“While such a story can sometimes be grasped in a flash of understanding, creating that flash piece can’t usually be done in a flash.” ~~Pamelyn Casto
Take It Apart to Find Out What Made It Work
An interview with Pamelyn Casto by B. Lynn Goodwin
Note from the Editor: Many of the principles behind both flash fiction and flash memoir are the same. This interview can help you shape and polish your story and if you’re entering either our flash memoir or fiction contest, it might help you improve your entry. You can read our review of Flash Fiction: Alive in the Flicker here. Scroll down.
BLG: Tell us a bit about your writing background and how you got so deeply involved in Flash Fiction.
PC: Years ago, I fell in love with poetry and prose poetry, enjoyed and studied them both. Then I heard about flash fiction, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I ran some online flash fiction critique workshops, and then, around 1998, an editor asked me to write an essay on flash fiction. I got busy, did tons of research, and the essay proved to be quite popular—it was one of the earliest online essays on flash fiction. See it here. I’ve also taught online courses in flash fiction (and haibun). So, since day one, I’ve been heavily involved in flash literature. Enough, even, to write my book on the topic: Flash Fiction: Alive in the Flicker, A Portable Workshop. See it here.
BLG: On p. 62 you begin an insightful section called “Turn Your Anecdotes into Flash Fiction.” When a writer is editing her/his work, what are a couple of questions they should ask to determine if they’ve written flash or an anecdote?
PC: I’m proud to say my essay was originally published in Writer’s Digest. I think the main question would be, “Did I put my ‘I’ out?” Did I remove the personal “I” experience and replace it with a more carefully formed story with meaning? When we write a true story or tell a personal anecdote, we tend to stick to the facts of the situation. But when we switch to fiction, we’re no longer locked into the exact facts of what might have actually happened to us. In making the change, we can remove unnecessary information so that the result can be a sharper, more focused, and more meaningful piece of writing. The characters and situations can become more “alive” in the fictional story. In other words, changing a personal anecdote into fiction can endow experience with enhanced meaning, or a different sort of meaning.
BLG: Any idea what inspired the many exercises in the book and how long did it take you to accumulate this wonderful collection of them?
PC: As I mentioned earlier, I was a moderator for various online flash fiction critique groups for well over fifteen years. In fact, one of my online critique workshops focused solely on flash fiction exercises and prompts. Through these workshops, I created and gathered many that I include in my book. I also taught online flash fiction courses for about ten years, and for those, I provided them as well. I’ve been coming up with prompts and exercises since day one.
BLG: Which exercises in the book have been most productive for you as a writer and teacher?
PC: I love experimenting with and retelling ancient myths. I’m working on a collection of the flash fiction and prose poem myths I’ve created or retold over the years, and hope to market that collection soon. I also enjoy exploring and experimenting with points of view. For an example of one of my recent points of view explorations, see my story “SOS, Someone Said” here. I’m presently exploring the five moods or modes of English grammar: interrogative, subjective, imperative, indicative, and exclamatory, and how these modes or moods also apply to flash fiction. For my most recent exploration of modes, see my analysis of Franz Kafka’s “Up in the Gallery” here
BLG: How does a writer know what to include in flash fiction and what to leave out to create a sense of mystery or open-endedness?
PC: That’s tough to answer. I think it comes mostly from closely studying good flash fiction. When I find a piece that’s outstanding, I take it apart to try to find what made it exceptional. I explore and study the piece to see what I might learn from it. From exploring stories in this way, a writer can develop a much sharper sense of what to include and what to leave out. Plus, a lot also depends on whether the story leans toward mainstream or literary fiction
BLG: What can those who write genre fiction, creative, or academic work learn from your book?
PC: I think most can learn from my book. It includes information on several anthologies of flash fiction and anthologies of flash creative nonfiction, and it contains tips on effective writing from the various editors of those anthologies. Plus, I include links to various outstanding flash literature pieces. Academics will likely appreciate my extensive history of flash literature.
BLG: What are some of the best places to publish flash fiction and flash non-fiction?
PC: My book contains several market recommendations. My Flash Fiction Flash Newsletter provides many more—markets that pay, that don’t pay, flash literature contests, deadlines, and more. It’s free, published every other month, and distributed via email. To subscribe, just send a blank subject header email to FlashFictionFlash+Subscribe@groups.io (be sure to include the plus sign before “subscribe” in the address). Or go here and follow the instructions. You’ll find great markets in both my book and my newsletter.
BLG: Where can we find samples of your favorite flashes?
PC: I am Senior Associate Editor at OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, where I do a series of essays called “A Close Reading.” This series contains analyses of some of my favorite flash fiction and prose poetry pieces. In that series, I explore what makes each piece stand out. You can see those essays here.
In addition, I’ve interviewed several flash fiction and prose poetry editors and writers through O:JA&L’s “Masters Series.” This free, online series of chapbooks includes my interviews, along with sample stories and craft essays from the featured writers. The featured writers thus far are Maxine Chernoff, Michael Martone, Peter Conners, Ray Gonzalez, Roberta Allen, Brian Clements, Pedro Ponce, and Mark Budman. Soon to be featured in the series are Tom Hazuka and Bruce Holland Rogers. Any writer can learn a lot from reading the chapbooks in this in-depth series. See that work here.
BLG: What else would you like readers to know and where can we learn more about you?
PC: Mainly, I’d like readers and writers to know that writing flash fiction isn’t easy. While such a story can sometimes be grasped in a flash of understanding, creating that flash piece can’t usually be done in a flash. It’s worthwhile to study the various types of flash fiction in order to be equipped with the strongest possibilities for our own work.
BLG: Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us. I’m still enjoying the exercises in your book.
You can learn more about flash fiction expert Pamelyn Casto at https://pamelyncasto.weebly.com
Leave a Reply