Melisa, who writes as M.A. Quigley, transitioned from legal administration to writing after two decades in the field. In this interview, she shares how six-word stories and poems shaped her creative path.

Melisa, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Let’s start with a bit of your story—could you introduce yourself, share a little about your background, and what led you to writing?

Thank you for having me in your magazine. I’m from Melbourne, Australia. In 2015, I completed an Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing. I wanted to reinvent myself after working as a personal assistant in a legal office for over twenty years, so I did an online creative writing course while I applied for jobs. The global financial crisis had struck. After applying for 110 jobs and getting nowhere, I did a couple of writing courses at our local community centre and went to university to learn how to write a novel.

Your book Let’s Write a Six-word Story or a Poem embraces creative constraint in a beautiful way. What inspired you to explore such brief, distilled forms of expression?

When I was at university, I was told that if I wanted to be a writer, I would have to have a social media account on Twitter, which is now X. I didn’t want to use Twitter, nor put my photo on there. The lecturer said I would fail, and I shouldn’t be a writer. The words “you must have engaging content to interact with people” kept going through my mind. I’ve always loved poetry and stories. I did a post every day with a six-word story or a poem and invited people to write a six-word story or a poem too.

When I first started doing my prompts, I felt extremely vulnerable. If you knew me personally, you would know that I would rather hide than put myself out there. Since then, I’ve got to know some lovely, like-minded people and have helped many people have the courage to write. It was the best decision I could have made. Now I have made many friends with people on social media. Plus, I’ve helped boost people’s confidence to write, and they’ve boosted mine to believe in myself and keep writing.

You’ve described writing as an open invitation rather than a rigid formula. How do you balance structure with freedom in your creative process?

For me, I like to forget about structure. It comes much later. I liken it to being a pantser rather than a plotter. A plotter has structure, whereas being a pantser is freeing and exciting because my muse can lead me to places I never knew about, and the destination can be somewhere totally different from what I could ever imagine. It’s all about trusting myself and the process. Sometimes, I can write something and think, “where did that come from?” My pen and I are going on an adventure into the unknown. It’s like buying a mystery flight and enjoying the process. There’s a sense of excitement about where I will travel to with my journal and pen, who I’ll meet, what I’ll see, and say, etc. Balance and structure come from brainstorming what I’ve written with my writing group. Their feedback helps me refine my story.

Many people struggle to express deep feelings—especially in short formats. What advice would you give to someone who’s afraid their words “won’t be enough”?

Don’t be afraid. No one has to read what you’ve written. Always remember that it’s a personal relationship between you, your pen, and your journal. You know yourself and what your life has been like until now better than anyone else. You’ve got this. I’ll admit, it takes courage to write something you may have kept buried inside of you. Take a few deep breaths and write anything that comes to mind, even if it’s one or two words. You’ve done great for trying, and I admire you. If it feels uncomfortable, there will always be another day or time when you can try again. You can also try putting your pen in your non-dominant hand and asking yourself how you are feeling. Let your non-dominant hand give you an answer. You can ask it anything you like. When you’ve written a few answers to the questions you’ve asked yourself, try switching to your dominant hand to write some more.

Sometimes you may write more or less than six words. No one is going to wrap you over the knuckles and say, “hey, it’s only meant to be six words…” I think it’s brilliant if you can write more because it means you’re getting into a natural rhythm or flow and feel comfortable to keep writing. If you write six words or fewer, that’s great too because you tried. The best thing I can advise you is don’t be hard on yourself. Poetry is also good for expressing emotions and ideas about different subjects and images, and it doesn’t have to rhyme.

Your prompts seem to touch on themes like grief, identity, humour, and memory—what draws you to those emotional spaces, and how do you approach them with care in your writing?

To be honest with you, it’s all about how I’m feeling on the day I view a picture prompt. I can look at a picture today and feel happy, but when I look at it tomorrow, it may make me feel differently. For example, I remember looking at a photo of me with my dog and feeling happy. Looking at the same photo when my dog died made me cry. It all depends on what is happening in my life.

I did an exercise in a creative writing class at university where we were told to get in touch with our senses. Look at the picture and close your eyes. Imagine dropping yourself down into it. If it had a taste, what would it taste like? If it had a smell, what would it smell like, etc. If there’s a person in the picture, what are they wearing, what colour hair do they have? Is it long or short? Are they male or female? Are they young or old? I try to view the scene in the photo from their perspective. It’s all about putting myself in their shoes. Are they happy, sad, or angry? I hope the reader can empathise with what I’ve tried to convey in my writing.

How have readers responded to Let’s Write a Six-word Story or a Poem in different contexts—like classrooms, journaling spaces, or group settings? Any unexpected stories or feedback?

It’s human nature to view the world differently. When we wake up in the morning, we may have a good or bad day. For instance, we may burn our toast and rush out the door to go to work. The train is packed with commuters, and we don’t get a seat. The boss is in a bad mood, and it rubs off on us. Alternatively, we wake feeling refreshed, eat breakfast, and get a seat on the train. The boss is so impressed with our work, he gives us a promotion. Small and big things affect us and how we’re feeling daily.

Some people have said that the picture prompt spoke to them straight away because of what was happening at work or in their relationship. Other people have said that my words resonated with them and inspired them to write something. People have found it hard to write or don’t want to read it out to anyone because they’ll be judged. Some picture prompts have evoked too much emotion because of things that were happening to them. Everyone’s experience in life is different. It’s all about having respect for both writers and readers. A man asked me if he could use a poem on one of my picture prompts to propose to his girlfriend. I said he could, and they got engaged. One person started writing a six-word story, and it ended up being a short story.

You’ve been published across multiple countries and cultures. Has that international exposure influenced how you write or how you think about storytelling?

Yes, it’s taught me to be mindful of people’s cultures. I don’t want to offend anyone. I just want to write what I know. Some of it’s sad and offends people, but that’s not what I’ve intended. I’ve tried to convey how my experience has affected me. A good example of this is my poetry and prose novel, Bereft. I wrote it based on some of my experiences and fictionalised the rest of the story. Some people took offence and said it was racist, which it is, but it was what I experienced. That’s the beauty of writing, though, isn’t it? We all see it from our point of view and what experiences we’ve had in life. It’s the impression that it leaves us with and how it makes us feel.

Do you find differences in the way you write for longer narratives versus shorter forms like poetry or six-word stories? What does each format offer you as a writer?

Yes, there are differences. I have been criticised in the past for writing long sentences. Writing six-word stories and poetry has made me think more about what I want to say. I ask myself how I can write something more concisely. It’s allowed me to take out the “fluff” and get straight to the point, as well as vary my sentence lengths, so the reader doesn’t get bogged down with what I’ve written. I think it makes me a better writer.

Lastly, what do you hope people take away from your work—whether it’s a six-word story, a novel, or just a single line that sticks with them?

Practice, practice, practice until you get it right. When you were a baby, it took time for you to learn how to walk and talk. It’s the same with writing. By practising, I don’t mean editing and critiquing yourself. The more you write a six-word story or a poem, the easier it will become. You’ll also find the quality of your writing will improve.

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