Elizabeth Motes is a recent English major graduate from Trinity University, and she's recently moved to Flagstaff to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing. Her works have previously appeared in The Trinity Review and the Outrageous Fortune magazine. She's also been featured in two anthologies, Venus Rising and Querencia Press Winter 2023, for her stories "When a Door Closes" and "Perfect Memory." She posts writing tips and updates on her Instagram @emotes.writes where she can also be contacted for editing services.
Jackson: How did you get into writing short stories? What made you want to write them?
Elizabeth: I didn't seriously start writing short stories until my first fiction writing class in college. Before then, I had only worked on my novels - which made writing short fiction a breath of fresh air! I fell in love with the genre when I discovered how much emotion you can pack into just a few thousand words. Reading short stories also inspired me to write my own because once you see how writers play with the genre, it opens up a lot of possibilities. Jackson: What do you particularly enjoy about writing short stories?
Elizabeth: I think it was Neil Gaiman who said that writing a short story allows you to write the ending to a novel you didn't have to write. I'm a character-driven writer, so I love using the short form to capture their highs and lows. It's also a great avenue for capturing more niche feelings and experiences. If a novel has to capture a whole world, a short story can focus on one person in that world.
Jackson: In my experience, short stories are undervalued. Why do you think that might be? And why do you think short stories are an important artform?
Elizabeth: I guess my presumption about short stories before I started reading them was that they were a more serious form of fiction - or more subtle, and so more difficult to appreciate. And if you read one story you don't particularly like, you might make assumptions about the whole genre. I think their value is in their quantity. If you read one you don't like, the next one could be your favorite. (And like any writing, there is value in reading something you dislike. Especially through short stories, which aren't nearly as big of a commitment). Short stories are also a fantastic way to get to know new authors and then continue to follow along with their work. Every author brings their own experiences into a short story.
Jackson: What are some common mistakes authors make when trying to write short stories?
Elizabeth: It has to be self-contained - you're not writing the first chapter of a novel. Authors have to get to the point fairly quickly or they'll lose their readers.
Jackson: What advice do you have for authors trying to write short stories?
Elizabeth: Find something meaningful to you specifically, and then expand it into a short story. I once wrote a story about the complicated dynamics between girls who befriend each other in middle school, and I think it works because it's specific to me and what I know. So embrace the specific. And it may be cliche, but write the story only you can write. Looking into how some famous stories were written is also a great avenue for figuring out how to do it yourself.
Jackson: Thank you, Elizabeth!
Follow Elizabeth Motes on her Instagram @emotes.writes , where she can also be contacted for copy editing and proofreading services.
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