Jo Gatford is an award-winning writer, editor and mentor. Her short fiction has been selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions, and published in 70+ anthologies and literary magazines. She’s especially proud of winning the Bath Flash Fiction Award in 2019 and coming second in 2021. Her novel, White Lies, was published by Legend Press, and her hybrid chapbook, The Woman’s Part, was published by Stanchion. Her newsletter, The Joy of Fixion, is about following the fun, reconnecting with creativity, and finding your flow. Read more of her work or get in touch at www.jogatford.com
Q & A with Jo
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You have been a first prize winner in the Bath Flash Fiction Award with ‘Things Left and Found at The Side of the Road‘ and a second prize winner with The Mothers , both very memorable stories. The title of your first prize win in 2018 served as the title for the anthology as well. It is a list story with universal themes. I was curious if you have written any list stories since, as it is an interesting form, I think.
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I do love a list story, so I was surprised to find that I actually haven’t written more of them since! Or perhaps they’re just lists in disguise… For example, this micro, Motion to Present the Defendant’s Pinterest Boards as Evidence (New Flash Fiction Review). Or Advice to My Child (Liars’ League). Or ‘Nice Little Girls’ originally published in the sadly defunct Cease, Cows (but still available in Best Small Fictions;
2024).
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Since these wins you have written a collection published by Stanchion in 2023 called The Woman’s Part. Can you tell us a little more about it and if it is still available from Stanchion or elsewhere.
The Woman’s Part is a hybrid collection of retellings from the perspective of thirteen female Shakespearean characters: a mix of flash fiction and erasure poetry using the characters’ speeches. While doing my MA, I used to get so frustrated with old crusty critics’ misogynistic interpretations of these women’s inner thoughts and motivations, as well as the fact they’re rarely given enough space to tell their stories within the text. So, one by one, I started making up alternative realities and endings for them. And The Woman’s Part ended up the very first Stanchion Press publication, available here.
- We’d also love to hear about your editing and mentoring work for writers and how writers can get in contact with you.
I’ve been teaching creative writing in one shape or form for about 15 years, and I work with writers at all stages, on all sorts of creative projects, from novels to memoir to flash fiction to non-fiction. I do a lot of developmental mentoring, helping writers to outline a story or problem-solve through plot points, or just stay accountable throughout the work-in-progress. I also offer editorial services to get a piece of writing polished up ready for publication, as well as assisting with query letters and funding applications (eg: Arts Council DYCP). Writers can also join in with one of my workshops or courses, or have a browse through my newsletter The Joy of Fixion which is all about finding our way through the creative process.
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It’s a wide brief but what sort of flash fiction appeals to you currently?
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Honestly, I’m continually surprised by the sheer variety of stories that come out of flash writers’ minds, so I’m looking forward to being surprised. I like stories that really epitomise the short form with efficiency and subtext, but then again I also love stories that are boldly overt or experimental. So long as there’s some deeper meaning or moment of humanity that hooks me, I’m open to any kind of style or subject.
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Are there any writing projects you are working on at the moment? And are there themes you come back to?
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I’m currently writing a handful of screenplays after completing a development programme with the BBC, and funnily enough I think there’s a lot of crossover with flash fiction — especially when it comes to finding interesting ways to convey information and honing your prose down to the bare minimum! I’m also (very slowly) working on a flash fiction/poetry collection based around scientific facts and astronomical superstitions, some of which originated at the wonderful Flash Fiction Festival over the years.
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Finally your top competition tip would be very helpful along with a little prompt to get writers going.
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Experiment with wild abandon! You really never know what’s going to catch a reader’s eye, and one of the best things about the BFFA is that it’s always so eclectic. Find a spark of a story that really interests you and see where it leads. Then keep refining until you’ve carved out whatever underlying thought or question is hiding underneath… (And always get a few trusted opinions on your work before you submit, if possible.)
As for a prompt, for a long time I’ve been using my daily Wordl solutions as a kind of word association exercise to see what narrative I can create, and it’s a very addictive little practice that I’d highly recommend! (More details on how I go about it here.)
