MEET NUNUM'S CONTRIBUTOR: JACQUELINE DOYLE

Meet NUNUM's Contributor: Jacqueline Doyle

6/12/2021

NUNUM

Blending Flash Fiction & Art

Interview with Jacqueline Doyle

Jacqueline Doyle slipped a little magic into NUNUM's Spring 2021 issue with her piece 'Super Stanley' and left all of us here feeling just a little bit better about how we see the world.

Luckily we were able to get a touch of Jacqueline's time for a chat and by now you know how we got that going.

Jacqueline, what was the first book you remember picking and reading by yourself?

I’m afraid it was The Little Engine That Could, which I used to recite to my little brother from memory before I actually knew how to read. I also memorized “Jabberwocky” from Alice in Wonderland, which we both found thrillingly scary. Once I could get books from the local library, I read everything in sight.

Super Stanley words by Jacqueline Doyle

I'm so happy that you mentioned the library, such an important place for so many people when they're growing up. What about more recently, what was the last book you read that made you say damn that was a good book?

I reread two books this week (because, damn, they’re such good books): Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities and Jenny Offill’s Department of Speculation. Just arrived in the mail and on top of my TBR pile: Jo Ann Beard’s new essay collection Festival Days.

This doesn't happen that often, but yes, Invisible Cities is wow wow good. And thank you for the Offill recommendation. What about when vacation rolls around, who are your go-to writers when you need something to read while on holiday?

I’m a fan of psychological thrillers and police procedurals. Last summer (not exactly a holiday this year): Tana French, Joy Castro, Thomas Perry.

You're right, holidays are hard for anyone to find right now, but thank you for some tips about who I can spend my next one with. What about your development as a writer, were there any authors who influenced you?

I was teaching literature for years before I started writing, and I think all the writers I admired and read so closely influenced my decision to become a writer. Just a few: essays by James Baldwin and Judith Ortiz Cofer, flash vignettes by Sandra Cisneros, fiction by Shirley Jackson, Tillie Olsen, Dorothy Allison, and Toni Morrison. I was influenced by the fact that Morrison started writing relatively late in her life, and inspired when she said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Then you must write it, I like that. What about your admiration, any contemporary writers out there who you admire?

Super Stanley words by Jacqueline Doyle

I’m sure I’ll change my mind tomorrow, or later today. There are so many, and I can’t single out one. But right now I’ll say Jesmyn Ward, Lucia Berlin, Carmen Maria Machado, Ocean Vuong, Beth Ann Fennelly.

Super Stanley words by Jacqueline Doyle

And that is why that question will never leave the list, thank you, six more names to remember for my next trip to the bookshop. And speaking of book shopping, is there a writing craft book that you would recommend to new writers?

I was wowed by Matthew Salesses’ recent book, Craft in the Real World, as much for teachers of writing as writers.

What about your own writing, is there a writer who has influenced your current writing style?

I have too many writing styles in too many genres (creative nonfiction, fiction, flash) to pin that down easily. When it comes to “Super Stanley,” that would probably be Edgar Allan Poe and Joyce Carol Oates.

Why write flash fiction?

Flash fiction can distill the best of all genres: the lyricism of poetry, the theatrical moment, the essence of narrative. I love how much is implied in a very small space.

Do you have a genre you prefer?

I started as an essayist, and I still think of creative nonfiction as my primary genre, though I write a lot of flash (both fiction and nonfiction), and some fiction as well. I often write fiction as a break from nonfiction (true even of my dark fiction). My voice-driven flash, like “Super Stanley,” are definitely a break from my longer work. I enjoy characters that arrive out of nowhere!

Super Stanley words by Jacqueline Doyle

What have you learned about the business of writing since you started?

I’ve learned an enormous amount since becoming the creative nonfiction editor at CRAFT Literary Journal last year. It’s made me even more critical of my own writing: you have to interest a stranger and keep them reading, and that starts with the first line. You have to keep up the pace. You have to arrive somewhere, so think carefully about your ending. I’m also very aware now of what factors into an acceptance. Decisions are collaborative at most journals: someone may be rooting for your work, even when it’s not finally accepted. Editors may love your work but decide that it doesn’t fit the journal’s style, or that it’s a subject or style too similar to something they’ve published recently. Soft rejects really mean something: if a journal compliments your work, send them something else. As for publishing books or winning contests, there’s a lot of chance involved. And you want to think hard about the quality of the publisher or journal before you enter a contest, especially if they’ll be producing and distributing your chapbook or book. (I love CRAFT and Black Lawrence Press, by the way.)

I didn't know you were involved with CRAFT, that is amazing. I've been a reader for years, for me it has always been a wonderful place to go when I want to grow as a writer. What about yourself, what has helped you improve your writing the most?

I don’t have an MFA, and never felt I needed one, though I’ve taken a class or summer workshop here and there (Bread Loaf, Squaw Valley), and usually they were energizing. I’m not a big fan of craft books, or prompts (though I love Kathy Fish’s flash classes and her prompts). But I couldn’t live without my writing group in San Francisco, which meets twice a month, and which I’ve belonged to for ten years. We’ve continued to meet via Skype during the pandemic.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting to send their work out to journals?

Don’t send your work out until you’re sure it’s finished. Don’t be discouraged by rejections, which can be opportunities for revision. Believe in yourself. Stick with it. Cultivate patience and resilience.

Jacqueline Doyle lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jacqueline Doyle

She has an award-winning flash chapbook with Black Lawrence Press (The Missing Girl) and recent flash in matchbook, Wigleaf, CRAFT, Juked, Tiny Molecules, and other fine journals. Find her online at www.jacquelinedoyle.com and on Twitter.