Emerging Writers Series: Amanda McLeod
“There’s always a story - it might not be as comprehensive as the one you’d find in a novel, but there’s definitely a shift or change. I adore the challenge of weaving all those things into a small word piece. Your language becomes super important - every word has to count.”
Following on from our recent review of Amanda’s flash fiction collection, Animal Behaviour, I was delighted that she made some time to answer some questions for our Emerging Writer’s Series!
As you probably know, Aniko Press (and myself!) are huge fans of flash fiction as a literary form, and Amanda expertly draws on her other passions of poetry and nature to bring together a thought-provoking and exciting collection exploring the links between human and animals.
She chatted with me about her creative process, her love of nature and gives us some hot tips from her editor's perspective on submitting your own work for publication.
Let’s start with a little bit about your writing background to date. How did you get started as a writer, and when did you know this was something you wanted to pursue more seriously?
I’ve always adored reading and writing, and I could read well before I went to school. I wrote extensively through my school years, but then it dropped away in university as there was an idea that writing wasn’t a ‘real’ career, and I was a bit afraid to push back against that (my, how times have changed!). I ended up going in a number of directions, but I found my way back to writing again after watching my children inherit my love of reading.
I started writing children’s picture book manuscripts and then thought a little bigger - wondering why not write for adults like myself as well? This was in 2017, shortly before we moved to Canberra. So I’ve really only been taking myself seriously as a writer for about four and half years.
I think I started taking it seriously when I had a few pieces accepted for publication in different places. That helped the impostor syndrome slide back a little, although I don’t really think it’ll ever go away. That feeling was consolidated the first time I actually got paid for my work - people took my writing seriously, liked what I had to say, and were prepared to value it appropriately.
And when did you first start writing flash fiction - what drew you to writing with brevity?
I wrote a novel in 2018 during NaNoWriMo. I’m still working on it - it’s been through many iterations, and it’s a labour of love, that’s for sure. I’d been writing shorter stories before that and tackled NaNo to show myself that I was capable of writing a longer work.
Flash is VERY different, though. What drew me to it initially was the idea of being able to read a whole story in very little time - there’s an entire miniature universe in there. The challenge is creating that universe and giving your reader a story arc in sometimes a hundred words! Though, most of my flash pieces come in between 500 and 1000 words. But in there, you can find entire stories woven with carefully chosen words. There’s a backstory hidden between the lines, made from things you never get told but can figure out from your reading. Trust in the reader is another key to good flash.
And there’s always a story - it might not be as comprehensive as the one you’d find in a novel, but there’s definitely a shift or change. I adore the challenge of weaving all those things into a small word piece. Your language becomes super important - every word has to count.
You’re also a wonderful poet, and I’m curious about the synergies and differences you might have found between these two writing styles. How do you know if an idea is more suited to a poem or piece of flash?
Thank you! That’s a great question. Sometimes, I just write it down and then look later to see whether it’s a single moment or whether there’s something more behind it, a story I can follow.
Often the moments end up becoming poems. It also depends on what I’m trying to say. Often if I read over my writing and notice there’s repetition or the same ideas coming up, again and again, I might consider one of the poetic forms with repetition - a villanelle or pantoum maybe - as a way to frame the message. And, of course, there’s the prose poem, which hovers in that liminal space between the two.
Both poetry and flash do have some similarities, though - an economy with language is probably the big one!
From following you on social media, it seems that nature has a significant influence on your life and creative outputs. What is it about being in nature that speaks to you the most for creativity?
I could write a book on this (and I am!). When I was young, I loved being outside, but adulting steered me away from that a little. During a big health crisis a few years ago, I returned to nature more fully as a part of my recovery, and everything I remembered from my youth came flooding back and then some. I’m outside every day, as much as I can be, now.
Nature is such a critical healing force, and something that, as humans, we forget can be so influential. There’s a very strong tendency (that seems to run particularly strongly in colonial countries) to regard nature as something to be dominated and controlled, the idea that humans are above nature and not a part of it. This is not the case. That immersion in nature, my regard for myself as in it and it in me, makes things quiet enough for me to hear myself think. It’s that sensation that feels key to really unlocking my creativity, I think.
Also, I am obsessed with trees and visit them every chance I get.
Do you have any flash fiction recommendations for us - who’s been influential in your writing in this space?
Kathy Fish is a massive influence. The piece I go back to again and again is Collective Nouns for Humans in the Wild.
I also love Gaynor Jones and Stephanie Carty from the UK. Gaynor’s writing is edgy and weird and cool as heck. Stephanie is brilliant at distilling huge things down into tiny ones and also runs a brilliant course on Psychology of Character.
Locally, I adore Marion Halligan’s short stories, and Craig Cormick’s work is brilliant too (and hilarious!).
As the Managing Editor at Animal Heart Press, you’re also uniquely placed to sit on both sides of the publishing experience. What would be your three essential tips for anyone looking to get published?
Read the guidelines: We get sent A LOT of material, and if you think we can’t tell that you didn’t bother to read those guidelines - you’re wrong! We ask for things to be done a certain way for a reason. It’s also a good way to show you’re paying attention and not just cut-and-paste your submission to twenty different places.
Be flexible: We might come back to you with some editing suggestions. It’s entirely up to you whether you take them or not, of course - but they’re made to strengthen your piece. Even the greats had editors.
Be polite: If someone rejects your work, don’t follow up with a snarky email. You never know when you might have another opportunity to work together - and you DON’T want to be remembered as that person who snipped back when their work was rejected.
Final question, what’s coming up next for you? Is there another flash fiction collection on the way, or where else can we read more of your work?
I am currently working on a big project - it’s a blend of poetry, flash creative nonfiction (yep, it’s a thing!) and personal essays.
The focus of the work is on nature and connection. I’ve been fortunate enough to secure a residency to work on the project (which I attended in April). For the rest of the year, I’m participating in the Sharing Stories Arts Exchange through the Australian National University, a program designed to strengthen cultural and artistic relationships between artists and First Nations communities in my area.
It’s a real delight to be able to frame my thoughts and ideas in this context, to learn so much and also to give back to the communities and people who are gracious enough to share their time and knowledge with me. The first piece I wrote as part of that project is in the Spring issue of EcoTheo Review (ecotheo.org). You can also read some of my other works through my website amandamcleodwrites.com.
Amanda McLeod is a creative based in Canberra, Australia. She’s the author of two books, Animal Behaviour and Heartbreak Autopsy, and has had many pieces published both in print and online. Her recent works explore nature, ecology and connection, and some can be found in EcoTheo Review and Wild Roof Journal. A self-professed tree nerd, you can usually find her outside by the nearest river. If she’s not there, try Twitter and Instagram (both @AmandaMWrites) or her website AmandaMcLeodWrites.com.
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and book reviewer, currently residing in nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is passionate about the ways we can use literature to learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her online under www.wordswithelaine.com.
