Week Five: Wrap-Up
The Writer-In-Motion exercise has come to an end, but throughout this process I've learned so such about my own writing process, what works for me, and what doesn't.
As someone who enjoys writing flash fiction, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this exercise, but I decided I had nothing to lose in taking the time during November while my most recent ms rested. I was even more excited for the exercise when I won a spot with the fabulous editor Jeni Chappell.
When the prompt was revealed on November 1st, 2019, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I got the picture just before jumping on a 5 hour plane ride, so I had lots of time to think. Initially, my mind went to apocalyptic. A woman standing on a roof, flagging down help while an apocalypse rages beneath her. But the idea felt too obvious—too easy—and I decided to try and find a way to flip the trope. In the process of trying to find another way to tell this story, the idea of a post-apocalyptic world took shape and the idea for Homecoming was born.
After seeing others' initial interpretations of the story, I worried that I hadn't looked deep enough, explored the image enough, that I had jumped on the first idea and ran with it instead of looking for a deeper meaning. But in the end, I'm glad I suck to my simple story of hope in a post-apocalyptic landscape. You can read my final draft of Homecoming in my Week 4 post.
Throughout this process, I've learned that I cannot just free-write. The first week, leaving my mistakes stand, was incredibly tough and I found myself nitpicking over words. I much prefer being able to rewrite sentences as I go, as the story develops in my head. The CP feedback and editor feedback helped me develop my story, to see where I needed more info or to cut info in favour of filling out the information I already had.
While I didn't learn much about the actual process of writing flash fiction, I feel this is learned through practice and experience, I did learn valuable lessons about my own process and how others view my work. I also now have a shiny new story to submit to contests, which I definitely intend on doing.
I highly suggest for anyone looking to expand their writing skills to participate in the next Writer-In-Motion. It's been a great experience and I've met new writers to connect with, which is a prize all in it's own. I'm grateful to those who manage the event along with @KJHarowick and the amazing editor @jenichappelle for putting this even together. Thank you to everyone who read and commented on my story. I appreciate all of your words.
Good luck to all as they move forward with their shorts, and thank you for being part of this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed my flash piece and learned something about me along the way.
Happy writing!
About C.M. Fick
C.M. Fick is a writer from British Colombia, Canada. She's recently finished her 6th ms titled #GreenDeath, launched QueryConnection (a forum for querying writers to workshop their query letters), and is also a co-host and admin for the Twitter event #Write4Life.
When she's not writing, managing forum business, or networking with other writers, she's running around after a 5 year old who rules her life.
This is her first Writer-In-Motion.
