January 2025 – Andrew Careaga

Friday Five: Q&A with ‘Short Story, Long’ founder Aaron Burch

‘ I often feel happiest and most fulfilled when I read a submission and fall in love with it …’

You might call Aaron Burch a serial literary magazine founder.

His journey into the litmag world began in 2001, when he founded Hobart. He spent over two decades editing that journal, and toward the end of his tenure there he co-founded HAD, an online journal focused on publishing microfiction. Soon after that, he founded Words & Sports Quarterly, a sports-oriented literary magazine that is currently on hiatus.

Two years ago this spring, he launched his latest literary project, Short Story, Long, as a place for longer fiction — stories in the 2,000- to 8,000-word range, although stories of 3,000 to 5,000 words hit the publication’s “sweet spot.” (Read more about the publication and submission guidelines.)

What will you shed in the Year of the Snake?

I kicked the habit (kicked the habit, kicked the habit)
Shed my skin (shed my skin)
This is the new stuff (this is the new stuff)
I go dancing in (we can go dancing in)

– Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer“

Happy Lunar New Year, folks, and welcome to the Year of the Snake. It begins today, January 29, 2025.

While many of us in Western cultures have been taught to take a dim view of the slithery creature — thanks to the serpent’s role in the Old Testament story of the fall of humanity — but that is not the case in the Eastern hemisphere. In much of Asia, the snake is “celebrated and revered” as a symbol of transformational change, writes Kimmy Yam in this NBC News story about the Lunar New Year.

New flash fiction: ‘No Point’

Featuring a cameo appearance by Jack Kerouac. Sort of.

I have a new flash fiction story called “No Point” up over at Roi Fainéant Press. This is my second piece with the good folks at Roi Fainéant (the first, “Narcissus on the Deck,” was published on the RF website last September).

Friday Five: Q&A with multi-genre writer Allison Field Bell

‘I write one word at a time, focusing on the lyrical potential of a sentence and how that aligns with a character’s voice’

I first discovered Allison Field Bell‘s writing via the literary magazine Fractured Lit, which published her stunning flash fiction piece “Vermillion Cliffs” last March. I started following her on Twitter (X) and soon was astounded by how frequently she would post about new pieces being accepted — not only short stories and flash fiction, but creative nonfiction and poetry as well. (This X/Twitter thread of a few of her favorites from 2024 should give you some idea of her range and diverse styles.) I consider her a writer’s writer and highly recommend her work.

Later this year, a chapbook of her creative nonfiction, Edge of the Sea, will be published by CutBank Books, and her poetry chapbook, Without Woman or Body, will be published by Finishing Line Press. Her current projects-in-progress include a book of short fiction, a collection of flash nonfiction, and a full-length collection of poetry. She is also finishing up her first novel, wrapping up a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and English Literature at the University of Utah, and offering editorial services to aid other writers.

In today’s Friday Five, Allison shares her thoughts on multi-genre writing, her writing routine, and some excellent advice for the rest of us.

Friday Five: Q&A with ‘Aristotle for Novelists’ author Douglas Vigliotti

‘… being “unbelievable” is not a good thing.’

What can we learn about writing a novel from an ancient Greek philosopher who never wrote a novel himself? Plenty, if that ancient Greek philosopher is Aristotle, according to author and podcaster Douglas Vigliotti.

In his latest book, Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story, Vigliotti draws from Aristotle’s Poetics to provide a framework for storytelling in the modern age.

“For centuries, dramatic writers have relied on Aristotelian principles to write their stories for the screen and stage — the same stories you stream and watch today,” Vigliotti writes. “But for the first time ever, the timeless principles from Aristotle’s esteemed Poetics have been adapted for novelists.”

In this Q&A, Vigliotti shares what inspired him to delve into Aristotle’s writings, discusses how these principles can benefit novelists (and other writers), and talks a bit about his podcast, Books for Men.