Often the creation behind the work is longer than the work itself. Flash fiction is no different, especially for Zoe Blaylock. Learn more about the author behind the story "Like Trout to Flies" with Roisin Sheerin. Read until the end for Blaylock's very interesting philosophy on her much longer writing projects—a literary novel and a hybrid memoir.
The voice in your story reminded me of two writers in particular: Sam Savage and Richard Brautigan. I wondered if you were familiar with those writers, and where you think your voice comes from?
Richard Brautigan I had read many years ago, and I remember that I liked his approach.
I wasn't familiar at all with Savage, but now that I’ve read some of his work, I’m delighted that my work reminds you of his. It feels good when someone says my work reminds them of other writers. It makes me feel connected to the literary world.
As for where my voice comes from, I suspect from all the people I’ve been. From all I’ve learned, consciously or not.
One thing I love about your story, I think it's wonderful to read aloud. Do you read your own work aloud?
All the time. Having it sound like me, is what that makes it mine. Frankly, I read other people's work aloud too. When the writing is good, it’s easy to read it in the voice of the writer, even if you’ve never heard the writer speak aloud. It come alive. So, yeah, I really like the intersection of sound and sight.
You said in your notes that you never fear the blank page. As somebody who lives in constant fear of a blank page, how do you do that?
I really don't fear it. I even mentioned this on my very sparse website. On the “About” page, I wanted to be very honest. I said, “I read”, “I write”, “I hope”. All one-word verbs. And then I said, “I do not fear a blank page” because I really don’t.
Having said that, I fear a full page very, very much. To me, a blank page is full of possibilities, it could realize every idea that's in my head. Once it's written, then I get anxious. I get very anxious, and I start to worry: Did I say what I wanted to say? What did I omit? How did I screw it up? How can it be misunderstood? Oh my gosh. Oh, no. I forgot to mention this. I wanted to include that. I wanted to interweave this notion, and I failed. I failed. I failed.
So yeah, if I fear anything in terms of writing, it’s the page once it's been written.
Do you edit a lot out along the way?
I rewrite. That's where the reading aloud comes in, I catch so much of what I haven't said when I hear myself read it aloud. Also, since I write on a computer, I often let the computer play it back in its monotone voice. That allows me to hear things I otherwise would not. Then, I read it myself over and over and over again, listening to what's wrong and rewriting sections that sound off.
And it's not just the words I listen for. Content too. It helps with the anxiety of what I wrote. Is what's on the page what I need to be there in order to be understood?
Well, the story is very short, but it packs a lot in, and it's so economical. How long did it take you to write it, including the settling in period, or from start to finish?
In total, it took maybe about four years? Yeah. It took that long. It started off at twice the length. And then, As I read it out loud countless times, I started to realize that I was repeating myself. Saying stuff that was not important in this story. So I rewrote and rewrote until the intent was captured on the page. The emotional and the intellectual things that I wanted to say.
It really is a marriage of emotion and intellect. They must be in sync. Am I saying what I want to say? It requires a tremendous amount of rewriting to at least get close.
Do you think your discipline as a poet feeds into your fiction writing?
I write poetry. I do it as experimentation and an extension of prose. But I don’t
consider myself a poet. I hold poets in the highest esteem. They blow me away with what they can do in such a small amount of space, how much they can do. I’m not in their ranks, much as I wish I were for I love what poets do.
I would say that the process of writing and reading poetry helps me to write prose, to understand how prose works. And it also helps me to read prose. But I can only dream of being a poet.
I think “Like Trout to Flies” is very funny. I was looking out for the trout, the fishing theme. But instead of early in the story where I expected it, it comes up in the middle, unexpectedly. Yet I felt like I was hooked early on. At what point did the title come to you?
I think it was two years into the writing of the story. By accident. I was talking about it with my husband. He's not a writer, but he is very funny, especially with those short quips that really grab you. Anyway, I was frustrated about something, and I was telling him about an individual who jumped to an unfair conclusion. And he said, “Oh Zoë, people jump to conclusions like trout to flies, it's no big deal.” And I immediately thought it was a great line, “People jump to conclusions like trout to flies.” And I just knew I was going to use that line someplace because it was so true. And I also used part of it as the title. I wish I had come up with it myself, but I didn't.
Let’s talk about animals in literature. Dogs frequently crop up in your stories. Do you think the outside world and the natural world are important to your literature?
Absolutely. I love dogs. I believe if you’ve ever loved a dog, a cat, a bird, any animal, you can’t help but feel that you sometimes know what they're thinking when they're looking at something.
My dogs have helped me to see the world through their eyes. And I think it’s useful for a writer to see the world through the eyes of someone else. Not just another person, another species too. Even a tree. I know that's anthropomorphizing the tree. But so what? It’s important to see things through the eyes of others.
I’m grateful that dogs have taught me to look at the world a little bit differently.
Have you written any novels?
I’m writing two longform works, a novel and a hybrid which is a blend of memoir, fiction, poetic pieces, social commentary, philosophy, that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, they’re both unfinished. In part, because to avoid writer’s block, I move from one project to the other without finishing either. In part because I rewrite as often as I do. I know I shouldn’t rewrite until the first draft is done, but I do it anyway.
Hopefully the novel will be finished in the next few months. Everyone knows there are plenty of superb novels that get published but don’t go anywhere because not all novels can. Although I have great hopes for mine, I know they may not pan out and I’m okay with that.
Flannery O'Connor once said that as long as she was writing a story, it was her business. But once it was written, it was God's business. I think she was a very strong Catholic, and although I am not, I've always agreed with her on this point. As long as I'm writing it, it's my business. Then, after it's written, it will be what it will be. <>

Zoe Blaylock
Zoe Blaylock's work has been published or is forthcoming in The Westchester Review, Amsterdam Quarterly, Innisfree Poetry Journal, and in other publications. Educated mostly in the school or hard knocks and droll encounters, she earned her degrees at Harvard and now lives in San Diego, California.

Róisín Sheerin
Róisín has performed in a number of roles including poet, actress and
comedian. Having just completed the M. Phil in Creative Writing at Trinity, and turning her writing hand to non-fiction, she is mostly appearing
these days as herself.
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