Brian John Feehan, LISP 22 Short Story LISP Finalist, 'Requiem'

LISP 22 Short Story LISP Finalist 'Requiem' by Brian John Feehan

I’ve been writing on and off for my whole life. My BFA is from New York University Film School, and as such, I wrote several screenplays. I’m a theatre director by profession and have written a number of plays as well as served as a dramaturge for other’s work. But the pandemic, for me, was a blessing. With no employment to be had I could concentrate on my writing pretty much every day. I was able to finish my first novel, MUMFORD, which I began when I attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. I wrote a second novel THE LAKE, and am polishing a third, EVOLUTION. Even though things have opened again, I still try to write, edit or send out stories every day. It’s like exercising – if you let it go for too long, it’s that much harder to begin again.

Some other fiction of mine has appeared in New Millennium Writing (Muse Award), The Foundling Review, Gingerbread House and Plots with Guns. Several other stories were published in the anthologies LOCKDOWN NUMBER ONE, Beyond Words, and Lights, Camera, Action. I was a finalist for the Hemingway Story Prize and a flash semi-finalist in 2020 for the LISP prize. I have written and published five plays with Heuer publishing.

I also always keep a journal with me. Ideas, sentences, character names or story titles come out of nowhere and if I don’t write them down they disappear, even though I am certain I will remember them. It’s a great resource to come back to if I ever feel ‘stuck.’ I also took the time in the past few years to read what I can about the writing process or watch other writers’ journeys. (I’ve found Masterclass to be a great resource). And finally, I try not to get discouraged and just keep going, You never know when something like LISP will come along to buoy your spirits!