Interview with Danette Haworth, Third Place Winner!

Our Winter 2008 Flash Fiction Contest, sponsored by W. W. Norton, was our first open prompt contest ever, and we received so many fantastic entries! The interesting part was the variety of stories, which brought on a whole new aspect for our guest judges to tackle. But, as the saying goes, "Variety is the spice of life," and Danette's story Intersection is truly remarkable. If you haven't read it already, please do check it out, and then come back and read this fascinating interview with Danette!

Danette Haworth was first published at six-years-old, when she created a comic book series starring Peter Pan. Each comic book featured a green stickboy, a red stickman, and all the hair-raising conflict a six-year-old can conjure up. These marvelous adventures usually ended with a defeated Captain Hook raising his sword, shouting, "I'll get you, Pan!" Danette's mother still has the first edition, so carefully colored and stapled all those years ago.

After earning a BA in English, Danette landed a job as a technical writer, which was a fun position because she got to play in tank simulators and explain to scientists that possessive its does not have an apostrophe. She later worked as a travel writer for a well-known automobile club, one of the best jobs she'd ever held; she read history books, interviewed people on the telephone, looked at travel brochures, and got paid for doing this!

Her middle-grade novel, Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning, is due Fall 2008 with Walker Books for Young Readers.

Visit Danette at her website, www.danettehaworth.com, or her blog, Summer Friend: www.summerfriend.blogspot.com.

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WOW: Danette, I'm thrilled to be interviewing you today. You've always been such a supporter of WOW!, and likewise, we've been a fan of yours! You placed as an honorable mention in our last Winter '07 contest, and I was ecstatic to find out that you won Third Place in our Winter 2008 FF Contest--our biggest contest ever. How did it feel when you first found out you'd won?

Danette: I love WOW! and I'm thrilled to be here! After I got your email, I wanted to throw open my front door and yell, "I'm a winner! I won Third Place!" Instead, I emailed my husband, my sister, my agent, and I called my mom!

WOW: (laughs) Well, you truly deserve the win, and all of us adore your story, Intersection, what inspired you to write it?

Danette: When I saw the open prompt for the Winter 2008 Flash Fiction Contest, I knew I wanted to enter. But what to write? Every single day for a week or so, I thought about it. (A lot of my writing process is just thinking about it.)

One day, I pulled up behind a van with those happy stick figures on the back windshield. I wondered what would happen if the real-life figures weren't so happy. What if the parents got divorced? Suddenly, I got the image of this woman attacking the man stick figure with her fingernails. She scraped him off in skinny little strips, but slivers of him remained on the windshield, as if he'd never be totally out of her life.

I felt there was a story there, but I didn't know what it was. I knew if I stayed with it, I could push it through. After thinking about it for a couple of days, I realized the story wasn't about the woman with the stickers; it was about a woman who observed the woman with the stickers. I began to think of what else this woman might see at the red light and how she might interpret it.

WOW: I love that! It's always interesting to find out how a story is fleshed out, and how perspectives change. I see those white stickers on the backs of cars all the time...especially here in Southern California. Your take on the one (Dad) scratched off is so original, it just drew me into your story. Did you actually experience this yourself?

Danette: I see those stickers everywhere too! I've never seen the dad scratched off, but once I got that image, I saw that there might be more than one reason why a woman couldn't bear to have that sticker on her van.

WOW: It's a great image. And in my opinion, Intersection is the perfect combination of interior monologue, description, and character. The narrator of the story is someone we can all relate to. It seems quite natural, and yet, I know fiction requires countless revisions. Did you do a lot of tinkering with the plot or character to get the story just right?

Danette: Thank you for your compliments on Intersection! I did do a lot of tinkering with the story, but most of the work took place in my head! The stickers were a good starting point, but they weren't enough for the whole piece; the story needed a stronger core. I had to let the idea evolve, which sounds passive, but my mind was totally occupied with the story. I thought about it constantly.

