A MicroZine Interview w/Hanna Delaney

6 Questions on Microfiction

Hanna Delaney

is delivering plenty of flash fiction and a serial too. She writes

A work of fiction

.

1. When did you first start writing microfiction?

I can tell you exactly- it was the 1st of March 2024 when I published Summer Job. I probably wrote it the same week. I started my Substack around then and had recently fallen in love with microfiction and flash fiction. It bit me and I couldn't stop loving it. I decided to start a Substack in February 2024 and thought that publishing short (short) fiction would be a good way to develop my skills and find readers without saying "hey, come and commit to my entire novel." I just thought it was a really fun medium. It's hard to write a story in less than a thousand words and I wanted to challenge myself.

2. What kind of microfiction do you write? Any specific length or genre? How often?

I write a range of genres for my microfiction. I think it's a medium that is very generous for that. I mostly write speculative (supernatural), humour and fantasy microfiction but honestly, it's so broad.

My favourites tend to be around the 100-500 word mark but I do enjoy 50, 60 and 70 word stories. I really enjoy the limitation on the word count. Every word has to matter; the story will run out if you're not careful!

I write microfiction at least twice a week. Sometimes I get an idea out of the blue and throw it out there, polish it up and I've got a story. I've probably written more microfiction pieces thanks to the microdosing prompts, though. Some weeks, I write microfiction every day.

3. Describe your microfiction writing process.

I don't write unless an idea comes to me. When I do get an idea, I keep the microfiction really simple: no more than three characters, have some dialogue (I use a lot) and use that to tell the story. The more gaps the reader has to fill in-- the better. I'll write the whole thing in one sitting and then I have to start chopping and changing after I've been away from it for an hour or so. I don't do any plans or plots. I just go with the idea and focus on one tiny moment. I suppose what I'm saying is "I just write something," and I polish it as soon as I know if I'm sticking with it.

4. Have you ever submitted your microfiction to a contest or publication before? If so, why and where? If not, why not?

I have! I entered the Gibberish Writing Competition in March of this year with a microfiction of 200 words called 'For Better, For Worse'.

Other than the Gibberish competition, I haven't entered any other contests. This is probably because I'm compelled to write as and when my ideas want to write themselves and if a prompt is too prescriptive, it kills the joy for me. I can work to a deadline but I've been given too much freedom on Substack LOL. I swear, if a publisher approached me tomorrow and said "please write a story for us about [insert theme] and we'll give you £30,000," I'd probably be like... nope. I should probably enter more contests though. I guess it's been a while and it could be fun.

5. What advice would you give someone who is on the fence about writing microfiction?

Just write it. You can only get better at it. Improvement is an inevitability when you practise often enough. Read what you've written. Are you telling a story?

For example, I told a story about goblins and a skull. It was simply me zooming in on a brief but funny episode. Think of your microfiction as stories that would be shared across a table or in conversation with a friend and that keeps it tight. You don't want to bore them with unnecessary details.

6. Share either your favorite piece or most recent microfiction that you’ve written.

I'll have to share Summer Job because it's the first story I ever published on Substack:

Summer job

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BONUS QUESTION: Who is your favorite microfiction writer?

It has to be

Miguel S.

. I write more microfiction because of him.

Special thanks to Hanna Delaney for answering these questions.