Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Edward Moore in FAMM
Edward Moore has been lighting it up lately! He's got a flash pubbed in Futures Anthology Mystery Magazine, and it's great. It's right here: Victorian Shoplifter.
Monday, June 27, 2005
William Vitanyi, Jr.
William Vitanyi, Jr.
With two books and one produced screenplay under his belt, William Vitanyi, Jr. has definitely tasted more than a little success with his writing. His first novel, Palm Sunday, is a technological thriller about the organized violation of online privacy. Blending well-developed characters, online technology, and a superbly suspenseful plot, Vitanyi will keep you glued to the page.
His second novel, Kyuboria, is an offbeat and absurdly realistic account of cubicle working. It's sure to crack up anyone who's ever been a state worker, or a cubicle worker. But its appeal translates to anyone who's held an office job. When state worker Clint Palmer discovers that a large grant is available that he could use to start his own business, he gets excited. But there's a catch. The grant is only available to people who've been fired from their job. Easy enough to accomplish, except that the state never fires anyone. Thus begins Clint's mission to get fired with his escalating schemes that become more outrageous by the day. Fans of the Ron Livingston flick Office Space will definitely appreciate Vitanyi's ironic wit and depictions of office politics.
Bill has also written a screenplay. Shakespeare's Dilemma is a short film that places some of Shakespeare's most memorable characters – such as Lady MacBeth and Iago, in a modern office setting as they wrestle with deadlines and politics as they await auditor Othello. A Lyon's Den Production, and starring Bill as an inept, golf-loving Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Dilemma is a satirical and witty look at office life, and it also features some stunning codpieces. Director John C. Lyons, who also plays Iago, has been gathering rave reviews on the film festival circuit for his follow-up short, Hunting Camp. Both Shakespeare's Dilemma and Hunting Camp are available through Lyon's Den Production.
Both of Bill's books, Palm Sunday and Kyuboria are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local bookstores.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've
influenced you?
Louis L'amour - Many westerns. Though he wrote fiction, he prided himself on writing about places that actually existed, and trails or watering holes that he had seen with his own eyes. When reading his stuff you don't even realize that you are turning the pages. Influence: Matching fiction with reality.
Joseph Heller - "Something Happened" (he also wrote "Catch-22", which I haven't read yet.) "Something Happened" includes a lot about office life, though not much about cubicles. In the story the main character has a disabled child at home, which I do as well. This is not the focus of the book, which actually doesn't have much of a focus, but is an entertaining read. Influence: Writing syle and attitude, rambling about nothing, as long as it's funny or ironic. Or funny and ironic.
Chuck Palahniuk - "Choke", "Survivor". Chuck shows how to use your own voice in your writing, to speak to the reader almost in fleeting images. He demonstrates that a fully constructed, grammatically perfect sentence is not always the best way. Influence: Write naturally.
Stephen Holzner - "Visual Basic 6". (Programming reference book). I have to make a living, right?
John C. Lyons - Work memo dated 11/16/2004 admonishing me for taking my personal work home with me. Influence: I now bath less frequently.
Susan DiPlacido - "24/7". She is an Eloquentress Suprema. In fact, she influenced me to get a tatoo: 24/7, on my forearm.
Really? Nah. But she is a heck of a writer.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing?
Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My biggest flaw is that I suck. I'm a hack. An amateur. I'll never amount to anything in the world of literature. I will die unknown and unappreciated.
But I'm good with that.
As for my strengths, hmmm...
I guess I'm pretty diligent once I get started with a book. Even though I like to watch football, for example, if a game is on I think about what I could accomplish with my writing over the three hours or so of the broadcast. Then, usually, I write for that time instead.
Also, I know when something is funny, because if it makes me laugh, I know it will make someone else laugh, too. In humor topicality is important to provide a common reference. Writing about an environment that you are intimately familiar with is key to getting the nuance right.
Tropicality is entirely different.
I think I'm getting better with cadence. Writing at its best should be like a song, I think, and just as with music you can tell when something just doesn't fit. It's not necessarily grammar, usage, or any other definable aspect of language. Remember how we used to say in English class, "It just doesn't sound right?"
Well sometimes it doesn't.
3) You've written novels (Kyuboria and Palm Sunday) and a screenplay
(Shakespeare's Dilemma). What do you like best about each medium and which
would you like to focus on in the future?
With novels it's all you. Either you got it right--as far as how you intend it to be read--or you didn't. With a screenplay you get to actually see and hear how someone else is interpreting your intention. It's great. If you are involved in the actual production of your own screenplay, as I was in "Shakespeare's Dilemma", then you get to have a back and forth exchange with the actors, explaining different emphasis, intonation, whatever. Sometimes they have a better idea, and it becomes more of a collaboration. Everyone has more of a stake in the final product, so there is sort of a collective nervousness at how the final product will be received.
