.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Don’t stop. Your words matter.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A coyote: adapt, persevere, survive.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?
Lack of sleep and stressful days are very problematic for me as a writer. I am unable to focus and connect with my creative energy. I also get very obsessive with the words I use, especially in my shorter works. I will go through my pieces and highlight words and phrases I’m not convinced are the best fit and make a list of alternatives. I will have my writing friends work through these with me until I feel good about each one.
Melissa contributed her nonfiction piece “What is Mine” to Yellow Arrow Journal’s Vol. VI, No. 1 issue on RENASCENCE. And most recently, Melissa wrote “Alight,” which was included in EMERGE: Coming Into View. Both publications are available in the Yellow Arrow bookstore. You can find her prerecorded reading of “Alight” on Yellow Arrow’s YouTube channel.
Melissa also has a flash essay, “Je Vois la Vie en Rose,” that came out in Issue 7 of the online magazine eucalyptus & rose. Her essay, “Silent,” is forthcoming in Issue 21 of Minerva Rising.