|
Jo Binns lives in Melbourne, Australia. She likes staying fit, but is often thwarted by gin martinis, cheese, and sitting down to read. Her first self-published book, “Trapped Inside a Dinosaur”, was enjoyed by her family and her Grade 3 teacher. No dinosaurs appear in Jo’s story in Crepuscular Magazine, her awarded stories in ScribesMICRO and Not Quite Write, nor her publications in Elegant Literature. |
Interview with Jo Binns
about her story "One Last Supper"
Honorable Mention in The Scribes Prize 2025
|
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
Writing micro-fiction feels like a glorious puzzle. I really love attempting to get across a vivid, complex story in so few words. It turns into a little dance of putting words in and then taking some others out and then putting more in, to the point of wondering if it even makes sense at all anymore.
Who are some authors that inspire you?
I have a pretty wide-ranging taste in reading and inspiration. To pick a few at random, I would say Jane Austen, N.K. Jemisin, David Mitchell, Alexis Wright. There’s more but that will do for now! I love non-fiction as well and draw a lot of inspiration from that too.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
I think for this story I would more prefer to write something from before this moment rather than after. I hope that the ending comes across as a liberation of sorts, so I’d be more interested in figuring out more of the backstory.
Writing micro-fiction feels like a glorious puzzle. I really love attempting to get across a vivid, complex story in so few words. It turns into a little dance of putting words in and then taking some others out and then putting more in, to the point of wondering if it even makes sense at all anymore.
Who are some authors that inspire you?
I have a pretty wide-ranging taste in reading and inspiration. To pick a few at random, I would say Jane Austen, N.K. Jemisin, David Mitchell, Alexis Wright. There’s more but that will do for now! I love non-fiction as well and draw a lot of inspiration from that too.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
I think for this story I would more prefer to write something from before this moment rather than after. I hope that the ending comes across as a liberation of sorts, so I’d be more interested in figuring out more of the backstory.
Interview with Jo Binns
about her story "Book Club for the Apocalypse"
Bronze Winner in The Scribes Prize 2024
|
What inspired this piece?
I am interested in climate fiction and also post-apocalyptic fiction, and for ages had an idea bouncing around in my head that was simply the title of this story, and the first part of the first line, about sticking at things longer than what might be good for you. I wanted this story to also be around older women, as I feel that a lot of apocalyptic fiction focuses on younger ‘chosen one’ figures or someone who is a hero bringing hope. In this story, I wanted to think about people at the edges of that, who are perhaps more oblivious to things but whose stories are interesting nonetheless. I still think I’d like to write a much longer version of this story, but I ended up using the idea in a prompt-based competition because the prompts just brought this idea to mind.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
Micro-fiction feels like a glorious puzzle and my brain loves working out how to get across a vivid, complex story in so few words. I love having that draft done and then spending hours trying to cut it down further. It turns into a little dance of putting words in and then taking some others out and then putting more in, to the point of wondering if it even makes sense at all anymore.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
Interesting question! I would like to first get to know the group a bit more and then see what they do when they survive this catastrophe. Perhaps how they find hope, despair, wisdom and comfort in great works of fiction while they set about rebuilding their town together.
I am interested in climate fiction and also post-apocalyptic fiction, and for ages had an idea bouncing around in my head that was simply the title of this story, and the first part of the first line, about sticking at things longer than what might be good for you. I wanted this story to also be around older women, as I feel that a lot of apocalyptic fiction focuses on younger ‘chosen one’ figures or someone who is a hero bringing hope. In this story, I wanted to think about people at the edges of that, who are perhaps more oblivious to things but whose stories are interesting nonetheless. I still think I’d like to write a much longer version of this story, but I ended up using the idea in a prompt-based competition because the prompts just brought this idea to mind.
What draws you to the micro-fiction format?
Micro-fiction feels like a glorious puzzle and my brain loves working out how to get across a vivid, complex story in so few words. I love having that draft done and then spending hours trying to cut it down further. It turns into a little dance of putting words in and then taking some others out and then putting more in, to the point of wondering if it even makes sense at all anymore.
If you could continue writing your story after these 100 words, what would happen next?
Interesting question! I would like to first get to know the group a bit more and then see what they do when they survive this catastrophe. Perhaps how they find hope, despair, wisdom and comfort in great works of fiction while they set about rebuilding their town together.