Which do I like better?
It depends on the finished product. If one is great and the other mediocre, I like the great one. I'll probably either quit writing altogether, or continue writing in both styles.
Depends on my mood.
4) Palm Sunday is a thriller, and Kyuboria is a satire/comedy. Do you like
writing humor, and do you find it easier or harder to write than "serious"
fiction?
By far Kyuboria was easier to write, because it's more me. People say it sounds like the way I talk, and I take that as an insult, but at least it's what I intended. In Palm Sunday I incorporated fiction with technology, which demanded a lot of research. Although I work with technology, I don't know everything. Palm Sunday was much more of a production because it was far longer, had to be carefully outlined, researched, and of course rewritten time and again. As my first book I'm very proud of it, but I know that if I had to do it again I could make it much better.
Humor is funnier.
5) You've been quite successful so far with two published novels and a
short film made from your screenplay. What, to you, is the hardest part of
the business of publishing and what is the best part of it?
Here's my take on it: Writing is hard, but fun. Marketing is dreadful, but necessary.
So marketing is my least favorite, and therefore, probably, my weakest aspect of the deal.
However...
When I rewrite a manuscript my strategy is always to take the weakest chapter and make it into the best chapter. Make the weakest page into the strongest page. The weakest dialogue into the strongest. I need to follow this model with marketing. If it is my weak point, I need to make it my strong point.
I just don't want to.
I guess I'll work on that one.
Bottom line, you've got to promote yourself and your work. Sometimes that means putting on a show. It means doing what your audience wants. It means GETTING an audience. This has been a pretty good year in that respect so far. I've done signings/events at three universities and a large high school, as well as at Barnes & Noble. It's fun, but also can be tiring, especially when you have a few events bunched together.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
The stock answer would be Jesus, or King Arthur, or Hemmingway, or Washington, or Sun Tzu, or someone else famous and respected.
Jesus would be useless, because he's already told us everything we need to know.
(Sorry, Jesus. I actually mean that as a compliment. But you already knew that.)
Seriously, I would pick one of two people. Either my brother or my daughter. My brother died in 1983, and I would certainly love to have a conversation with him. My daughter, who is now 25, is severely disabled, and has never had a conversation with anyone, although she is alert and responsive. A dinner with her that included even a brief chat would be my first choice.
You just gave me an idea for a book...
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD
do you take?
CD: Neil Diamond's greatest hits.
DVD: Collection of Monty Python, including Holy Grail
Book: "How to get off a Desert Island"
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
"Great" in answer to the question "How's it goin'?"
(standard office evasion)
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and
critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be
a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I've already tasted respect as a diligent State Worker.
It's alright.
Give me sales baby, give me sales.
With two books and one produced screenplay under his belt, William Vitanyi, Jr. has definitely tasted more than a little success with his writing. His first novel, Palm Sunday, is a technological thriller about the organized violation of online privacy. Blending well-developed characters, online technology, and a superbly suspenseful plot, Vitanyi will keep you glued to the page.
His second novel, Kyuboria, is an offbeat and absurdly realistic account of cubicle working. It's sure to crack up anyone who's ever been a state worker, or a cubicle worker. But its appeal translates to anyone who's held an office job. When state worker Clint Palmer discovers that a large grant is available that he could use to start his own business, he gets excited. But there's a catch. The grant is only available to people who've been fired from their job. Easy enough to accomplish, except that the state never fires anyone. Thus begins Clint's mission to get fired with his escalating schemes that become more outrageous by the day. Fans of the Ron Livingston flick Office Space will definitely appreciate Vitanyi's ironic wit and depictions of office politics.
Bill has also written a screenplay. Shakespeare's Dilemma is a short film that places some of Shakespeare's most memorable characters – such as Lady MacBeth and Iago, in a modern office setting as they wrestle with deadlines and politics as they await auditor Othello. A Lyon's Den Production, and starring Bill as an inept, golf-loving Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Dilemma is a satirical and witty look at office life, and it also features some stunning codpieces. Director John C. Lyons, who also plays Iago, has been gathering rave reviews on the film festival circuit for his follow-up short, Hunting Camp. Both Shakespeare's Dilemma and Hunting Camp are available through Lyon's Den Production.
Both of Bill's books, Palm Sunday and Kyuboria are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local bookstores.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've
influenced you?
Louis L'amour - Many westerns. Though he wrote fiction, he prided himself on writing about places that actually existed, and trails or watering holes that he had seen with his own eyes. When reading his stuff you don't even realize that you are turning the pages. Influence: Matching fiction with reality.