After several days, I had the epiphany about the woman behind the woman with the stickers. This new woman would be the narrator, assigning roles and casting judgment on the other drivers at the intersection. Once I nailed down the central concept, I was able to write the story.

WOW: You did give it a stronger core. The ending is very subtle, understated, and profound. All these different characters and lifestyles come together as they move forward in traffic. How did you decide on the ending?

Danette: It's very fulfilling to me that the ending was meaningful to you--thank you! The first version of the story ended with the narrator wondering why the trucker hadn't looked at her legs. Though I liked that part (because she now observed herself), it didn't provide enough punch, nor did it pull everything together.

Every time I pulled up to a red light, I imagined my narrator doing the same. There is this moment at intersections in which we are held together by the red light; this moment ends with the green light. I saw that as a metaphor for our lives--we cross paths and we move forward together. When I thought about the narrator moving forward with all the people she'd observed, it just felt like the perfect ending.

WOW: Danette, you are a very gifted writer. I remember in October 2007 when you announced the sale of your middle-grade novel, Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning, and we shared it in this blog post. What's happening with it now? Please share a synopsis, and when it will be released with our readers.

Danette: Yes! I am so excited about the upcoming release of Violet Raines Almost Got Struck By Lightning (Walker Books, August 2008). The manuscript has been through copyedits, proofreads, and typesetting. I've seen the advance reading copy and it looks beautiful!

Stacy Cantor, my editor at Walker Books, was absolutely amazing to work with. She connected with the story on every level, and she helped bring out the best in Violet Raines. I could not have asked for a better experience.

Violet Raines is set in the oak-covered hammocks of rural Florida. Here's a short synopsis: Eleven-year-old Violet Raines dodges lightning and outruns alligators while trying to keep the prissy new girl from stealing her best friends.

An here's the first paragraph:

When Eddie B. dared me to walk the net bridge over the Elijah Hatchett River where we'd seen an alligator and another kid got bit by a coral snake, I wasn't scared--I just didn't feel like doing it right then. So that's how come I know just what he's saying when I see him in church, flapping his elbows like someone in here is chicken. When Momma's not looking, I make my evil face at him, but he just laughs and turns the right way in his pew.

The first chapter appears on my website. Come visit! www.danettehaworth.com

WOW: Congratulations Danette! I'm very excited to read your book. So, how are you going to market your book for your big launch?

Danette: I'm new at all of this, so I'm eagerly reading up on what others do to promote their books, and I'm working with Walker's publicist to decide what kind of things would work best for me.

I have visited a couple of classrooms and I can tell you how much fun it was to talk with potential readers! I was touched by the students, who were truly interested in the life of a writer.

WOW: That's the best! I'm sure you were a great inspiration to the students. So, what is your attraction to writing middle-grade novels?

Danette: In middle-grade fiction, you can be completely honest! You can describe emotions in their true state. You don't have to make excuses for your characters' feelings. The readers are reading with open hearts--it means something to them to discover that other people (even fictional people) feel the same way.

Plus, I love the adventures and settings that kids are in. I love spending time in those places. Even when it's my own creation, it's still very real to me.

WOW: Are there any other genres you are considering?

Danette: I'll always have room for flash fiction! Other genres I love reading and would love to write are young adult and literary.

WOW: I can definitely see you going there! Danette, from your bio, I know you've had quite an interesting writing career! From technical writing where you played with tank simulators to travel writing where you interviewed people and studied travel brochures. Both of which sound quite fun. What are your favorite stories from these jobs that you can share with us?

Danette: The thing I loved about both careers was the other creative people I worked with. As a technical writer, I worked closely with artists, a photographer, and computer program designers. I was always impressed with their talents and the format in which they produced their creative vision.

The travel writing was an excellent job all the way around. We had eleven editors on staff and the conversations were so writerly! At lunch, we'd spin our stories, throwing out our big vocabulary words and lofty ideas. Back at the cubicles, we'd debate whether to use a or an before acronyms starting with M. (Vote an!)

