Category: Nancy Stohlman

Nancy Stohlman, Writing Prompts & Craft Articles

Bribing the Muse: On Your Mark, Get Set…

Nancy Stohlman

Sometimes our stories fall flat, without that “pop” of tension. One great way to create urgency in a flash fiction story is by using another constraint: Time.

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For almost a decade now, all my college classes have begun with a 10-minute timed writing. Timed writing is nothing new. We know that it helps us transition us into the writing space, like stretching before a workout. We know that it forces us to stay present and dig deeper—writing past where we might have naturally given up. And we know that keeping the pen moving quickly, without crossing things out or rereading, is a great way to evade the internal critic and uncover fresh ideas.

But I discovered something else through years of this practice: 10 minutes of writing without stopping is also the perfect amount of time to draft a flash fiction story idea from start to finish.

It makes sense: Flash fiction is defined by a (word) constraint, so why not create under a time constraint? Having that clock ticking while you furiously try to reach the end of an idea gives the piece a natural sense of urgency. And writing from the beginning to the end in one sitting also creates a sense of continuity—we see the end coming as we embark on the journey.

I do most of my timed writings longhand, scribbling. But it works with typing as well. And you can use a timed writing in many ways. For instance, you can:

  • Set the timer while writing to a prompt.
  • Set the timer when you’re feeling stuck and don’t know what to write about.
  • Set the timer and rewrite a “flat” story from scratch while the clock chases you to the finish line (my favorite)

And as a daily practice it’s even better.

Besides, you can do anything for 10 mins, right?

Regardless of how you use it, a 10-minute burst of writing can break you through resistance and lethargy. And creating something to push against allows inspiration to bulge and balloon in interesting and unexpected ways.

~Nancy

(How did it work for you? Share in the comments below!)

Interviews, Nancy Stohlman

Gorgeous, Fast, Heartbreaking: A Flash Fiction Conversation with Chelsea Voulgares

Nancy Stohlman

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We are delighted that Chelsea Voulgares will be traveling from Chicago to Colorado this August for our first Flash Fiction Retreat! So happy to welcome you to the Rocky Mountains, Chelsea!

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?

Chelsea Voulgares: It’s difficult sometimes to find the time and energy to write. I have a nine to five administrative job, but I’m very lucky to have my own office at home. My partner Rob and I bought a cute Chicago-style bungalow two years ago, and I was able to claim one of the small bedrooms on the first floor for myself. I spend a lot of time in there on the weekends, and each weeknight I try to write for at least an hour, right when I get home from my day job. I also try to use a few lunch hours per week to write. A closed door and some earplugs, that’s my retreat most of the time, and it’s usually pretty effective.

Nancy: Yes–being able to close the door to your own writing space is so important! Tell us about your relationship with flash fiction?

Chelsea: I started reading flash regularly after Amelia Gray published her amazing collection Gutshot. I think I’d written a few micros before that. Once I read that book, I started following the online magazines that publish flash, places like Corium and Cheap Pop, and quickly realized it was a genre with a lot of energy. A big group of extremely talented writers were crafting these gorgeous, fast, heartbreaking pieces. I read more, started trying to replicate what I saw, and then began sending out my own short-shorts. My first published piece of fiction ever was a micro-fiction I placed in Literary Orphans.

Nancy: I love Literary Orphans! What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?

Chelsea: A few years ago I attended an Anthony Doerr lecture at the Tin House Summer Workshop, where he discussed something he called “Two Placed-ness.” I’m going to butcher this, but his idea was that the most interesting stories always occupy two spots of space-time. So, for example, the main character is eating a sandwich in the present, but she’s also remembering how her mom always put pickles on peanut butter sandwiches when she was growing up. Those two moments exist together in the story. That idea of “two placed-ness” really cracked fiction writing open for me.

Nancy: Wow, I love that idea of “two-placed-ness.” What piece of your own writing are you most proud of and where can we read it (if it’s available)?

