We had the privilege of talking with Alyssa Buchthal on winning second place overall in this year's Writer's Games!

WW: What encouraged you to participate in Writer's Games this year? 

AB: I'm in a writing group online that posted the sign-up link when it went live. A few people who'd done it previously chimed in about how long the word count limits were and I was sold; I'm a novelist at heart, and I love short stories as a space to play and practice different things. Flash is lovely, but the longer limits in WG really give room to both develop a full story arc as well as try out new things, and that's right up my alley.

WW: What were you worried or nervous about coming into this year's Games?

AB: Honestly, I wasn't worried about much of anything. The tight timeline, mandate to write it all solo, creative prompts, and fun community were all huge draws that meshed with my creative style, no downsides in sight.

WW: What kept you motivated to participate in each Event?

AB: The games fit right into my natural writing schedule; I block out 4-6 hours every Saturday and Sunday to write before kicking off my weekend plans, and the fact that the competition schedule aligned with that so perfectly really helped me put my all into each story. The prompts being so open-ended also gave me room to create stories that felt truly me, without shoehorning in specific prompts or objects or settings, which made them much more enticing to work on. Seeing the results roll out each week and getting feedback along the way also really helped fuel me when writing in a silo might otherwise make it unrewarding/less dynamic.

WW: How did life's challenges affect your writing?

AB: Week 3 was honestly pretty rough; I was visiting family that week, Friday was July 4th, and I was flying home Sunday night. I remembered realizing that starting Thursday 8am through Monday 5pm, quite literally every waking hour of my time was accounted for, none of it by writing. I definitely lost a little sleep that week, but the story I wrote was straight from my heart and absolutely dripping of sweet summer nostalgia, 100% fuelled by the busy summer weekend it was written during. I love that story and wouldn't change a thing about that weekend; I'm just glad it was the only one scheduled that way during the comp!

WW: Which Event did you have the most fun with?

AB: I think week 2 was probably the most fun for me. It was one of those weeks where the prompt dropped and I just had this absolute buffalo of an idea stampede out of my mind. I got ink all over my hands trying to write it down in my journal with a leaky pen that first night, but I was so into it I didn't even want to pause to find another. That was probably the hardest week to hold myself back from telling my usual critique partners what was spinning around in my head! There were so many moments where I looked at the story as I was writing it and just wondered "where the hell in my brain did this come from?" It's such a complicated and tender story and as I've been working on it since the Games ended, it has challenged me in so many ways to grow as a writer and do justice to it.

WW: Which Event was more challenging for you than the rest?

AB: Definitely Event 5. The premise had been vaguely floating around in my head for a very long time, but when the prompts dropped, a plot and some characters just immediately manifested that brought the premise to life. It's one of the darkest and most personal pieces I've ever written, a far cry from my usual short story fare which can be angsty and heartstring-tugging, but generally never deeply depressing or heavy in subject matter. That weekend was a tough one, needing to stay immersed in that headspace, but coming out of it, the story feels like one of the most important I've ever written. I'm glad that the competition gave me the push to go there.

WW: Where do you find inspiration?

AB: Everywhere! I'm generally reading 3-4 books at a time, spending time with my friends and community, listening to music, people-watching, reading the news, engaging with the world, whatever I can do to keep my soul and creative spirit nourished. I keep a notebook with me pretty much wherever I go and jot down any and everything that comes to my mind in there. No idea is too silly or small to make those pages; I've filled thirteen of those journals now, and they've been my sandbox for the last five or six novels I've written, as well as two or three dozen short stories.

WW: What's the best writing advice someone has ever given you and who said it? How did it change your perspective on writing?

AB: I've been very lucky to study under the brilliant Maggie Stiefvater, and my favorite advice of hers is framed as a question: "What makes a Lyss Book a Lyss Book?" (Of course, insert your own name; I doubt thinking about a Lyss book will help anybody but me).

It’s a deceptively simple question that cuts past genre and format to the core of what moves you as a writer. What elements will be present in any story that's truly yours? Recognizing those patterns helps me write more honestly, choose better ideas, and stay connected to what matters most in my work.

It's also reframed how I think about my career. There’s often a gap between the kinds of stories we love to tell and the places we try to share them. Understanding what makes a Lyss book a Lyss book helps me set clearer goals and be more intentional about where I’m putting my energy. Those stories will resonate best with audiences who value the same things I do.

Over the course of WG, I wrote a story about a plane crash, a crippled man in a care home in Nebraska, a fiercely devoted summer camp, a man so afraid of his own feelings he ensconces them in stones, and a twisted online cult. On the surface, those things are wildly different, but every single one of them shares the same creative DNA. I'm proud to call them all Lyss stories. 

WW: What advice would you give to writers thinking about participating in next year's Games?

AB: Do it! Beyond that, the greatest advice I could give going in would be to use the Games as a testing ground for trying out new things. Trying to win each week is noble, but at the end of the competition, you get to walk away with five brand new stories, each of which can be a learning opportunity for new techniques, voices, formats, or genres. Set some goals for yourself that aren't attached to results each week, whether that be finishing, trying a new pov or genre out, playing with format or structure, whatever it might be. Stay true to what makes a you story a you story, write for the joy of writing, and emerge with ~30k new words that are uniquely yours to play with as you please.

Responses are published as received.

About Alyssa Buchthal:

Alyssa Buchthal is a US-based writer published with Neon Dystopia, Pipeline Artists, and The Orange & Bee. Their prose has been recognized by Writing Battle, Globe Soup, and The Australian Writers' Centre.