WOW: (laughs) My senior editor, Annette, would love those debates! And I would love the technical discussions. Speaking of, you also have a very active blog. In fact, you are my sole inspiration for starting my periodic column on The Muffin, SEO Sundays, which I can't thank you enough for! So, I have to know, what has blogging done for your writing life?

Danette: Thank you for all the wonderful information you provide. Last year, I was new to blogging and websites, and I've learned a lot from your column.

The best thing about blogging is the funny and clever comments other people leave on my blog. I've met many people over the Internet, and I think about them sometimes during my day. When they leave a comment on my blog, I know they were thinking about me too! Visiting blogs and websites for writers makes me feel like I'm in a busy, noisy room, rubbing shoulders with my peers. I love it!

WOW: Comments are fantastic. It makes blogging worthwhile. But, have you ever been hit with writer's block?

Danette: Yes, sooner or later, I think we all get hit with it. The main thing to know about writer's block is that you can push through it. If you feel stymied, set a low, attainable, daily goal for yourself. Strive for quality, of course, but don't edit your words before you even type them. During writer's block, you must keep exercising the writing muscle--keep your writing mind active--and you will get through it.

WOW: Well put. As well as exercising your writing mind, it's important to have a writing schedule. Do you have one?

Danette: I do. I am a very disciplined writer. I report to my computer room at the same time every day; I don't answer the phone or make plans for that time.

I used to think I could just wait for inspiration, but I've found that sticking to a schedule enhances inspiration because I have an expectation to be productive.

WOW: That's super! So, how do you maintain a balance between life and writing?

Danette: I don't know! I'm disciplined about starting my daily writing, but I often have trouble turning it off. I do revisions in my head while sitting in church; when doing chores, I'm off building forts with my characters.

When I'm done with a piece and finally emerge, I feel shocked--what has happened to my house? How did it get into this condition? Isn't this the same T-shirt I was wearing seven years ago?

WOW: (laughs) I hear that! But that's what comes from being so dedicated to the craft. So, if you were to give one tip to flash fiction writers, what would it be?

Danette: Flash fiction is truly an art form. You must convey setting, voice, characterization and a story arc in five hundred words or less. You don't have time for all the wonderful undercurrents you might be able to weave into a short story. Zoom in and discover the kernel or the moment that displays all the facets of the story you want to convey.

Don't be fooled into thinking that because of its short length, you needn't spend much time on a flash. It takes great care to carve something so small.

WOW: That last sentence is a great quote! Thank you, Danette, for taking the time to chat with us today! We've truly enjoyed it. Do you have any parting words of wisdom, or possibly a quote, that you can share with your writing sisters?

Danette: This interview was a lot of fun! I'm honored to be among the writers you've featured.

As far as quotes go, I'm partial to Psalm 90:17:
And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands--yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it.

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If you haven't done so already, please read Danette's award-winning story, Intersection. And remember, every Tuesday we'll be featuring an interview with one of the top 10 winners from the Winter 2008 Flash Fiction Contest. So, be sure to check back and see who's up next!

For more details about the current WOW! Women On Writing Spring Flash Fiction Contest, sponsored by Seal Press, please visit: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php. Last month to enter! Deadline: May 31, 2008

More is Better

A story adapted from Art and Fear, by David Boyles and Ted Orland, goes like this: A ceramics teacher announced on the first day of class that he was dividing everyone into two groups. One group would be graded solely on the quantity of the work produced, and the other group would be graded solely on the quality of their work. To determine their grades, the teacher would bring in a scale on the last day of class and weigh the work of the "quantity" group; the students in the "quality" group would need to produce only one pot--a "perfect" one--to achieve an A.

Can you guess what happened? The works of the highest quality all came from the group being graded for quantity! While the quantity group was busy churning out piles of work, and learning from their mistakes, the quality group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end, had little to show for their efforts.

Likewise, your writing success will come from lots of writing production. Make it your goal to complete more and more pieces of work, and watch the quality of your writing take off.

