Lisa Fox

I've always been drawn to speculative worlds. Die-hard Star Wars fan even in the years when no one was paying attention to Star Wars; The Neverending Story may be one of my favorites of all time. Orwell, Huxley... huge influences from my high school years and beyond. There's something amazing about letting your brain go into a different place, a different universe. And I love metaphor. Writing Spec Fic enables all your creative cylinders to function at light speed (see what I did there?) while still pursuing the fundamental truths that make us all human. A friend once said that good science fiction helps us shine a light on our own world and on ourselves in a way non-genre fiction cannot. It gives context and meaning like no other venue can.

Market Research is my "day job" that pays the bills! :) But it definitely has had an influence on my writing. I talk to people all day long--whether it's a dedicated doctor (or a crummy one! I've talked to several of those!), a parent with a special needs child, a nurse who gives everything to the care of their patients... everyone has a story. And in pharma, every disease state has a story. From time to time, I borrow the personalities of the people I encounter, or the nuances of the diseases I study. Sometimes the slightest detail sticks in my brain and won't let go. I've written some of my favorite horror stories, thrillers, satire, and science fiction based on things and people I've encountered in my daily work. There are so many "what ifs" to tackle in both the humanities and the sciences.

Despite the diversity in themes, I think all my writing boils down to one thing--what is it that makes us human? What motivates us? What scares us? What distinguishes good versus evil? Who are we at our core? And how do our choices shape who we are? I'm not sure I really think too much about "theme" when I'm writing a story... the words, the characters, the circumstances... they just come to me. And since they come from me, I suppose they reflect the things I think about, even when I don't realize I'm thinking of them.

Writing contests with prompts and deadlines. If I have a parameter to start with and a hard deadline, I'm in. It's a commitment to myself. Left to my own devices... life will always end up getting in the way.

I started writing short screenplays to help with brevity and to improve my dialogue-writing skills. The approach between the two is very similar--I always "see" the stories I write like a movie in my brain. But writing screenplays can sometimes be a bit more freeing--I don't put as much pressure on myself to craft beautiful language. It's all about the characters and the plot. When I get too "in my head" with prose writing, I try to bring it back to the tools I use in screenplay writing.

Submitting is not for the faint of heart. There's a lot--a LOT-- of rejection, and sometimes it's tough to find the right market. I try to read other stories a market publishes, or take to heart what they say they look for. If something feels like a fit, I send it. Sometimes it's like throwing spaghetti at a wall. Sometimes I dare myself to aim high, knowing my odds are slim to none. But I've surprised myself by landing a few dream publications. I guess the best advice is don't self-censor. Because you never know who might be a fan of your work, and you never know if your piece is just that something an editor is looking for.

The wins keep you going. Whether it's placing in a contest, a stranger commenting on a story you wrote, an acceptance in a journal, a book purchase, or a nomination, it tells you that maybe, just maybe, you should keep doing this. The dry spells between the wins... that's when the impostor visits.

I look at it as a quick brushstroke. In and out fast. As a reader, I always need to get a quick sense of time and place in order to be grounded in the story. The faster you can tell someone "where" and "when" you are, the better. I try to give just enough that people can see where they are, without the need for a lot of extraneous detail. That can come later... or the reader can (and should) be trusted enough to fill in the white space on their own. I think that's what makes for good flash and for good short stories, to be honest. It's the relationship and trust you have in the reader to be thinking right along with you. Nothing makes me crazier than someone (usually a contest judge-ha!) needing every last detail spelled out, especially in formats like microfiction and flash. The beauty of reading is the ability to draw the pictures in your own imagination. A quick worldbuild helps the reader do that.

In Core Truths, my favorite story is probably "Something Rare and Beautiful," the opening piece. The child in the story is based on my youngest son, and the premise is a warning about the value our society bases on youth and productivity over altruism and care, respect for our elderly. It's also about unexpected loss and grief, about parenting and setting an example for our kids to be a positive force of change in the world. The power of simple kindness. In Passageways, it's the closing piece, "A Time for Understanding." I originally wrote it as a flash fiction story three days before my mother died. She was on a bi-pap machine and was unable to communicate in her final days. The story may be one of the most honest I've ever written--it's about letting go, saying goodbye. Being unselfish. It took me about five years to get this story right. I still cry when I read it.

A lot of my work focuses on choices, about how the decisions we make shape the people we are. It also addresses having the courage to do the right thing. I write about kindness and love, about loss and grief and moving on. About parenthood and family. All things that you wouldn't really think show up in genre fiction. I guess that makes me a little bit weird.

At the end of the day, it's all about exploring humanity. The speculative piece helps the reader look at the world in a different--perhaps more memorable--way.

They are all challenging. But probably the toughest ones are based on my own fears, my own experiences. It's hard to look in your own mirror sometimes.

They both have their advantages. In print, it's nice to be able to hold your work in your hands. But digital has a much wider reach. I think the digital age, in general, has opened up SO many more opportunities for writers.

My next collection of short stories is planned for September 2025 and is probably the one I'm most excited about: it's a satire/humor collection. I also finally have the start of a novel churning in my brain. It's based on one of my flash fiction pieces. Now I just need to find the time and the diligence to sit down and do it!

Probably about a year? Maybe more? I joined shortly after Core Truths was published and then re-upped when Passageways came out. It's definitely been positive and has helped ensure word continues to get out there on my two books. Lots of great tools with the membership. So overall I've been quite happy!