A MicroZine Interview w/Daniel O'Donnell
6 Questions on Microfiction
is consistently delivering microfiction. He writes .
1. When did you first start writing microfiction?
I had to go back and look. It was last September. I've only been on Substack for about 16 months and was originally writing articles about movies (which I still do) but, after being inspired by what I read on Substack, I wrote my first short story in over 20 years and through some of the brilliant writers that I subscribe to, like
, and , I came across the term "microfiction" which was intriguing and it really seemed to tie in with the types of stories I wanted to tell so I went from there. Sorry if that was a bit of a rambling answer!2. What kind of microfiction do you write? Any specific length or genre? How often?
It's either 50 or 100 words. Mostly I'll stick to fantasy, science fiction and horror but sometimes I will write just a "normal" story as I've said jokingly in the past. However, the above 3 genres are really what I'm interested in, and I have some recurring characters that pop up in my stories from time to time. I try to stick to at least one story a week. Otherwise I tend to get a bit grumpy because I'm not writing!
3. Describe your microfiction writing process.
I wish I had a process! Like all other writers I can be inspired by the most mundane or unusual thing that lights the spark to my next story. Also, the folks I mentioned above also provide writing prompts which are invaluable to get your mind going. I've seen some quite snooty opinions on Substack that microfiction isn't "real" writing because it's so easy to do, which couldn't be further from the truth. It's a real challenge to get across the emotion and imagery you're looking for in such a short form. I'll write an initial draft which will be too long and then I'll whittle it down to the required length and then it's about choosing the right words that will have the most impact. That can take days to get it perfect. Or, sometimes, it can actually just take just a matter of hours. When that happens, its almost like the story is fully formed in my mind and is just impatiently waiting for idiot me to sit down and type it out. Those are the ones I really enjoy. Oh well, seems like I might actually have a process after all!
4. Have you ever submitted your microfiction to a contest or publication before? If so, why and where? If not, why not?
I've submitted stories to the wonderful
that runs here on Substack. Brian does a great job and it really is a brilliant way to highlight writers and recognise some of the great work they do. However, the feedback that I get from my subscribers is so kind and generous that it's more than enough recognition for me. The thought that anyone else would want to read my stuff always freaks me out a wee bit, so for them to do that, and tell me they enjoyed it is more than I could ever have imagined.5. What advice would you give someone who is on the fence about writing microfiction?
Just go for it! It's challenging but a lot of fun.
6. Share either your favorite piece or most recent microfiction that you’ve written.
Well, that really is a difficult question. However, this is a story I wrote called "Home" from a prompt by Justin Deming about the sense of smell and it means a lot to me and seems to have resonated with my readers so here we go : -
"He bathed in the river.
Dark blood flowed downstream.
Tumbling, foaming current cleansing wound and spirit.
Faye stood on the bank holding little Geirmund.
The weary warrior climbed from the water and gathered them lovingly in his arms.
Smelling the top of his sons head, Grimbauld knew he was home."
Special thanks to Daniel O’Donnell for answering these questions.
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Nice interview … I like that the process of describing a non-existent process unearthed a process. Also, just writing for the enjoyment of it. 100 x yes to that! And a huge shout out to the micro fiction writers … it IS hard. Was it Churchill who apologised for the length of a letter, saying “it would have been shorter if I had had more time’.
Great interview! Thanks so much for the mention here, Daniel. It’s always a treat reading your stories.