Joseph Heller - "Something Happened" (he also wrote "Catch-22", which I haven't read yet.) "Something Happened" includes a lot about office life, though not much about cubicles. In the story the main character has a disabled child at home, which I do as well. This is not the focus of the book, which actually doesn't have much of a focus, but is an entertaining read. Influence: Writing syle and attitude, rambling about nothing, as long as it's funny or ironic. Or funny and ironic.
Chuck Palahniuk - "Choke", "Survivor". Chuck shows how to use your own voice in your writing, to speak to the reader almost in fleeting images. He demonstrates that a fully constructed, grammatically perfect sentence is not always the best way. Influence: Write naturally.
Stephen Holzner - "Visual Basic 6". (Programming reference book). I have to make a living, right?
John C. Lyons - Work memo dated 11/16/2004 admonishing me for taking my personal work home with me. Influence: I now bath less frequently.
Susan DiPlacido - "24/7". She is an Eloquentress Suprema. In fact, she influenced me to get a tatoo: 24/7, on my forearm.
Really? Nah. But she is a heck of a writer.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing?
Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My biggest flaw is that I suck. I'm a hack. An amateur. I'll never amount to anything in the world of literature. I will die unknown and unappreciated.
But I'm good with that.
As for my strengths, hmmm...
I guess I'm pretty diligent once I get started with a book. Even though I like to watch football, for example, if a game is on I think about what I could accomplish with my writing over the three hours or so of the broadcast. Then, usually, I write for that time instead.
Also, I know when something is funny, because if it makes me laugh, I know it will make someone else laugh, too. In humor topicality is important to provide a common reference. Writing about an environment that you are intimately familiar with is key to getting the nuance right.
Tropicality is entirely different.
I think I'm getting better with cadence. Writing at its best should be like a song, I think, and just as with music you can tell when something just doesn't fit. It's not necessarily grammar, usage, or any other definable aspect of language. Remember how we used to say in English class, "It just doesn't sound right?"
Well sometimes it doesn't.
3) You've written novels (Kyuboria and Palm Sunday) and a screenplay
(Shakespeare's Dilemma). What do you like best about each medium and which
would you like to focus on in the future?
With novels it's all you. Either you got it right--as far as how you intend it to be read--or you didn't. With a screenplay you get to actually see and hear how someone else is interpreting your intention. It's great. If you are involved in the actual production of your own screenplay, as I was in "Shakespeare's Dilemma", then you get to have a back and forth exchange with the actors, explaining different emphasis, intonation, whatever. Sometimes they have a better idea, and it becomes more of a collaboration. Everyone has more of a stake in the final product, so there is sort of a collective nervousness at how the final product will be received.
Which do I like better?
It depends on the finished product. If one is great and the other mediocre, I like the great one. I'll probably either quit writing altogether, or continue writing in both styles.
Depends on my mood.
4) Palm Sunday is a thriller, and Kyuboria is a satire/comedy. Do you like
writing humor, and do you find it easier or harder to write than "serious"
fiction?
By far Kyuboria was easier to write, because it's more me. People say it sounds like the way I talk, and I take that as an insult, but at least it's what I intended. In Palm Sunday I incorporated fiction with technology, which demanded a lot of research. Although I work with technology, I don't know everything. Palm Sunday was much more of a production because it was far longer, had to be carefully outlined, researched, and of course rewritten time and again. As my first book I'm very proud of it, but I know that if I had to do it again I could make it much better.
Humor is funnier.
5) You've been quite successful so far with two published novels and a
short film made from your screenplay. What, to you, is the hardest part of
the business of publishing and what is the best part of it?
Here's my take on it: Writing is hard, but fun. Marketing is dreadful, but necessary.
So marketing is my least favorite, and therefore, probably, my weakest aspect of the deal.
However...
When I rewrite a manuscript my strategy is always to take the weakest chapter and make it into the best chapter. Make the weakest page into the strongest page. The weakest dialogue into the strongest. I need to follow this model with marketing. If it is my weak point, I need to make it my strong point.
I just don't want to.
I guess I'll work on that one.
Bottom line, you've got to promote yourself and your work. Sometimes that means putting on a show. It means doing what your audience wants. It means GETTING an audience. This has been a pretty good year in that respect so far. I've done signings/events at three universities and a large high school, as well as at Barnes & Noble. It's fun, but also can be tiring, especially when you have a few events bunched together.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
The stock answer would be Jesus, or King Arthur, or Hemmingway, or Washington, or Sun Tzu, or someone else famous and respected.
Jesus would be useless, because he's already told us everything we need to know.
(Sorry, Jesus. I actually mean that as a compliment. But you already knew that.)
Seriously, I would pick one of two people. Either my brother or my daughter. My brother died in 1983, and I would certainly love to have a conversation with him. My daughter, who is now 25, is severely disabled, and has never had a conversation with anyone, although she is alert and responsive. A dinner with her that included even a brief chat would be my first choice.
You just gave me an idea for a book...
