The Centifictionist

Michele Rappoport’s 100 word microfiction, “Past Life”, will appear in the first issue of The Centifictionist (Vol. 1, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 2020). Michele graciously answered a few brief questions for us. Read the interview below.

1. What inspired the story “Past Life”?

I have always wondered what kind of life our shelter dog had before she came to us. I don’t think it was good. That is what inspired “Past Life”.

2. What inspires you and your writing?

Reading good writing always inspires me. Also the desire to make up for lost time. I am a late bloomer.

3. What keeps you going when experiencing times of misery and despair?

It’s the writing itself that keeps me going at times when I would otherwise be pulled into darkness. I am a visual artist, too, so that is another way I channel fear and despair.

4. What advice do you have for microfiction writers?

I would advise anyone who writes microfiction to study the work of poets and anyone else who uses compression. Try reducing what you’ve written to 100 words, 50 words, 25 words, one sentence. See how short you can go. Find the essence of it. I try to compare my micro writing to a charcoal drawing that skillfully uses white space. Success depends to a great extent on what is left out, especially when you have so few words to begin with.

5. Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you and/or your writing?

When I get a rejection, I don’t take it personally. An editor’s decision to publish is so subjective and can depend on a number of factors, none of which may be connected to the piece itself. The trick is to read a lot, research many publishers, submit like a demon, and wait until your work finds editors who appreciate your unique voice.

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Michele Rappoport is living the small life in Arizona and Colorado. She travels in an RV, creates tiny art, writes poetry and short fiction, and has a certification in small-animal massage. Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in High Desert Journal, Literary Orphans, Right Hand Pointing, and The Centifictionist. She wishes she were taller, but she is 5’3″ and shrinking.