From Faulkner to Flash Fiction: A Writer's Journey with Samantha Ryan
In the ever-evolving world of publishing, finding your path as a writer often means exploring different genres, forms, and approaches before discovering where your voice truly shines. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Ryan, an author from Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose creative journey offers valuable insights for writers at any stage.
The Spark That Ignites
Like many writers, Ryan's journey began in a high school English class. Her first literary "hook in the mouth" was William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" - particularly the famously brief chapter consisting solely of "My mother is a fish." That moment of realization—that literature could break conventions in such profound ways—sparked something within her. With the encouragement of a perceptive English teacher, Ryan pursued a degree in creative writing.
However, her path wasn't without detours. After writing her first novel and facing the challenging reality of querying, Ryan stepped away from writing altogether for nearly a decade. "I'm way too thin-skinned for this," she recalls thinking. It wasn't until after the COVID pandemic that she reconnected with her passion for writing, this time with a renewed perspective.
Finding Freedom in Form
What's particularly fascinating about Ryan's approach is her willingness to experiment across different genres and forms. Her upcoming works include:
- Pride - A queer retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" (releasing February 2025)
- Words My Friends Have Thrown Away - A chapbook collection of flash fiction (Spring 2025)
- These Are Not My Final Words - A novel about grief featuring an animated duck character that appears at a funeral (November release)
This variety reflects Ryan's philosophy of "taking the pressure off" and allowing herself to explore creative possibilities without limiting herself to a single genre or style. As she puts it, she and a writer friend are "collecting genres like they're infinity stones."
The Business vs. The Art
One of the most insightful aspects of Ryan's interview was her discussion of the disconnect between her creative writing education and the business side of publishing. While her degree provided incredible exposure to literature and honed her craft in small, focused classroom settings, it left her unprepared for the realities of querying, finding an agent, and navigating the publishing world.
"They don't teach you the business side of writing," Ryan noted, explaining how this gap contributed to her initial retreat from writing. Her experience highlights the importance of writing conferences like OWFI (Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc.), where writers can learn practical skills from agents, editors, and fellow authors.
Creative Experiments
Ryan's approach to generating material is refreshingly playful. For her flash fiction collection, she solicited random words from friends on social media—everything from "flabbergasted" to "defenestration"—and used these as prompts to create short pieces from various queer perspectives. This collaborative approach resulted in a cohesive collection built from words her "friends threw away."
Her current project—a novel about a husband and wife puppetry team at Comic-Con dealing with the husband's announcement that he wants a divorce—demonstrates her continuing interest in unique premises and settings.
The Writer's Community
Perhaps the most valuable takeaway from Ryan's experience is the importance of community. Writing is often solitary work, which makes connections with other writers all the more crucial. Conferences, workshops, and other gatherings offer not just professional development but also the emotional boost that comes from being among "your people."
"You go home and you have that high," Ryan says of attending writers' conferences. "I'm going to go home and write my next novel tonight!"
Finding Balance
Like most writers today, Ryan juggles her creative work with full-time employment and other responsibilities. When asked about maintaining balance, she admitted with refreshing honesty: "My therapist would probably say I don't." But she remains motivated by her ultimate goal of becoming a full-time writer, using her evening hours (she describes herself as a "night owl") to work toward that dream.
Lessons for Writers
Ryan's journey offers several valuable lessons for writers at any stage:
- Experiment across genres - Don't feel confined to a single style or format
- Seek community - Writing conferences and groups provide both professional knowledge and emotional support
- Return to abandoned projects - Sometimes early work deserves a second look with more experienced eyes
- Focus on craft - Even while learning the business side, remember that strong writing is the foundation
- Use constraints creatively - Like Ryan's word-prompt approach, sometimes limitations can spark innovation
As writers, we're all collecting our own "infinity stones" of experience, technique, and insight. The path isn't always direct, but as Samantha Ryan's journey shows, sometimes the detours and experiments lead to the most interesting destinations.
