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“Free and Rebellious”–Jan Saenz on the Art of Flash Fiction and Collecting Weird Objects
Kathy Fish and I are thrilled that Jan Saenz will be traveling to Colorado this August to retreat with us! I chatted with Jan about writing, flash fiction, and collecting weird objects:
Nancy Stohlman: The biggest challenge most writers have is finding the time to write. How do you “retreat” in your day-to-day life in order to honor your creativity?
Jan Saenz: It used to be so easy. I’d put the kids to bed, kiss the husband goodnight, sit on the couch and write like mad. The night would disappear and before I knew it, the sun was up and I was driving the kids to school in a stale, zombie state of mind. Those were the days.
I don’t know if it’s age or pressure or what, but nowadays retreating involves so much more premeditation. Literally. I have to sit and stew before I write. Coffee is a much. Quiet helps. I see writers in coffee shops on their laptops and I’m like, How are they doing that? And how do they manage to look cool while doing it? I look like a psychopath when I write. I talk to myself. I suppose that’s my most common retreat, mentally playing out scenes throughout the day. Listening to the flow of dialogue, saying it aloud. It’s looney.
Nancy: Tell us about your relationship with flash fiction?
Jan: I was a crap student in school. Slow reader. Bad speller. Creative writing was something I could do, but was never encouraged to do. I don’t remember teachers or professors ever saying, “Be brave! Forget the rules, ignore standards—write like you are in a dream.” Maybe that’s why I like flash. It feels free and rebellious. And the limited word count has a way of making the story feel almost dream-like. There’s a real art to it. I like working in the attitude of flash. Do what you want, but be picky about it. Say it all, but be brief. I love Puberty by Kat Gonso. V-Card by Meghan Phillips. The Hollow by Kathy Fish. That’s just a few.
Nancy: What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
Jan: “Write the book you want to read.” It’s a common quote, but for good reason. I went through a (miserable) phase about two years ago. For some reason, I could not write anything without first considering what a reader would want. I would change certain details in my stories so they would be more “acceptable” to a wider audience. I cut curse words. Toned down sex scenes. Worried about female likability. That shit did nothing but kill my writing. Nowadays, I try to focus more on editing the execution, not the personal taste. Because the taste is mine. Haha.
Nancy: What piece of your own writing are you most proud of? Where can we read it (if it’s available)?
Jan: Paper Darts recently published one of my pieces. It’s the weirdest, coolest feeling when editors you greatly admire come back and say, “Hey, I really liked this.” Like, wait what? You get so used to rejection, acceptance starts to feel foreign. You can read it here:
Nancy: React to this quote by Frank Capra: “A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”
Jan: I think most artists have a certain intuition when it comes to their craft. When inspiration pops up, they automatically recognize it. They study it. Obsess over it. And if they’re lucky, they’re able to follow through with it. Make it into something special. But there’s got to be a back-up plan, you know? I can’t sit around waiting for “hunches” or creative intuition to set in. I’ve got to live my life and experience things outside of writing. Otherwise my work suffers. It doesn’t evolve.
Nancy: Tell us something we don’t know about you?
Jan: I collect things. It’s weirdly therapeutic. Chess boards. Religious items. Afghan blankets. Old photographs of horses. Teeth. The list goes on, and yes it gets weirder. My best friend and I are really passionate about aesthetics in homemaking…that sounds so pretentious, but I swear we’re just giggly moms who geek-out at Goodwill. We have an IG account called Hoardhouse Vintage. If you like eclectic home decorating, check it out:
Jan Saenz is a writer and serial thrift shopper. She has work in Paper Darts, Bending Genres, and is currently working on her third novel, a dark comedy about amateur drug dealers and the female orgasm. She has a doctorate in useless pop-culture facts. For more information, visit www.jansaenz.com or follow @jan_saenz
Interrogating Your Scenes: A Revision Exercise
According to Jordan Rosenfeld, author of the wonderful Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time :
“Scenes are capsules in which compelling characters undertake significant actions in a vivid and memorable way that allows the events to feel as though they are happening in real time.”
As a storytelling unit, your scenes must work. The following is a revision exercise aimed at honing your scenes and “keeping them honest.”
Go back and read a story or flash that is still in early draft phase. Locate ONE scene that you’d like to make more powerful or effective. In flash fiction that one scene may actually be your entire story (and note that a single scene does NOT a flash make unless it has some larger significance or resonance beyond the confines of that scene).
It’s often extremely useful to read a scene aloud so that you can “hear” where it falters.
Now ask the following questions of your scene:
Does the scene capture your reader’s attention?
Is the scene played out dramatically, i.e. with action and dialogue, perhaps in a new setting? You need to provide your reader with an experience, not a lecture.
Could more sensory detail be included to bring the reader into the scene? Do we have a sense of the characters inhabiting a specific space? (avoid “talking heads” syndrome)
What is the most important piece of information that needs to be revealed in this scene? How is the story moved along? (i.e., does the scene create movement in the story, however subtle?)
What does your character want at the beginning of this scene? Think of this as the scene’s “engine.”
Is there any complication or trouble in this scene? If not, add some!
And how does your character respond to this complication or trouble? This is a great way to show us who she is.
Look at the end of the scene. Does your reader now know more about the characters? Is she compelled to keep reading?
