Dear Autumn Bettinger

Thank you for inspiring me to start writing again

Dear Autumn,

I wasn’t sure how I was going to do this but given that I couldn’t find you on socials and didn’t want to bombard your inbox and give off major Stan energy, I figured an open letter is the best way to send you your flowers.

Where do I begin? I’ve been writing privately most of my life. You should see my Google Drive—it’s a fucking mess.

When I was growing up, writing was a punishment. I had a really strange stepdad who would make me write pages to my actual dad to amend for my sins. I’m talking 5,10,17,32 pages at a time (depending on how badly I fucked up).

It was weird.

But I got kind of good at writing and found I had a passion for it too. I do think my imagination is on another level because I had to write about nothing for so long. So there’s that.

Things took a turn in my 20s.

I stopped writing and was very ashamed of it. Every time I tried to write, I was triggered and hated how it made me feel. So I stopped. Got out of the military and instantly began my career in Sales Enablement, which is still what I do to this day.

I’ve been doing this for so long, I actually forgot that I used to write things outside of quarterly business reviews and content for learning courses.

Last October, I was laid off and ended up with a lot of time on my hands.

You see, I’ve lost jobs before and what I usually end up doing is immediately start searching and usually working at a new job within less than a month. That’s my template. But this time was different. I had built up a good amount of savings and something inside me was telling me to slow down:

Slow down Tiffany. You always do this. You go way too hard and then you burn out fast as fuck. Take this time for yourself and put you first. For once. What are the things you’ve been neglecting while building revenue for these start-ups that are going to fail anyway? Spend some time here. You won’t regret it.

I’m really glad I listened to that inner voice.

I started reading a lot of flash fiction (books, pubs, Medium, Substack, etc.) and came across this 100-word contest, Tadpole Press. Why not, Tiffany? What have you got to lose?

To prepare, I decided to read some of the past winning entries and that’s when I stumbled on you, Autumn:

Ducky
by Autumn Bettinger

I met Ducky when he was already stage four. He was dangling out a broken window, one emaciated arm wrapped around a drainpipe, the other spraying bricks. Ducky’s graffiti was always a masterclass; a thousand lifelike birds flocking train cars, alighting on crumbling walls. The birds faded by June, a migration of erosion. In winter, looking for a new place to paint, I found half a mallard tucked under a highway overpass. Ducky’s last tag before the cancer ate him whole.

I shook my can—a thin, rattling eulogy—and released the mallard into flight.

I cried when I first read this. It struck me in ways that I cannot actually put into words. Reading it felt like a catalyst. I immediately wanted to start writing and evoke all the emotions. And I’ve probably read it 30-40 times since, uncovering another layer each time.

This is what inspiration looks like to me. In its most tactical sense. I’ve never been “moved” by 100 words until I read Ducky.

And then I proceeded to journey down the Autumn rabbit-hole:

• Twelve Jars

• Poppies

• Last Light of a Dying Sun

There were many others. But those along with Ducky are my favorites. So far. You are one of my favorite writers. Your writing motivated me to go deeper and take my craft more seriously. Even if it’s not my day job.

Because of you, I came across really important flash fiction community / contest staples like:

• Not Quite Write

• Furious Fiction

• Writing Battle

• Twisted Tournament

• NYC Midnight

Being apart of these spaces has been incredibly meaningful to me an has had an immense impact on my growth thus far. It’s also been a lot of fun getting to compete and cheer alongside you.

In fact, I’ve been able to do so much over the last six months and I really do have to thank you for the gift you’ve chosen to share with the world, because I needed something to snap me out of my day-to-day haze and your stories did just that. And still do.

Here’s what I mean:

🌟 ‘Sensational 64’, Writing Battle: Heart 2025 (Rom-Com) for Department of Forever (March 2025)
🏆 Highly Commended, Bath Flash Fiction Award (February 2025) for How to Fold a World Map
✨ Longlisted, Furious Fiction (February 2025 Showcase) for The Gospel According to Martha
🥈 2nd Place, The Midnight Hour Anthology (Creation Mag) for Auld Lang Shush
✨ Shortlisted, Furious Fiction (December 2024 Showcase) for Lucky Numbers
🥇 1st Place, Tadpole Press 100-Word Contest for Steal the Moon
🏅 10th Place, Tadpole Press 100-Word Contest for Royal Swim
✨ Shortlisted, Tadpole Press 100-Word Contest for Cartography
🥈 Runner-Up, Frosted Verse Challenge (Vocal) for poem Frost Translations
🥇 1st Place, Fantasy Prologue II Challenge (Vocal) for prologue The Last Thing She Engineered
✨ Longlisted, SmokeLong Grand Micro (The Mikey) 2024 for Intake
🌟 Finalist, New Millenium Writing The Fear Awards for Beautiful Ways to Disappear
✨ Longlisted, Not Quite Write Prize for The Future(s) She Left Behind
🥈 Runner-Up, Sky-ku Challenge (Vocal) for haiku What Light Remembers

As I said, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. We listen and we don’t judge.

Accolades certainly aren’t everything but they can serve as helpful checkpoints in a world where you are guaranteed to face a fuck-ton of rejection. As artists, it can be difficult for us to comprehend just how impactful the words we put out into the world can be, but there you have it.

How cool is it to know your words are inspiring a new generation of writers?

Of course, there were other factors at play—reading a lot of different stories, writing prolifically and sadistically, leveling up my own skills, beta reads, listening to Ed & Amanda’s advice, and some from Kathy Fish too, feedback, feedback and more feedback etc, but I’m not sure I would’ve taken the plunge like I did had it not been for Ducky.

So I want to say thank you.

Many times we hear about big names—the Stephen King’s, the Ursula K. Le Guin’s, and the Nora Roberts’—all inspiring authors on the come up.

But we rarely hear about the Autumn Bettinger’s.

I really hope you take this moment in and realize how much your words have meant to someone else.

Another writer.
Another reader.
Another human.

I read Ducky at a pivotal time in my life.

I was experiencing loss in a multitude of ways—impending loss of a relationship, impending loss of a grandmother and a recent loss of a job I gave my entire world to because I believed in the mission. Lol. We listen and we don’t judge.

Taking the time I did, slowing down, and experiencing your words set me down a winding path I am so grateful for every day.

I will be going back to work soon and so I may have to write less, but I will continue to write.

Thank you Autumn.

Sincerely,
Tiffany

You can find Autumn’s other works here. She also did a world-class interview and dropped some must-read flash fiction tips with Ed & Amanda from Not Quite Write here.