>>>> about the author: Hayley Perkins >>>>
Hayley Perkins is one of our three winners for short fiction this year. Her story, “No Vacancy,” was written for Matt Lany’s creative writing class at FCCJ; not only was it the first assignment for the class, but also notably her “first attempt at fiction.”
Hayley is our youngest winner. At eighteen years old, she is currently a freshman at the University of North Florida. She entered Professor Lany’s class as a dual-enrolled high school student last spring. Recognizing “how much effort goes into a short story” made her begin to take creative writing seriously.
Though she predicts her plans will change, Hayley’s current goal is to major in English and minor in film studies. She reports that she can write “a mean research paper” and hopes to put her writing talents to use analyzing film.
For now, the sage advice is left to more experienced fiction writers: “I’m a total novice. . . . I’m still such a beginner that I don’t really have advice to give. I just write what I know.” The description of her process is one many writers can relate to, however: “I pretty much stress out until I hit rock bottom emotionally, then I go from there. It’s painful to watch.”
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