Could the dialogue be made sharper? Try cutting way back and see what it does for your scene. Avoid “ping pong” dialogue where every question is answered and it feels more like an interview than a conversation. Ruthlessly cut any “chatty” dialogue that doesn’t move the scene.
Are you making use of subtext? Using body language? Is there anything interestingly strange or out of place here? Sometimes adding an unexpected detail enlivens a scene and primes your brain to think outside the box.
Finally, see what happens to the overall story if you cut the scene entirely. Remember flash fiction writers: Interesting things can happen in the white space!
~Kathy
Max Hipp on Writing, Retreating, and “Getting Messy”
Hi Max! You will be joining Nancy & me for Create in Costa Rica in January. Thanks! We’re so excited for this retreat. What, if any, has been your writing workshop/retreat experience in the past? How do you find ways to honor your writing in your day-to-day life?
I did a Barrelhouse Writer Camp last summer in rural PA (Barrelhouse does great work for writing culture—not only do they publish a journal and many books, they also offer a grant for up-and-coming lit journals!). A creek ran through the property and we’d all get together, a few dozen writers and editors, to eat dinner and watch a terrible movie. I was able to get a lot done.
I make time for writing every day, at least a couple of hours. If I can’t do that, if I don’t have time to even sit down, I’ll write things on my phone. Even if it’s just a paragraph or an idea.
Respond to this quote by Brenda Ueland: “So you see, imagination needs moodling – long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.”
This is from one of the four million books on writing I’ve read that I wish I owned. Of course I agree. Personally I’m trying to spend less time “dawdling and puttering” so more of it has an end result.
What is your favorite story that you yourself have written (“favorite” doesn’t have to mean “best” or more successful or whatever). And why is it your favorite?
The truth is my favorite piece is whatever I’m working on. I’ve got a few new things bouncing around, though, that I think are pretty good. Even though nobody has taken them yet, the rejections from journals have been complimentary and specific rather than boilerplate, so that’s somewhat encouraging.
Tell us something we don’t know about you that you are happy to share. AND/OR What are you most looking forward to in the upcoming retreat in Costa Rica?
I write songs, short stories, flashes, and aborted novels. I used to compartmentalize the forms because I was thinking they should all be made so differently. Now I get messy and let them leak all over each other.
I’m looking forward to a community of writers in a new place. It helps so much to read works in progress with other writers and editors–people who are great readers–and just talk about what you’re making.
I love what you say about allowing different forms to “leak all over each other.” And I agree wholeheartedly about the value of community for writers! Max, thanks for taking the time to chat. Nancy and I look forward to creating in Costa Rica with you!
NOTE: A few spots remain for Create in Costa Rica in January! Join us!
Bio: Max Hipp is a teacher and writer living in Mississippi. His work has appeared in Black Warrior Review, New World Writing, Unbroken Journal, and Five 2 One. Follow him on Twitter: @maximumevil
Flashback: 30 Flash Fiction Prompts from FlashNano Year One
The year was 2012.
The Mayan calendar was ending.
We were all preparing to die.
And FlashNano was born.
FlashNano, flash fiction’s answer to NaNoWriMo in November, challenges writers to write 30 flash fiction stories in 30 days.
Can’t wait until November? Try one of these flash fiction prompts from Year One:
1: Write a story in which something transforms into something else.
2: Write a true story that is so ___________(insert adjective here) that no one would believe it’s true. But it is.
3: Find a story you’ve written that isn’t quite working. Chop it down to exactly 100 words. Give it a new title.
4: Write a story that is based in or uses elements of mythology–any mythology from any culture or time period.
5: Bibliomancy–open the dictionary to any random page, place your finger on any random word and poof! That is the title (or part of the title) of your next story.
6: Write a story from the point of view of someone much older than you.
7: Write a story about or featuring a body part. (Heads out of the gutters, people, there are other body parts!)
8: Write a secret, preferably one you think no one could relate to.
9: Write a story in which something important is lost.
10: Use a dream or pieces of a dream to create a surreal, alter-reality story.
11: Find a story of yours that’s not quite working. WITHOUT rereading it (this is key), rewrite it from scratch, letting it morph as necessary. Then compare the two and blend to taste.
12: Write a story that begins with, and consists mostly of, dialogue.
13: Write a story that deals with or includes some aspect of a taboo.
14: Write a story that has happened to you but write it from another person’s point of view.
15: Write a story that’s happened to someone else, but write it as if it happened to you.
16: Write a story that involves a reoccurring and/or deep dark fear.
17: Write a story that has some reference to a current event.
18: Write a story that involves an animal.
19: Write a story in which you “spill the beans”. Disguise as necessary.
20: Write a story that takes place in an empty landscape.
21: Rewrite a scene from history.
22: Write a story that involves time travel.
23: Write a story that contains at least three of these elements: body lice, gasoline, a Hostess product, a childhood hero, an outdated slang expression, a song title or your favorite flavor.
24: Write a story that contains elements of a real holiday memory.
25: Write a story that takes place over breakfast.
26: Write a story that includes a humiliation, real or invented.
27: Write a story that involves a celebrity.
28: Write a story in which the impossible is now possible.
29: Revisit a story you’ve written. Count the words. Now reduce the word count by half.
30: Write a story with a theme of “The End.”
Happy Writing!
(P.S. Want to join FlashNano in November? Get on the mailing list here)
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