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD
do you take?
CD: Neil Diamond's greatest hits.
DVD: Collection of Monty Python, including Holy Grail
Book: "How to get off a Desert Island"
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
"Great" in answer to the question "How's it goin'?"
(standard office evasion)
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and
critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be
a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I've already tasted respect as a diligent State Worker.
It's alright.
Give me sales baby, give me sales.
Critical Mick
Mick Halpin does some great, unique online reviews. He's currently got a hilarious review up on Dan Brown's Angels And Demons.
He also cleverly reviews my book, 24/7.
These aren't the standard summary, opinion, plug recap reviews you generally see, and he's got a plethora of them. So if you're looking for something to read, surf on over to Critical Mick and check him out.
He also cleverly reviews my book, 24/7.
These aren't the standard summary, opinion, plug recap reviews you generally see, and he's got a plethora of them. So if you're looking for something to read, surf on over to Critical Mick and check him out.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Edward Moore in Berkeley Fiction Review
My pal Edward Moore has a terrific story, "Evening Shifts", in the new issue of the Berkeley Fiction Review. You can get a subscription to the magazine at Amazon.
J.D. Riso in Chick Flicks
J.D. Riso is the featured author this month at Chick Flicks Ezine. They have a background piece on her (which is really interesting!) and an interview, and also five of her stories are featured, including an excerpt from her novel, Blue. Some great reads, give it a look.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Steven Gillis
Author Steven Gillis's latest novel, The Weight of Nothing has recently been released by Brook Street Press and he's enjoying great reviews in influential and prestigious publications such as ForeWord Magazine.
His first novel, Walter Falls was selected as a finalist for the 2003 Book of the Year for Literary Fiction by ForeWord Magazine and also as a finalist in the Independent Publishers Association 2004 Book of the Year for General Fiction. I just finished reading Walter Falls and loved it. With believable characters crafted with depth, Gillis creates a truly moving journey as we as readers watch a man's life, both domestic and professional, fall to pieces in a faustian manner. Even more haunting is his journey to put it back together and carry on.
Steve is the founder of 826 Michigan. An extension of Dave Eggers's 826 Valencia, 826 Michigan is a reading and writing program, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. In Steve's words: "Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice."
His work can be found extensively online in the form of short stories and reviews. A brief sampling: Coveting at Facets, Korematsu Love at Tryst, Aftercare Paumanok Review, and The Crown Upon His Head in Paumanok Review, and an upcoming story in the summer issue of Frigg Magazine.
He can be found in upcoming issues of the print journals Fence, Bullfight Review, and Orchid.
His new novel, The Weight of Nothing, is the story of two men, Bailey and Niles, who join forces on a journey to Algiers to confront their haunting tragedies.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I love language and writers who know how to tell a great story in unique ways. I think John Cheever is brilliant and return to his stories all the time. Chekhov and Doesteyevski are writers I cut my teeth on. Lately, I find myself inspired by many of the post-modernists who are truly trying to do great things with the narrative form while still showing deference to classic themes and the essence of the narrative construct, writers like Donald Barthelme, George Saunders, Aimee Bender, Robert Coover. I take a little something from every writer I read and I read all the time. I love to be awed by great writing. I just read a wonderful story by a young writer named Wells Tower that blew me away.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I think, again, it is my love of language. I love it when finally a paragraph works just so because of the detail to language and the commitment to knowing what the story requires. Making the words work to create just the right image, I try very hard to get at. As for weakness, I have a romantic spirit and have to very consciously try to avoid being overly earnest. A story will die from to much earnestness. I try to write "around" the events if you know what I mean, to get into the heart of the matter by exploring the grey, by not smashing the nail on the head if you will, but showing how the hammer became raised.
3) A lot of your work revolves around domestic life/issues in one way or another. Do you think being a family man helps you to think about and ask questions about fidelity/trust/betrayal in this manner?
Good question. Honest answer: what I write about when it comes to family evolved from my childhood which was fraught with familial incidents and details which forever framed me; my wife says damaged me but that's a story for another time. I try not to repeat past sins with my own family now, though certainly their presence in my life - my wife and two kids Anna (10) and Zach (7) influences a great deal of who I am and what I write. SO in short, it was my childhood which framed the domestic aspect investigated in my writing, but certainly my current happy adult family life that allows me to feel grounded.
4) The Weight of Nothing, however, doesn't seem, by the initial description, to be quite as "family" motivated. Was this an intentional departure, or does it still have family ties at its core?
TWON started as a very family oriented piece as you can find from the opening scene. As the novel evolved, I did consciously set out to do something different from Walter Falls, and I was becoming very politically conscious, very disheartened by things I was witnessing, the hate and how this country could be so foolish as to elect G.W and then elect him again! I wanted to explore certain aspects of this but as you see it is all tied up in the familial, as everything that happens in the world, as they say, comes home to roost. In the end, TWON is a philosophical treatment on love and loss, recovery and memory so in that sense, yes, it remains a "family" piece.