Chelsea: I have the most fun writing work that has a silly or humorous side. I’m really proud of a piece I wrote in another of Kathy’s workshops called “Berta.” It’s about a teenager who works in a Halloween-themed ice cream shop with her sister, with whom she’s fighting. The shop’s mascot is the titular “Berta.” You can read the piece online at Bad Pony magazine.

Nancy: React to this quote:  “This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” ~ Alan W. Watts

Chelsea: Wow. I feel like I could learn a lot from Mr. Watts. I’m constantly distracted, not zen at all. I recently began writing longhand—that helps immensely with direct engagement, but I tend to approach everything very seriously, as if it’s all work. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy writing—I love it—but I tend to be very rigid with it. Not very playful.

Nancy: Oh I’m happy to introduce you to Alan Watts! I put a video at the end in case you want more. Now tell us something we don’t know about you?

Chelsea: A lot of people may already know this, but I love love love horror movies. My favorites are Alien, this indie horror film called Teeth, and the original Halloween.

Nancy: Anything else you want to add? 

Chelsea: Yes! Two things, actually.

First, I run a literary magazine called Lost Balloon that publishes fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry of 1,000 words and under. I’m always looking for submissions by talented flash writers. We have an open submission period the first week of every month, and our guidelines are on the website.

I also have a chapbook-length manuscript of flash fiction, and I’m looking for a publisher. It placed as a top-five finalist this year in the Gold Line Press Fiction Chapbook contest, and a different manuscript of mine (with a few of the stories from the current book) placed as Runner-Up in last year’s chapbook contest from Split Lip Press.

Nancy: Congratulations, Chelsea! Here’s wishing you success finding the right publisher and everyone check out Lost Balloon!

Chelsea Voulgares grew up in a Rust Belt town in Ohio, trapping lightning bugs and singing in the show choir. Now she lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where she edits the literary journal Lost Balloon. Her fiction has appeared recently in Passages North, JMWW Journal, Bad Pony, and Jellyfish Review. You can find her online at www.chelseavoulgares.com or on Twitter @chelsvoulgares.

NOTE: Want to join us on a Flash Fiction Retreat? Colorado is sold out but check out COSTA RICA and ITALY Retreats!

 

Nancy Stohlman

A Flash-Fiction Roundtable: Short but Never Small, featuring Nancy Stohlman

Kathy Fish

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“Flash fiction arrived for me in 2007 as I was writing my third novel, agonizing over it like a relationship you really really want to work out, dammit! It was during my MFA at Naropa University—I took a flash fiction class with Barbara Henning, and after so many years of writing more—talk more about this, give more description here, more backstory here, explain this more—it was such a relief to write less. I feel like flash fiction saved me from writing all those novels. Because I never really wanted to say all that other stuff anyway. Six months later I co-founded Fast Forward Press…I read hundreds of submissions and I started to lean into flash with my body, listening for my own voice to emerge.” ~ Nancy Stohlman

Terrific discussion of all things flash fiction at The Millions, featuring Nancy along with Tara Masih, Grant Faulkner, and Lynn Mundell. Read the rest here: Flash Fiction Roundtable at The Millions

Interviews, Kathy fish, Nancy Stohlman

On Returning to My First Love: “Words.” A Conversation with Traci Mullins

Nancy Stohlman

Photo - Traci Mullins

We’re so excited that Traci Mullins is going to be joining us in Costa Rica this coming January! Here Traci talks candidly about honoring the 8-year-old little girl inside of her that loved to play with words and how she is finally allowing HER to take the lead again.

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?

