In 2024 SmokeLong hosted our second SmokeLong Workshop Prize competition. Our workshop participants reported almost 300 publications to us before November 1, 2024. In 2025, we’ll be featuring one writer each week from The SmokeLong Workshop Prize long list. It’s an excellent series of interviews, each grappling with questions about workshopping, giving and receiving feedback, and the publication process. If you are a previous or current SmokeLong workshop participant and you have ultimately published something you began in a SmokeLong workshop, remember to enter The SmokeLong Workshop Prize competition. This free-to-enter competition is on our Submittable page.
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An Interview with Savera Zachariah — “952 ways to will your daughter” published in Bending Genres
What do you remember about the workshop where you wrote this story? What was the prompt or writing task that led to this story?
The March Micro Marathon workshop 2024 was fast-paced – a draft every day for 24 days, and it was the perfect workshop for a procrastinator like me. A word about the daily prompts: extremely well curated with links to relevant stories. The imperative mood was the prompt that led to this story. I love how this voice can be used to tell strong, gut-hitting stories.
Peer-review feedback is always full of surprises. In general, what kind of feedback do you find helpful? What kind of feedback do you find less helpful?
Any feedback that is specific — what works/doesn’t work in the story. Feedback that is ‘lovely piece’, ‘nice writing’… doesn’t help much. I like feedback that is honest (brutal even) which helps refine my piece. I am still learning how to give feedback and have a long way to go to becoming a better reviewer.
To how many places did you send this story? Can you tell us a little about its journey to? publication?
This was sent to two literary journals and was published by Bending Genres. I knew this was a strong piece as it was shortlisted in SmokeLong’s competition (at the end of the marathon) in the 400-word category. I am delighted that this is nominated for Best Small Fictions 2025. This piece was also shortlisted in SmokeLong’s Workshop Prize competition for published stories.
What is your advice to someone considering taking part in a peer-review workshop?
Be open to receiving constructive criticism. Save peer reviews along with the draft, so when you rework the piece, the feedback will help in polishing the draft. Read other participants’ stories (you learn a lot from that) and also attempt all prompts, even those in genres that you are not comfortable with writing.
Read “952 ways to kill your daughter” in Bending Genres.
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Savera Zachariah’s work appears in Bending Genres, National Flash Fiction, Ruby Literary…. In 2025, she has a nomination for Best Small Fictions; her stories were shortlisted in NFFD’s micro fiction competition and in SmokeLong’s Workshop Prize. She is a published food and travel writer with bylines in BBC Travel, Al Jazeera, Atlas Obscura and others. She was a software professional in her past working life. She lives in Bengaluru, India. @savzac.bsky.social, X (formerly twitter) @savjohzac
The core workshop of SmokeLong Fitness is all in writing, so you can take part from anywhere at anytime. We are excited about creating a supportive, consistent and structured environment for flash writers to work on their craft in a community. We are thrilled and proud to say that our workshop participants have won, placed, or been listed in every major flash competition. Community works.