5) What are you working on now?
I started the drafting of a new novel - Temporary People - about a year ago and got 4 drafts in and am very pleased - as pleased as I ever am in the middle of writing a novel. Then as is my habit, I came up for air and wrote a story. I usually only write one story then go back into the novel I am working on. This time however, I really enjoyed the short story writing process, and more importantly, was discovering things in the writing of stories which was allowing me to evolve as a writer. (Even after 2 novels published and years of writing behind me, it remains always a process of wanting to improve and learn as writer.) The story I wrote sold very fast, and I wrote another. That one sold, too. I wound up writing 8 stories - more than I ever had in one stretch - and sold them all. This has been between January and June. I am now finishing up a few more stories and have a collection of stories I am working with my agent to publish. I anticipate returning to my novel - with newfound energy and much excitement - by July and completing it over the next 12 months.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Ahh. As I lost my father last August, I would say him. But that is me being too earnest and romantic. Still, yes. My dad whom I had a "lively" relationship with to be sure. As for someone famous. Hmmm. John Cheever as an author and - to cheat and give you three then - I admire much the courage and charity of Ghandi (truly people hear the name and it is a cliche but the man was amazing) and would love to talk and find out how he did it. But I doubt he would eat much. :)
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
Well the DVD would have to be Cool Hand Luke - assuming its out on DVD - a great movie! ("Sometimes nothing is a pretty cool hand." "What we have here is a failure to communicate.") The CD, mmm, I tend to fall in love with music then play it to death. What CD has lasted over the years for me? I would say Deja Vu by CSNandY. The book? To repeat a theme: The Collected Stories of John Cheever. For the novel maybe The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
Wow! The G-rated or X-rated version? And for the record, fiction is a misnomer as nothing is truer than good fiction writing. But I digress. The biggest lie? X-rated: "I'll only put it in a little bit." G-rated: assuming any lie is G-rated, I was always the youngest in my class at school and used to tell the girls I was older. This was fine until it came time to drive. I told a girlfriend's mother I was 17 and had my licence. She let us use her car and I - true story - wrecked it pulling out of the garage! Took the whole side of the car off and much the same for the garage door and wall. Needless to say, I didn't get lucky that night.
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Easy easy easy. Truly. As sincerely as I can say this, there is only one answer for any writer worth a damn: respect from one's peers. If you are writing to simply make a buck, I say go away and go sell shoes or practice law and leave writing to the real writers! Can you tell you hit a nerve with this question? Ha! In point of fact, I was making some nice money when I did practice law - which I did until I turned 30 - and was writing all the time then too, and decided life is too short and bagged law and went from making the big bucks to no bucks and writing and I have never been happier. Any writer who writes solely to make a buck is not really a writer if you ask me. One man's opinion.
And that's it. Thanks, Steve!
Thank you very much Susan.
His first novel, Walter Falls was selected as a finalist for the 2003 Book of the Year for Literary Fiction by ForeWord Magazine and also as a finalist in the Independent Publishers Association 2004 Book of the Year for General Fiction. I just finished reading Walter Falls and loved it. With believable characters crafted with depth, Gillis creates a truly moving journey as we as readers watch a man's life, both domestic and professional, fall to pieces in a faustian manner. Even more haunting is his journey to put it back together and carry on.
Steve is the founder of 826 Michigan. An extension of Dave Eggers's 826 Valencia, 826 Michigan is a reading and writing program, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. In Steve's words: "Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice."
His work can be found extensively online in the form of short stories and reviews. A brief sampling: Coveting at Facets, Korematsu Love at Tryst, Aftercare Paumanok Review, and The Crown Upon His Head in Paumanok Review, and an upcoming story in the summer issue of Frigg Magazine.
He can be found in upcoming issues of the print journals Fence, Bullfight Review, and Orchid.
His new novel, The Weight of Nothing, is the story of two men, Bailey and Niles, who join forces on a journey to Algiers to confront their haunting tragedies.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they've influenced you?
I love language and writers who know how to tell a great story in unique ways. I think John Cheever is brilliant and return to his stories all the time. Chekhov and Doesteyevski are writers I cut my teeth on. Lately, I find myself inspired by many of the post-modernists who are truly trying to do great things with the narrative form while still showing deference to classic themes and the essence of the narrative construct, writers like Donald Barthelme, George Saunders, Aimee Bender, Robert Coover. I take a little something from every writer I read and I read all the time. I love to be awed by great writing. I just read a wonderful story by a young writer named Wells Tower that blew me away.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I think, again, it is my love of language. I love it when finally a paragraph works just so because of the detail to language and the commitment to knowing what the story requires. Making the words work to create just the right image, I try very hard to get at. As for weakness, I have a romantic spirit and have to very consciously try to avoid being overly earnest. A story will die from to much earnestness. I try to write "around" the events if you know what I mean, to get into the heart of the matter by exploring the grey, by not smashing the nail on the head if you will, but showing how the hammer became raised.
