Thomas Boone, London Independent Story Prize 3rd Round 2024 Flash Fiction Finalist 'Before Calluses'

London Independent Story Prize 3rd Round 2024 Flash Fiction Finalist 'Before Calluses', Thomas Boone

- Can you please tell us about you and your daily life?

I live in Vermont with my wife, our two kids, and our two cats. I am a brewer by trade. When I’m not brewing beer or breaking up fights between feuding cats, I’m attempting to make fresh pasta with a five year old and a two year old as sous chefs.

- When and how did you get into writing?

I am compelled to write and tell stories. I have been writing fiction since I learned to write, and I never stopped. It is how I process joy and grief and how I explain the world to myself in ways I can digest. I mostly work in magical realism and fantasy.

In primary school, we wrote stories and had writing conferences, first with a peer and then with the teacher, I always had short, illustrated romps about one of my cats to show my teacher. While in peer conferences, I read to my classmates from a sixty page handwritten horror story, in which, during a class trip to Mount Rushmore, a girl in our class (who briefly changed schools before returning later in the school year) fell off one of the mountain’s carved faces and died, only to return as the Devil incarnate. My classmates delighted in seeing how each of us would meet our grisly end, and I looked forward to revealing a new installment each week. When my teacher finally got ahold of it, she leafed through the pages and told me to scrap it and work on something shorter. At the time, I was disappointed that she didn’t bother to read it, but in hindsight her reluctance to dig into the text probably kept me out of the guidance counselor’s office.

More recently, my flash fiction was shortlisted for the 2024 Bridport Prize.

- How often do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

I write a little everyday, but the bulk of my production comes in waves. I write on my lunch break and during my kids’ nap time and any time the inspiration strikes and my hands are free. My subconscious is constantly grinding little nuggets of inspiration like a rock tumbler, and every now and then it spits out something that’s worth holding onto.

- What's the best and most challenging thing about writing a story?

The best part of writing a story is when you surprise yourself, and the payoff naturally reveals itself as you are writing. The most challenging part is the days when the words refuse to take you where you want to go.

-  How did you develop the idea for your LISP-selected story? Is there a story behind your story? And, how long have you been working on it?

My daughter enjoys bedtime stories of embarrassing things I did as a child. This story sprang out of some of those anecdotes. I batted the idea around in my head for a while, but the actual writing of the piece took about a week. 

- Can you please give us a few tips about writing a story?

For flash pieces in particular, I like to write five or ten openings as a warmup. Then I flesh out the most compelling one. I do not write with the word limit in mind for the initial draft. The piece I wrote for this competition started at around 1,000 words. When the first version is complete, the project becomes trimming the brisket, cutting off any excess while leaving enough fat for flavor.

- What's the best thing and the most challenging thing about competitions? 

The best thing about competitions is there is a definite endpoint for both submission and for results. Even anonymously, it is always a challenge to put yourself out there and sit with the uncertainty.

- Lastly, do you recommend the writers submit to LISP?

I would definitely recommend writers submit to LISP. Contests are a great way to practice putting your writing out into the world, which I find helps me move on to the next piece.