Imelda Wei Ding Lo
Why did you submit to trash to treasure lit?
I submitted to Trash to Treasure Lit because I wanted to share my experiences with "trashing" old stories. Over the years, I've trashed many works, even ones that are pretty good. It's usually because they don't fit what I want to explore anymore.
How would you describe your writing practice?
Focused. I can't listen to music or have any distractions when I'm writing. I also can't be too tired when I write, so writing after staring at the computer for 6+ hours for work is also out of the question. Writing in the morning usually works best, especially after breakfast.
What is the biggest thing that stops you from submitting work to lit mags/journals/publications?
Not having enough stories to submit. Because of my job, I don't have a lot of free time to constantly write. This means I only have a small number of stories - mostly written before I started working - to submit to lit mags, journals, and publications. However, I'm working on waking up earlier so I can finish work faster and have more time to write in the evening.
Do you think the writing industry has an impact on your confidence in your work (good or bad)? Why?
I don't think the writing industry has impacted my confidence in my work. I see my work as a reflection of myself and my own thoughts, and how far I've come in my own journey. As such, I don't really make comparisons with other writers.
When do you start to doubt a piece that you are working on?
I start doubting a piece when my characters and themes have evolved. Then, I look back at a piece I wrote a year or two ago, before the changes happened, and I no longer think the piece is a good representative of the character or theme.
Once you trash one of your pieces, what makes you come back to it (if ever)?
I rarely come back to a piece after trashing it, but if I do decide to do this, it's usually because I think it's still redeemable. That is, I only need to change a few things for it to be representative of my characters and themes.
How many pieces do think you have currently in your 'abandoned' folder?
Around three or four.
What is the ultimate reason that you trash your work?
The ultimate reason is because some of the writing I did in 2020 and before wasn't that polished. At that point of my life, I wasn't very efficient at editing or writing, so I didn't put as much effort in polishing my works. Also, my characters and themes weren't that well-established back then, so the stories aren't as moving as my newer ones.
Is there anything that would stop you from trashing your work? (More education in writing, more publications/less rejections, a change in the industry, etc)
I think the only thing that would stop me from trashing my work is writing experience. As I become more confident in the characters and themes I'm exploring (as well as in my own writing style), I will be trashing fewer and fewer works.
What writing advice have you been given that has changed your perspective on how you treat/view your work?
Just write. Even if you feel like your characters and themes are boring, maybe they're more interesting than you think. The more you write, the more interesting a theme or character may become.
If you have any upcoming work (books, publications, features, art, etc), feel free to mention them here, so that we can support you!
My anthology of short stories, "Anecdotes From the Lower East Side," may be coming out next year. I'm not sure who the publisher will be, since I have yet to receive responses from the publishers I've submitted my work to, but hopefully, it will be published. My chapbook, "The Happiness of Malka Spitzer," will also be coming out soon. As above, I am not sure which publisher will be publishing it. However, it will probably come out by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Imelda Wei Ding Lo (she/her) is the founder of Fortunus Games and a graphic novelist, podcaster, and writer. Her short stories have been published in the Victoria Literary Festival, Trash to Treasure Lit, and the Sixpence Literary Journal. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @fortunusgames.