As guest editor this week for SheWrites, it is my pleasure to introduce Tara L. Masih, writer and editor. Tara graciously consented to an interview in which she shares her thoughts and insights related to Flash Fiction. I highly recommend The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction – I use it in the classes I teach online, and I also encourage you to go to Tara’s website at taramasih.com for links to her stories and books.

Tara L. Masih is editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction (a ForeWord Book of the Year), The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (a Skipping Stones Honor Book), and author of Where the Dog Star Never Glows (a National Best Books Award finalist). Her flash has been anthologized in Word of Mouth, Brevity & Echo, and Stripped, and was featured in Fiction Writer’s Review for National Short Story Month 2011. Awards for her work include first place in The Ledge Magazine’s fiction contest and Pushcart Prize, Best New American Voices, and Best of the Web nominations. http://www.taramasih.com.

Questions for Tara

1. Could you give the readers some background on yourself? I know you are a writer as well as an editor. Tell us a bit about your journey.

I was a realist at a young age. I didn’t believe I could make a living writing alone, mainly because I knew that while I loved writing, I didn’t want it to become a “job.” So I pursued the next best thing, working on books as an editor. I love being in the publishing business. And I love that both my interests, editing and writing, came together in the Flash Field Guide.

2. How did you come about deciding to edit The Rose Metal Guide to Writing Flash Fiction? What motivated you to take on this project?

I had exchanged chapbooks with poet Alan King. He wrote back and told me that my flash had inspired him to try to write some of his own. At that moment, it came to me that there was no one text for writers to refer to specifically geared toward writing flash fiction. I had the experience of working with Rose Metal Press when they anthologized some of my flash in their Brevity & Echo collection. I was impressed with their work and wanted to bring this idea to them. I feel lucky they accepted.

3. How did you decide which contributors to include? Which topics?

The choice of whom to include was a joint effort between me and Rose Metal. We discussed the flash fiction writers and editors we most admired and felt would make the best contributions at that time from the standpoint of passion, interest, and teaching experience. Once I had the list, I steered each contributor in a certain direction, knowing their strengths. The last thing I wanted was a batch of essays all on the same topic. Commissioning new work is never an easy task, but the writers were all professional and eager to participate and did a wonderful job of each providing something unique.

4. What elements/approaches do you consider the most important in terms of writing flash fiction?

I’ve stated before that I think writers make the mistake of thinking flash is just “short writing.” It isn’t. Not good flash, anyway. It’s an art form. Approaching it with respect and learning from the masters is the best way to learn, as with any art form.

5. How would you assess the current Flash markets in terms of publishing? What is your advice to flash writers in terms of submissions?

One of the criticisms leveled against flash is that it is too easy to get published. In some ways this is true. Editors can read your work in seconds, as opposed to hours or days or months. This makes for much faster response times, hence faster publications. There is also the question of quality. Some publications just pump out flash after flash, with no eye to literary quality. And I think that’s fine, I’m all in favor of the democratic nature of editing and publishing. But serious writers should look toward the magazines that publish the top flash writers, and make it a goal to get onto their mastheads.

6. Who are some of your favorite flash fiction writers? Do you have a favorite flash story or nonfiction piece? Where might we find it so we can read it?

Every time someone asks me this question, I forget someone. But off the top of my head, I admire most the work of Jayne Anne Phillips, Michael Martone, Stuart Dybek, Sherrie Flick, Pam Painter, Meg Pokrass, Matt Bell, Rusty Barnes, and Randall Brown. And I don’t have a favorite piece of flash (there are too many), but my favorite book is Yasunari Kawabata’s Palm-of-the-Hand Stories. You can find it online. It’s simply brilliant.

7. What is your best advice to writers in general?

Don’t give up. Only then will you definitely fail.

8. I must say I am extremely impressed with your writing and editing efforts and will admit that your flash story online, “Fire-on-the-Water,” made me cry. I was struck by the voice in that story as well as its sense of authenticity. How did you achieve this, as the narrator is a young man living in Italy?

It helped that I visited the small coastal town in which the story takes place, although I did do additional research. I think having a passion for your characters and the stories they are trying to tell helps transcend cultural and sexual barriers, in the end. Thanks for the feedback! We writers never know how our stories affect readers unless they tell us.

9. What other projects are you involved in that you’d like us to know about?

I just finished editing another anthology, this one about race and ethnicity and culture. All my projects are very varied. But I like it that way! The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays already won an award and I hope people interested in personal essays and these topics will pick it up. It’s starting some important discussions.

10. What question haven’t I asked that needs to be asked?

Nothing I can think of, thanks! I appreciate the questions.

Thank you, Tara, for taking the time to share your thoughts with the SheWrites community. I wish you well in all your writing and editing endeavors. Your time with us is much appreciated!