3) A lot of your work revolves around domestic life/issues in one way or another. Do you think being a family man helps you to think about and ask questions about fidelity/trust/betrayal in this manner?
Good question. Honest answer: what I write about when it comes to family evolved from my childhood which was fraught with familial incidents and details which forever framed me; my wife says damaged me but that's a story for another time. I try not to repeat past sins with my own family now, though certainly their presence in my life - my wife and two kids Anna (10) and Zach (7) influences a great deal of who I am and what I write. SO in short, it was my childhood which framed the domestic aspect investigated in my writing, but certainly my current happy adult family life that allows me to feel grounded.
4) The Weight of Nothing, however, doesn't seem, by the initial description, to be quite as "family" motivated. Was this an intentional departure, or does it still have family ties at its core?
TWON started as a very family oriented piece as you can find from the opening scene. As the novel evolved, I did consciously set out to do something different from Walter Falls, and I was becoming very politically conscious, very disheartened by things I was witnessing, the hate and how this country could be so foolish as to elect G.W and then elect him again! I wanted to explore certain aspects of this but as you see it is all tied up in the familial, as everything that happens in the world, as they say, comes home to roost. In the end, TWON is a philosophical treatment on love and loss, recovery and memory so in that sense, yes, it remains a "family" piece.
5) What are you working on now?
I started the drafting of a new novel - Temporary People - about a year ago and got 4 drafts in and am very pleased - as pleased as I ever am in the middle of writing a novel. Then as is my habit, I came up for air and wrote a story. I usually only write one story then go back into the novel I am working on. This time however, I really enjoyed the short story writing process, and more importantly, was discovering things in the writing of stories which was allowing me to evolve as a writer. (Even after 2 novels published and years of writing behind me, it remains always a process of wanting to improve and learn as writer.) The story I wrote sold very fast, and I wrote another. That one sold, too. I wound up writing 8 stories - more than I ever had in one stretch - and sold them all. This has been between January and June. I am now finishing up a few more stories and have a collection of stories I am working with my agent to publish. I anticipate returning to my novel - with newfound energy and much excitement - by July and completing it over the next 12 months.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Ahh. As I lost my father last August, I would say him. But that is me being too earnest and romantic. Still, yes. My dad whom I had a "lively" relationship with to be sure. As for someone famous. Hmmm. John Cheever as an author and - to cheat and give you three then - I admire much the courage and charity of Ghandi (truly people hear the name and it is a cliche but the man was amazing) and would love to talk and find out how he did it. But I doubt he would eat much. :)
7) One CD, one book, one DVD and a desert island. What book, CD, and DVD do you take?
Well the DVD would have to be Cool Hand Luke - assuming its out on DVD - a great movie! ("Sometimes nothing is a pretty cool hand." "What we have here is a failure to communicate.") The CD, mmm, I tend to fall in love with music then play it to death. What CD has lasted over the years for me? I would say Deja Vu by CSNandY. The book? To repeat a theme: The Collected Stories of John Cheever. For the novel maybe The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
Wow! The G-rated or X-rated version? And for the record, fiction is a misnomer as nothing is truer than good fiction writing. But I digress. The biggest lie? X-rated: "I'll only put it in a little bit." G-rated: assuming any lie is G-rated, I was always the youngest in my class at school and used to tell the girls I was older. This was fine until it came time to drive. I told a girlfriend's mother I was 17 and had my licence. She let us use her car and I - true story - wrecked it pulling out of the garage! Took the whole side of the car off and much the same for the garage door and wall. Needless to say, I didn't get lucky that night.
9) You can't have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
Easy easy easy. Truly. As sincerely as I can say this, there is only one answer for any writer worth a damn: respect from one's peers. If you are writing to simply make a buck, I say go away and go sell shoes or practice law and leave writing to the real writers! Can you tell you hit a nerve with this question? Ha! In point of fact, I was making some nice money when I did practice law - which I did until I turned 30 - and was writing all the time then too, and decided life is too short and bagged law and went from making the big bucks to no bucks and writing and I have never been happier. Any writer who writes solely to make a buck is not really a writer if you ask me. One man's opinion.
And that's it. Thanks, Steve!
Thank you very much Susan.
Monday, June 13, 2005
DONALD CAPONE
A graphic designer who lives in New York, Don Capone is already a well-published short story writer. His stories "Going Local" and "Deforestation Blues" were published in Edgar Literary Magazine, and "Green Panties" was published in Flask Fiction. His work can be found online in Thieves Jargon, both "Reprisal" and "Door to Door Service".
