very boring (Land Law — I’m looking at you). Then fast forward to a career where I was a family lawyer, and I was kind of writing stories, but true ones, in affidavit form.

When I had children, I think I finally had the time and the head space to write creatively again. Most of my beginning stories were written for my children, stories about cats, fairies, witches. I realised how much I missed that creative side of my life — the joy you get from coming up with an idea, and transforming it into a story for someone to read.

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Story Reviews

Withheld. Commentary on Lisa Ferranti’s “The Eulogy Competition”

Pauline Shen

Meet our narrator, “I’m the youngest, nicknamed Flaky Suzy.” She’s one of three siblings and has just lost her mother. Someone’s got to write the eulogy. “Three days before her funeral,” we learn, “in an uncharacteristic act of democracy, Dad tells the three of us to decide who will deliver the eulogy.” And so, here we have the portrait of a family, each member with his or her own disposition and traits, and to each a unique set of memories surrounding mom’s life that intersect with family dynamics. Suzy’s narration, however, includes not just her unique take, but a hidden strand of events.

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Interviews

Interview with Galen Gower

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’re hearing from Galen Gower, writer and founder of Toad Shade Zine based in Memphis TN. Galen tells us about his creative process, shares his wisdom on incorporating feedback to develop as a creative writer, and gives us a sneak peek at an upcoming publishing venture.

Galen, you’ve started a Zine! What inspired you to launch the independent magazine, Toad Shade Zine? Tell us how it’s been going so far.

I literally decided I wanted to do a zine, bought the domain, blundered through making the website, and started sharing the submission call all in about three hours. I started out not telling anyone it was me doing it in case I really pet the rabbit with it, but it turned out pretty well.

I mentioned this in the second submission call, but the world really is full of things because people decide to do them and decide not to let fear or common sense stop them. I’ve never let not knowing what I’m doing stop me. Sometimes the results are disastrous, of course, but I’d rather go down swinging, you know?

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Candid Talks, Writing

Why Participate in Writing Contests?

Pauline Shen

You many have noticed that there are a lot of writing contests. You can find lists of upcoming ones in places like Dreamers Magazine or the Funds for Writers website. Some magazines, like Blank Spaces, run a regular quarterly write prompt contest. Many literary journals will simply run a contest for the purpose of fundraising and/or as a method to boost publicity for the volunteer judge(s). There are even third-parties, such as Writing Battle, that specialize in supporting emerging and established writers with very specific prompt-driven, time-limited tournaments.

Each one of these contests is unique in how it handles theme, prompts, judging, awarding “prizes,” and so forth. Entering your work in a writing contest can be beneficial. Depending on the individual contest, you can make great strides by getting involved. Here’s what I mean:

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Interviews

Interview with S.A. McNaughton

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll hear from S.A. McNaughton, author of short stories and flash fiction from Ypsilanti, Michigan. McNaughton tells us how she manages her writing schedule, lists the many benefits of participating in writing contests, and tells us about the surprising social aspect of joining a community of writers.

You work a full-time administrative job while raising a preschooler at home. How do you arrange time for writing?

A very good question! It’s not easy, and it’s one of the reasons that I’ve found short fiction competitions to be a good fit for me. Many of them take place over weekends, and my very supportive husband is very good about giving me time to write.

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Interviews

Interview with Cheryl Kramarczyk

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Cheryl Kramarczyk, Chicago-based romance author, wife & homeschooler mom, and hospital lab tech. Cheryl outlines her motivation for writing romance, tells us how she got into self-publishing, and shares what it’s like to navigate the draft-to-published process.

Cheryl, what motivated you to begin writing romance stories? How did the happy ending become the go-to choice for all your stories?

Romance was a must from the start. My parents divorced when I was twelve and I longed for a happy ending—for my parents and for my sister and me.

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Interviews

Interview with Jordan Blum

Pauline Shen

Jordan Blum, founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, holds an MFA in fiction and teaches composition at several colleges/universities. He’s published creative and/or scholarly pieces in several magazines, journals, and collections. Beyond that, he’s a former Features Editor at PopMatters and a past or present contributor to Grammy.com, Metal Injection, PROG, Consequence, WhatCulture, Loudwire, The Prog Report, and Kerrang! Finally, his three books (On Track: Jethro Tull, On Track: Opeth, and On Track: Dream Theater), were published by Sonicbond Publishing.

Jordan, you’re the Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review. What has been the most surprising thing about managing this online magazine?

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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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