Alyssa Beatty - Third Place, Magicfest 2026

We interviewed the Magicfest Third Place Overall winner, Alyssa Beatty!

WW: What encouraged you to participate in Magicfest?

AB: I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump and wanted to remind myself that writing is something I do for the joy of it. In short fiction I find fantasy the most fun genre to write in; I always end up with characters or a voice that I really love. I’m deep in the weeds of writing a fantasy novel and it’s becoming a slog, so I wanted to re-ignite that spark of fun.

WW: What were you worried or nervous about in the beginning?

AB: Time. And getting sick; for some reason I always get sick during the Fests and Writer’s Games. I didn’t this time!

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

AB: I vastly overestimated the amount of time I would have during the week. And

underestimated how long it would take me to finish each story. April was supposed to be a slow time in my job but signing up for a three-week writing contest must have angered the gods because it was extremely busy. It was a challenge to finish my workday and go immediately into writing mode without any down time or, often, dinner.

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

AB: Surviving Alone. It was the only Event for which I got an immediate idea. The characters just popped into my head, and I fell absolutely in love with them. It was a joy to write their banter and develop their relationship. I’m really looking forward to diving back into that story and refining it just so I can spend more time with them.

WW: Which Event was more challenging for you?

AB: Choose Your Own Adventure. I started a story on Wednesday and realized 2000 words into it that I’d never be able to do it justice in the time I had left. I ended up madly writing an entirely new story in three hours and submitting it a minute before the deadline without a chance to re-read it, let alone edit it. I wish I’d had more time to shape it into something other than a fairly unhinged mass of chaos. But I also kind of love how my editing brain had to completely shut off in favor of just getting a story on the page.

WW: What inspires you?

AB: I get inspired whenever I remember what stories mean to me. When I’m depressed, I reread my favorite books. On my birthday I go to the bookstore and pick out a hardcover (such luxury!). The pleasure I get from letting myself spend a rainy Sunday curled up in bed with a book all day is singular. Stories have the power to comfort me, to make me cry when I need to, to distract me when the world feels too heavy. It can be easy to lose sight of how important writing is when you’re in the thick of it, lost and confused, with a little voice whispering “what’s the point?” But then I get inspired by the thought that maybe, someday, somewhere, one of my stories will comfort someone, or bring them the release of tears, or offer a refuge from the world.

WW: What advice would you give to writers?

AB: Write. A lot. Like a lot a lot. And read as much as you can. Remember that writing is fun. (Sometimes it’s only fun in retrospect). Try different genres, different voices. Play. Remember that there is only one you; the stories you tell are going to be unique because no one looks at the world quite the way you do. And finally, the single best thing I ever did for my writing: find a community. Online, in person, both. The value of finding people who understand the ups and downs of writing life is immeasurable.

Responses are published as received.

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About Alyssa Beatty:

Alyssa Beatty lives and writes in Brooklyn New York. When she is not engaged in an endless and fruitless battle to keep her cats off the kitchen counter, she writes short speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in Jersey Devil Press, Penumbric Speculative Fiction, and Luna Station Quarterly. She is at work on her first novel. Find her at alyssabeattywrites.com