For a taste of his work, and to perk yourself up in the morning, his story "Astronaut" is available on a coffee mug from Flashfiction.net. You can find that right here: Astronaut.
Displaying classic good taste, Don is also a Yankees and Beatles fan. His second novel, As If I'd Never Been Born, incorporates his admiration for The Beatles by weaving a very personal journey with a landmark event in music history. I was lucky enough to read a draft of it, and it's truly engrossing and moving.
The query alone to his first novel, Into the Sunset, is unique and engaging and downright hilarious.
His short story "Another Day" has just been published in the June edition of Word Riot, and you can look for him in the upcoming anthology, See You Next Tuesday from Better Non Sequitur.
Funny, talented, and always with a fresh vision that'll keep you engrossed and engaged, you can find him online right here: Donald Capone.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they’ve influenced you?
John Irving, T.C. Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Elmore Leonard. You’re influenced in different ways by different authors. Hemingway’s clean prose set the template for authors for the next 75 years (and counting). He’s the Beatles of the literary world (have you noticed 40 years later and bands are still trying to sound like the Beatles? Well everyone is still trying to write like Hemingway whether they know/admit it or not). Irving and Boyle are so good it takes me twice as long to read their work because I re-read sentences and paragraphs just to enjoy them a second time. Boyle also writes short stories, which makes him a good author to study. And Leonard, what can you say? He’s the man. Guy’s like 80 and he hasn’t lost a thing, still cranking out these great books full of kick-ass dialogue. So, as a writer, you have to read the good stuff, absorb it, get a feel for how it’s done, run it through your own internal filter. Then spit it out in your own unique way. When I’m in the mood for a laugh: Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh, Ted Heller, Tim Dorsey, Nick Hornby, and Susan DiPlacido, of course!
Flatterer!! I love it.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My strength? Staying off the beaten path. I try to write about subjects I haven’t seen done 2,001 times before. And even if I do work with a common theme (say, 9/11), I’ll take a skewed look at it, try to give the reader a surprise or two. “Stay away from the obvious” is what every writer should keep in mind as they are banging away at the keyboard. Also, I think I have a good ear for dialogue. As soon as my other ear gets on the ball, my dialogue will be killer! My weakness: I never write enough. Every book on writing I’ve ever read says how you have to cut your manuscript by 10-20% during revision. HA! I laugh at that! Because I’m the opposite—I have to ADD 10-20%. An up-side to that is I don’t have a lot of fat to trim, just some basic copy-editing. So maybe it’s not a weakness after all.
3) You're a born and bred New Yorker. How do you think this affects your creative view and your writing in particular?
Hard to say really. The world is such a smaller place now, so connected. We’re all watching the same films, TV shows, surfing the internet. We all have those same influences. Is someone sitting in San Diego or London really that different from me anymore? Maybe the only affect being a New Yorker has on my work is that most of my stories take place in New York. So I can get a good sense of not only the environment, but the attitude of the people. Because I’m one of them. New Yorkers are always on the go, we try to maximize every minute of the day. I do that by writing as often as I can, I don’t want to waste time or put it off to the next day or the day after. You’ll never finish writing a story or novel with that attitude. So maybe being a New Yorker just makes me write faster.
4) You’re also a graphic designer and painter. Is there anything you learned from painting that you apply to your writing, or are they two completely separate forms without intersection?
Totally different animals. I don’t consider myself a painter, anyway, at least anymore. I sold a few some years back, but I’ve given it up now. I’m a much better writer than painter. And my dirty little secret is I can’t draw. Plus, writing is a lot cheaper.
5) You have a lot of range as a writer. I’ve seen you tackle very serious subjects (such as 9/11) from different angles: ironic and also deeply moving. You seem to move effortlessly from comedy to action to suspense to intense drama. Do you have a “mood” or tone in mind before you begin a particular story, or can something change and develop as you write? (Like, have you ever set out to write something very serious and it took on a comic undertone?) Also, what kind of mood/genre/tone do you find to be most demanding and what are you eventually most satisfied with?