--MP

A WOW Salute to MOM

By Valerie Fentress


How could we WOW women pass up the opportunity to give a big THANK YOU to all the Moms our there? (By the way today’s mother’s day if you forgot)

I encourage you to take a moment (after you call the mom in your life) to think about the impact of Moms. None of us can escape having one, and each have a unique impact on our lives. No matter if you have the best mom in the world, or never knew her, she made an impact. She pushed and pulled you. Molded and shaped you. In someway made you into the person you are today and the person you will be tomorrow.

Since Moms have such a great impact on us as individual, have you ever thought about what kind of mom your characters have? Consider who Holden Caulfield’s mom was, and what an impact changing her characteristics would have had on Holden’s outlook in Catcher in the Rye. What about Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice? If she’d been a sensible woman would Lydia have run off with the mischievous Mr. Wickham, or have caused such drama between Darcy and Lizzy.

Almost any novel can completely change if you remove or add in a motherly characteristic, and that says a lot about Moms. So let that be an encouragement to the Mom’s out there. Your job is one of the hardest and we would need to celebrate Mother’s Day year round for centuries to truly reward and thank you for the people you have made us. We know it’s not the easiest title to hold, but the impact can last forever.

Do They Get It?

If you live with people who aren't writers, but "get" your writer's lifestyle, consider yourself lucky. If, on the other hand, you're like many writers whose family and significant others don't really get it, you're in the majority.

Do you hand your husband or wife your latest short story to review, a story which took you two months to write, edit and polish to perfection? Do they read it and then say, "That's nice, dear" before going back to the TV/newspaper/garden? Does that make you want to scream, "But reread that fourth paragraph! Look at how skillfully I've used flashback there! And what about how I described the old man? Just look at that!"? Instead of screaming, many of us quietly take our stories, our carefully crafted babies if you will, and look at them with a pride only a parent can feel.

They don't get POV, foreshadowing, a turn of phrase that gives us goosebumps. They don't understand why we huddle over a keyboard that doesn't dole out rewards or praise, or why we'll jump out of bed at 3 o' clock in the morning to jot down sudden inspiration. They can't quite see all of the nuances that separate a mediocre story from a masterpiece. They just don't get it.

But if they're still willing to put up with some of the more well-known writers' idiosyncrasies, if they love you anyway, they can't be all bad.

After all, I don't get why my husband has to visit Home Depot every.single.Saturday.morning either.

More Tips for Finding Time To Write

On one of my past posts, I shared a couple different ways to find time to write besides locking yourself into a room with your computer and letting your family or friends fend for themselves. I suggested exercise to give you more energy and creativity. I also mentioned finding the right time of day for writing. If you are a morning person, try to organize your day, so you do at least some writing in the morning. Here are two more tips that I use to find more time to write. (Of course all of this is out the window if I have a deadline, then I find more time to write by not sleeping and drinking coffee!)



MAKE DEALS WITH YOURSELF
Some of you may make deals with your significant other. “If you wash my car, I’ll cook your dinner.” Or your mom. “I promise I’ll be there for the family reunion if you promise not to ask about my love life.” So, why not with yourself? “If I write three pages of my novel this morning, I’ll watch my favorite reality show tonight.”


I’ve heard some writers say they have written an entire novel by writing one page or even just one paragraph a day. If you follow this plan, in a week, you would have seven more pages or seven more paragraphs than you had before, when you were complaining you didn’t have enough time to write.



Make a bargain—“I will write one page a day, even on Christmas. If I do this for three months, I will reward myself with a game at that expensive golf course.”


Sometimes, I’ll set time limits. If I write for one hour, I’ll take a nap or order an artichoke salad from my favorite Italian restaurant or call my best friend for a gossip chat. It doesn’t have to be an hour; how about twenty minutes?


Write first. Don’t say, “If I just watch this one TV show, then I’ll write for one hour.” Tape the show, finish your article, then reward yourself with the video.