Traci Mullins: ​I have a taxing day job, so this is definitely a challenge. ​In order to stay on task as a self-employed person, I have to set office hours and stick to them lest I give in to the temptation to goof off all day! Therefore, writing in the mornings, as many people do, doesn’t work for me. Evenings are usually family time, so I’ve been setting aside an hour or two at the end of my workday to change environments (usually to a coffee shop) and give dedicated attention to my writing. I have to admit I don’t always  write, but I at least do something related to writing, whether it’s taking an on-line class, reading others’ writing, or brainstorming story ideas. At this point, only a few months into writing my own stories, I’m trying not to be too black and white by telling myself that only the time I’m producing is “real” writing time. For me, anything I can do to fuel my creativity counts and will hopefully pay off over the long haul.
Nancy: Tell us about your relationship with flash fiction?
Traci: ​I stumbled upon this genre in January, quite by accident, when I was poking around on the internet, looking for fiction writing resources. I help other people write books for a living, so unfortunately I abandoned my own creative writing efforts decades ago. Over Christmas I had a slow period at work and decided that it was time to reengage the young girl in me who loved to write little stories. When I read about Flash, it seemed like a perfect place to start because it didn’t intimidate me like writing something longer did. I’ve since discovered that it’s more challenging than I anticipated, but I love it! I like taking one moment or event and unpacking it with just the right amount of detail, and I especially like being able to finish a story fairly quickly. Certainly not every story I write is good, but once in a while I come up with something that makes me happy, the way writing stories did when I was a child.
 
Nancy: What is the best piece of writing advice you ever received?
Traci: I’d like to say that I follow the advice I hear most often: “Write something every day.” But I actually value most what I read in your interview with Gay Degani (thank you, Gay!): “You are what you believe in, where you’ve been, what you’ve seen, what’s hurt you, what’s made you stronger.” I have tried using other people’s writing prompts, but the stories I’m most pleased with are those that feel authentically mine. So I try to dig into my own life and trust that there are story seeds to be found. Coming up with story ideas is by far my greatest challenge as a writer, so I have to practice patience and hone my skill at listening to my own life and heart.
 
Nancy: What piece of your own writing are you most proud of? Where can we read it (if it’s available)?
Traci: ​Since I only started writing a few months ago, I don’t have a lot to show for myself–haha! But the first two stories I submitted did get accepted​, at Flash Fiction Magazine. The first, called “Saved,” was posted on line on 3/10/18. READ IT HERE
The one that means the most to me, however, is “Animal Pancakes,” and they haven’t given me the publication date for that one yet.
Nancy: React to this quote: “Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”–Diane Ackerman
 
​​Traci: You couldn’t have given me a better quote to ponder because the ONLY reason I started writing again was to honor the 8-year-old in me who used to write prolifically, as pure play. I still have all the stories I wrote back then. It saddens me that I abandoned that girl, for many different reasons, so as I begin to pick up the pen again, it’s critical that I honor her and allow her to lead the way. As a professional non-fiction writer, it’s hard not to take everything I write seriously; but I am committed to creating space for the young creative in me to experiment and goof off with words, which have always been my favorite playthings. As I’ve been doing this over the past few months, I have indeed learned a lot about the craft, but that is a secondary benefit.
Nancy: Tell us something we don’t know about you?
Traci: I have helped hundreds of authors write books, doing a lot of writing as well as being published myself in the process, but writing fiction requires a completely new type of risk. Going from expert to novice is scary, but with the support of other writers I hope to create a safe space for my own creativity to be nurtured.
A random fact: at age 45, I went to nursing school and practiced as an oncology and hospice nurse until recently, when I returned to my first love: words.
 
Traci Mullins has more than three decades of experience in coaching, editing, book doctoring, and collaborating on hundreds of non-fiction books, helping authors and speakers to formulate and convey messages close to their hearts in an accessible and compelling style. She has helped launch the careers of many first-time writers as well as developed long-term coaching relationships with veterans of the trade. She specializes in developing titles on topics of spirituality, psychology, relationships, health & wellness, and memoir and considers it a privilege to shepherd authors through the concept-shaping and writing process.  For more detailed information on her projects, see her profile on LinkedIn.
Interviews, Kathy fish, Nancy Stohlman, Uncategorized

“Free and Rebellious”–Jan Saenz on the Art of Flash Fiction and Collecting Weird Objects

Nancy Stohlman

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:

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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