While following the old adage of “write what you know” often leads to rich, thoughtful writing, sometimes writing outside your own experience—way outside your own experience—can be equally fruitful. For her winning Flash Fiction Competition piece, Helen Li (US) imagined the world from the perspective of the creatures in her backyard: “I was isolated at home for so long that I had ample time to get to know the critters in my neighborhood. It was eye-opening to realize all of these animals have their own lives to worry about.”
Learn more about how Helen composed her 100-word story, devised her cryptic ending, and her future writing plans!
How did you know your idea for the piece was a good fit for Flash Fiction?
I’ve always steered towards writing poetry―I don’t have the patience or stamina to write longer narratives. Flash Fiction caught my eye because of the length limitations, and I thought it would be fun to take some of the emotion and imagery I usually use in poetry and apply it to a vignette-like story. I wanted it to be quick and hard-hitting, and I liked the challenge of fitting death into less than 100 words.
Guest Judge Janelle Milanes praised your “interesting choice to center the point of view on the surrounding environment and the creatures inhabiting it.” Why did you decide to adopt this point of view?
I share my backyard with crows, bees, jays, and countless other creatures. I often wonder what the animals think when they see me, or if they register my existence at all.
I was isolated at home for so long that I had ample time to get to know the critters in my neighborhood. It was eye-opening to realize all of these animals have their own lives to worry about―so often we brush the squirrels or the bees aside to our peripheral vision, but they exist outside of our perception, too. I was really fascinated by the idea of a hidden storyline, where the main events are only suggested rather than explicitly stated.
The reader never officially learns what happened to the girl in your piece. Without giving anything away, did you have an explanation in mind as you wrote it? Or did you want to leave it open-ended for yourself, as well?
I think an explanation would have taken away from the animal perspective I was going for, since they wouldn’t have understood what was happening to the girl. In fact, I prefer the ambiguity because it allows the reader to fill in the blanks. Even though I had my own vision for the storyline, there is no wrong answer, and every interpretation reveals more about the reader than it does about my writing.
What are your writing goals or plans for the rest of 2021?
I’m just going with the flow and writing whatever and whenever I can. I can already tell the rest of 2021 is going to be hectic and busy for me, so I’ll most likely scribble down lines of poetry or short stories when inspiration hits.