LEARN TO SAY NO
There’s not much explanation to this one. Holly Miller, travel editor for The Saturday Evening Post, said no to anything outside her day job for one year to see if she was ready to make a freelance career. Well, maybe you’re not ready for your only income to be from writing. But you want more creative time, and you know it doesn’t help that you are the Cub Scout leader or president of Jaycees. If these activities are important to you, be a part of them, but try not to be put in charge. Volunteer to help with one Cub Scout field trip or one Jaycee service project instead of being the leader of the whole organization.


Have you ever asked yourself, "What was I thinking when I said I would do that?" If you don’t enjoy a commitment you’ve made, see if you can politely get out of it. Whether it is going to eat with co-workers or helping your neighbors with their annual garage sale, if you don’t find value in it, then explain yourself. What could it hurt? Remember Don Quixote said, “Honesty is the best policy.” Plus, you’ll have time to write an article on how to use tact and get what you want.



If you really are having trouble fitting writing into your life and you love it with all your heart, then look at your life. Can either of these tips help? I hope you'll soon be clicking away at the keyboard.



Happy Writing!
Margo Dill

http://www.margodill.com/


**Portions of this article were previously published in Beginnings Magazine Summer/Fall 2004

Revisiting A Day of Rest

Revisiting A Day Of Rest
by Jill Earl

A day of rest from writing. Back in March, Valerie Fentress’ post encouraged us to incorporate one into our busy lives for the sake of our creative mind. I took her advice to heart, promising to do one soon, which turned into weeks. Too soon, I faced the beginning of April.

The treadmill of activity began to roll. Flying to an out-of-state conference. Writing assignments. A two-day workshop for career changing alumni at my alma mater. Housekeeping tasks. Prepping to speak at another conference. My creative mind groaned.

Suddenly, I fell off the treadmill. Tired and drained, I was sick for a week, and all I could do was rest. When I wasn’t in the bathroom.

There was redemption in all of this, though. I enjoyed time with friends who threw me a surprise party. Laughter really is a great healer. I’ve been reading a couple of books, just because. And I took some long naps.

What’s the takeaway in this? As Valerie said, our bodies need mentally and physical rest. It’s up to us to do whatever we need to do to make that happen. Yes, the things I did were beneficial for my writing career, but I barely had time to breathe. Because I chose to ignore my body’s signals to slow down, it slowed itself down for me.

Your creative mind has to take a break. Let it. Put that day of rest into your schedule. Watch your productivity grow.

Your body will thank you for it.

Finding Inspiration - Part 3

by LuAnn Schindler

Feeling stuck in a rut? Need to generate new ideas? Here are four more ideas for generating new articles or stories.

Checked your snail mail lately? Or even your junk email folder? I usually toss the junk mail I receive, but a pink flier advertising a new workout gym for ladies only caught my eye once. A short company profile for a local newspaper netted $50.

I like to clip articles and collect brochures that catch my attention and place them in a 3-ring binder. I even sort them into categories. About every six months I go through the file and see if any spark ignites and guides me toward a new article. Sometimes, I save the "weird" or "bizarre" news stories and later use them to practice my short story skills. An article of this type led to an idea for a poem and I earned $75 (12 lines and about 30 minutes of writing)!

As a former teacher, I truly enjoy the classroom experience and learning. Consider classes or hobbies that interest you. Turn those experiences into money-making articles. Even seminars you've attended for a 9-5 job can be developed into an article. I took information I learned about financial aid and divorced parents at a meeting for guidance counselors and turned it into a quick sale.

I'm also magazine junkie. Flipping through past issues gets my mind racing! When I first started freelancing, I perused the pages of back issues of a regional magazine I wanted to break into. Studying market trends and story ideas was a good lesson in editorial design. Take a look through periodicals where you want to see your writing published. Familiarize yourself with story length, topics, and audience appeal. I knew I had a good story about a comic book collection, and after scanning the magazine, I submitted an article and photos. It was my first major sale.

Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. You just need to keep your mind open to the possibilities and a notebook and pen close at hand.