Welcome to the first of our series of interviews with this year's National Flash Fiction Day Anthology Editors and Microfiction Competition Judges! Submissions for the Anthology and Microfiction Competition are open until 15 February 2025 and this interview series will resume in the new year.
This week, Diane Simmons chats with James Montgomery, one of this year's NFFD Microfiction Competition Judges, about favourite micros, writing under pressure, the unique challenges of the 100-word limit, and more....
DS: Judging from your success with micros, I’m guessing that writing very, very short fiction is something you particularly enjoy. Do you have any advice for entrants to this year’s NFFD Micro Competition?
JM: If the very best flash fiction dazzles, then the pressure of 100 words creates the rarest of diamonds. I love the challenge of the 100-word form, how satisfying the end result is, and feel incredibly honoured to be part of the judging panel for the 2025 competition.
I think, first and foremost, make sure you feel for your piece. I can tell when a story feels ‘lived in’; when the writing comes to life in all the spaces between the words.
With such a confined limit, hone in on a single, specific emotion. Take a step back and ask what feeling you’re trying to emote. Begin with a wide lens: happy, sad, disgusted, angry, fearful, bad, surprised. Then zoom in. Maybe your happy story is about being accepted. Zoom in a little closer - is it about being respected, or valued? There’s subtle differences here. Or perhaps you have an angry character, who’s acting distant. Dig a bit deeper - are they withdrawn, or numb? Again, these nuances matter. Every word choice should be contributing towards this tone.
Make surprising decisions that still ring true to you as a writer. Ensure the ending feels earned. Force your character to act or react, always. Leave room for the reader to fill in the gaps. Choose a metaphor or central image that catches us off guard. Think about the particular and how you can make it universal.
Give yourself grace. Even now, I still feel like every new story feels like the first time, like I’ve forgotten how to put one word in front of another.
And my best tip? Go for a walk. There’s nothing it can’t solve.
DS: Is there anything you need in your writing space to help you stay focused? Do you need complete silence for example, or do you thrive in a busy place?
JM: I just need to be able to focus, but that can happen just as well in a coffee shop as at home. I love that ‘flow state’ feeling, when you’re completely immersed and can work on a piece with total clarity, and when there’s almost an altered sense of time. That’s why I say, ‘make sure you feel for your piece’. If you care about what you’re writing, then it’s that much easier to find that focus.
DS: I see from your website that you’re a member of two writing groups. How important are these groups to your writing process?
JM: Oh, they’ve been ever so important. There’s all the usual comments about how great other writers are for improving your own writing practice, but also the sense of camaraderie is unrivalled. These are your people! They will cheer when you succeed, and offer words of encouragement when you’re floundering. Only recently, my Most Rejected Story EverTM was knocked back yet again, and one of my writing groups shook me off, offering invaluable edits and suggestions.
DS: If you could be the writer of any flash fiction ever written, which one would you choose?
JM: An impossible question! There’s just too many outstanding stories to choose from. Instead, I’ll offer up ten 100-word micros that I absolutely adore, which might inspire readers for this year’s competition.
See how masterfully Barbara Diggs’ It’s Negro Day at the Fair (Welkin Prize, scroll down) uses voice. Consider the power of an extended metaphor, as in Gordon W. Mennenga’s stunning Ditch Dog (100 Word Story). Employ repetition and the breathless sentence to remarkable effect, like Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar’s Adverb (National Flash Fiction Day’s Microfiction Competition 2021, scroll down). Choose sensory language with intent, like Shane Larkin’s vivid Umbilicus (Splonk). Pay close attention to rhythm and pace, as Sarah Freligh’s Fire (Ghost Parachute) does. Reveal deep human truths, like Sara Hills’ We Knew It Was The Fitzroy’s Rabbit (HAD). Let a scene represent a theme, as Francine Witte’s After The Snowmelt (Gone Lawn) does. Study how a micro like Guy Biederman’s Berol #1 (100 Word Story) imbues its story with meaning. How Amy Barnes’ Happy Holidays, Orville Redenbacher (Truffle Magazine) uses sound and symbolism to ask questions and cause unease. How Nan Wigington’s Animals in Winter (Splonk) ends on a question that echoes long in the mind once the story is finished.
DS: Writers can sometimes feel under pressure to always be putting words on the page. Are there any activities that you feel are helpful to you as a writer?
JM: If you’re feeling the pressure, I’d recommend telling yourself you’re not allowed to write for a certain length of time. I can guarantee that once writing is off the cards, you’ll be itching to put pen to paper again.
Also, words are just words - they’re not stories. This may go against the grain somewhat, but sometimes the last thing you need to do is get down yet more flippin’ words. Time and space away from the page means you can mull over a title, ask yourself what that story is really about, deliberate and deliberate and deliberate over that word choice or phrasing. It’s all part of the process and, in all honesty, what really matters when it comes to being a writer.
A change of scene is also perfect for inspiration. For example, if I hadn’t gone to the gym the other day, I wouldn’t have had that idea for a story about exploding muscles.
I also strongly believe the best stories take time - but a deadline is also your best friend. You’ve got until 15 February 2025. I can’t wait to read your words; I promise I will treat them with the utmost care and respect.
James Montgomery writes from Staffordshire in the UK. He has won the Pokrass Prize, Retreat West’s best micro fiction prize and a Flash Fiction Festival competition, placed second in New Zealand's international Micro Madness contest, and been highly commended in the Bath Flash Fiction Award and National Flash Fiction Day's micro competition. His stories have been published in various anthologies and literary magazines, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions and Best of the Net. Find him at www.jamesmontgomerywrites.com.