"The Concept of a Moment." A Chat with Susanna Baird, Editor of Five Minutes
"If you have a good story, go for it."
Howdy! I have here yet one more editor interview, freshly in the books!
Today I had the great fun of speaking with Susanna Baird, Editor of Five Minutes. “Five Minutes explores five minutes of a life in one hundred words.”
This online magazine publishes micro-memoirs. All stories need to be true. And yes, all pieces need to be exactly 100 words, not counting the title. The pieces also need to focus on five minutes in a person’s life.
Susanna launched the lit mag in 2020. She got the idea from her writing group, in which they would often start off responding to a prompt: write something that takes place within five minutes. Susanna found she loved these little “brain dumps,” and soon began posting hers on Facebook. Not long after, people began to send her five-minute stories of their own. She decided to launch the site and officially take on the role of Editor.
Five Minutes publishes four pieces per week. They receive about 50-80 submissions per month and accept around 20.
As I read through the pieces here prior to this interview, I was struck by the non-literary-ness of several of them. Yes, many are highly crafted, with elevated language and clearly the strong hand of someone who’s studied writing for some time. Others feel refreshingly familiar, mundane in the best possible way, as if you’re hearing a story from a stranger at a bus stop or while in line at the supermarket.
Susanna said this is something she is aware of, and she welcomes such submissions. “We are always looking for a story we haven’t heard.”
That said, every story here definitely packs a punch. Strong, surprising endings are often a crucial part of pulling off a successful micro piece. We spent some time discussing “Embarkation” by Tanita Love, whose ending nearly had me crying out, Oh NO!!
In this particular journal, the five-minute moment is also important. The story can span decades, years, months, but the centerpiece needs to be that moment of transformation within the five minutes. Often in editorial meetings, Susanna will ask her team of volunteer readers, “Where is the five minutes?”
What are common pitfalls among micro-memoir submissions? What has Susanna learned about the craft of writing generally through her time among the micros? What keeps her motivated and inspired to do this work? And what does she want to see more of in submissions?
For all that and more, dear friends, you will have to tune in!
Five Minutes is open year-round. There is no fee to submit.
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