When *fotoFRIDAY asked deviants to write a poem or piece of prose inspired by a photograph by *ahermin this past January, =IfrozenspiritI rose to the challenge with gusto, crafting a moving short story titled "Of Sunsets." Her work was the winning prose entry, and here she tells us a bit about her writing.



_{=IfrozenspiritI's winning entry}

`bananaprincess: Tell us a bit about yourself as a writer. How long have you been writing, and what do you write?

=IfrozenspiritI: I've been writing forever, although I'd only categorize my writing as writing writing—that is, not feeble attempts at fantasy bestsellers that never made it past 60 pages—since maybe my sophomore year of high school. So . . . four years now. I write fiction (I hate trying to classify it further), although I occasionally dabble in poetry for amusement more than anything else.


BP: Your prize-winning story, Of Sunsets, is a substantial piece about the history of a discarded friendship. Could you tell us a little about the creative process of writing it? Did the story start with *ahermin's photograph, Collecting Liliputians? Did the photograph bring together older ideas for a story, as this photo from *fotoFRIDAY did for `alienhead's A Life Transparent?

FS: The first sentence of the story came to mind as soon as I looked at the photograph; I immediately wrote it down on the first available piece of paper without a clue as to how a story would develop from there. I didn't really have a clue until halfway through the story, actually; I was just drawn to the idea of the characters that formed in my head, and the image of disappearing into a point. (I've been reading too much philosophy, lately.)


_{"Collecting Liliputians" by *ahermin}

BP: *fotoFRIDAY provides inspiration for writing with great photographs. What else do you find inspirational for writing?

FS: Oh gosh, everything! I keep a notebook of random sentences and sentence fragments that come to mind much the same way the opening of "Of Sunsets" did—these can be inspired by images, music, overheard conversations, dreams, situations, hypothetical musings . . . or just some garbled refuse from my garbled mind. Sometimes these sentences turn into stories; sometimes they just amuse me when I look through my notebooks.


BP: What is your favorite piece of writing in your dA gallery?

FS: I'd have to say, "Of Sunsets" is my new favorite. Other contenders are "Sacrifice," as my first substantive (good) piece of writing; and "If Wishes Were Horses," in which I was finally able to write about horses.



BP: There are a few photographs in your gallery as well. Is photography an art you are still pursuing?

FS: I'd hesitate to use the word "pursuing," because that seems to imply a level of dedication that quite frankly isn't there, but I do enjoy photography. There's something relaxing and satisfying in simply capturing an image rather than constructing it from words. (Before you photographers complain: I know real photographers don't "simply" capture things, which is why I'd never label myself a photographer.)



BP: What has helped you most develop as a writer?

FS: Writing! Getting feedback from other writers, giving feedback to other writers, reading, living vicariously through others, and (surprisingly) studying vocabulary for standardized tests. Weird, I know.


BP: What are you currently working on?

FS: Mostly revising, at the moment: "Of Sunsets," "If Wishes Were Horses," and my latest, "Bodies."



Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, and congratulations on your win!

*fotoFRIDAY provides a photo prompt for writers every Friday.

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