I don’t consciously set out to write in a certain mood. Anyway, the story itself usually dictates what tone it’ll take. 9/11 wouldn’t really translate into a slapstick comedy, you know, though you could get away with black humor (maybe). I tried it in a story called “Terrorist Lite,” about a pre-9/11 wannabe terrorist, but I’m still trying to get that one right (this is an example of setting out to write something serious and it taking on a comic undertone). My early writing was more humorous; once I became a better writer, or got more confidence at least, I was able to write in a more serious or “literary” style. But I don’t even see myself as crossing any genres when I write because I always write from the character’s perspective (character driven vs. plot driven and all that nonsense). If your character is walking down the street with his best friend and something funny happens to them, then you have a comedy; if his best friend has a piano fall on his head then you have a serious story on your hands. Except that’s not a good example because a piano on the head is pretty funny. Suspense/intense drama is the hardest, and I’ve only really tackled it once with my story “Reprisal.” It worked there, but it’s too hard to keep away from cliches: “Suddenly he pulled a gun from his coat pocket!” Someone gets shot and it hurts and they’re dying. I think I’m most comfortable and satisfied with the “mainstream” story—I find most of my characters are yearning for something, wanting more out of life, yet can still see the ironic humor in life. I always inject humor into my writing, even the more serious pieces.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
John Lennon. And I hope he’d be alive, because dead it wouldn’t be a very appetizing meal. Off the top of my head, though, I can’t even think of any questions I’d have for him. I’d be happy to just sit and listen to him talk all night. Then Yoko would come and gather him and I’d go home with a good story to tell.
7) What’s the best sound of New York in the summer?
Yankees radio announcer John Sterling screaming, “The Yankees WIN! TheeEEEeeee YAN-kees WIN!!” Haven’t heard it enough this year, though. When Yankees rookie pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (pronounced Wong) won his first Major League game earlier this year, Sterling actually was corny enough to say, “The Yankees Wong!, TheeEEEeeee YAN-kees Wong!!!”
8) Other than fiction writing, what’s the biggest lie you ever told?
See the answer to question #9. Seriously, I really can’t think of any big lie I’ve told. Just your normal, run-of-the-mill small daily lies. Maybe I haven’t told my big lie yet.
9) You can’t have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I’d love to take the high road and say critical acclaim and respect from my peers. But it’d be hard to resist the big bucks and the opportunity to quit the daily grind of cubicle life. Once you hit the jackpot, then you’ll have plenty of time to work on critical acclaim (see Stephen King). $o, in conclusion: fork over the cash, bastardize my work, cast Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr in the movie version of my novel and let me out of this cubicle already! OK, that makes me sound like all I want is money. Every writer knows there’s no money to be had, we’re giving our work away! Literally. So I don’t begrudge anyone their money. If someone breaks out and scores big, more power to him! Because we all know we write for the love of writing, and having people enjoy our work, and seeing our name in print. No one gets into writing to make the big bucks. You’d have a better chance winning Lotto.
For a taste of his work, and to perk yourself up in the morning, his story "Astronaut" is available on a coffee mug from Flashfiction.net. You can find that right here: Astronaut.
Displaying classic good taste, Don is also a Yankees and Beatles fan. His second novel, As If I'd Never Been Born, incorporates his admiration for The Beatles by weaving a very personal journey with a landmark event in music history. I was lucky enough to read a draft of it, and it's truly engrossing and moving.
The query alone to his first novel, Into the Sunset, is unique and engaging and downright hilarious.
His short story "Another Day" has just been published in the June edition of Word Riot, and you can look for him in the upcoming anthology, See You Next Tuesday from Better Non Sequitur.
Funny, talented, and always with a fresh vision that'll keep you engrossed and engaged, you can find him online right here: Donald Capone.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they’ve influenced you?
John Irving, T.C. Boyle, Ernest Hemingway, Elmore Leonard. You’re influenced in different ways by different authors. Hemingway’s clean prose set the template for authors for the next 75 years (and counting). He’s the Beatles of the literary world (have you noticed 40 years later and bands are still trying to sound like the Beatles? Well everyone is still trying to write like Hemingway whether they know/admit it or not). Irving and Boyle are so good it takes me twice as long to read their work because I re-read sentences and paragraphs just to enjoy them a second time. Boyle also writes short stories, which makes him a good author to study. And Leonard, what can you say? He’s the man. Guy’s like 80 and he hasn’t lost a thing, still cranking out these great books full of kick-ass dialogue. So, as a writer, you have to read the good stuff, absorb it, get a feel for how it’s done, run it through your own internal filter. Then spit it out in your own unique way. When I’m in the mood for a laugh: Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh, Ted Heller, Tim Dorsey, Nick Hornby, and Susan DiPlacido, of course!
Flatterer!! I love it.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My strength? Staying off the beaten path. I try to write about subjects I haven’t seen done 2,001 times before. And even if I do work with a common theme (say, 9/11), I’ll take a skewed look at it, try to give the reader a surprise or two. “Stay away from the obvious” is what every writer should keep in mind as they are banging away at the keyboard. Also, I think I have a good ear for dialogue. As soon as my other ear gets on the ball, my dialogue will be killer! My weakness: I never write enough. Every book on writing I’ve ever read says how you have to cut your manuscript by 10-20% during revision. HA! I laugh at that! Because I’m the opposite—I have to ADD 10-20%. An up-side to that is I don’t have a lot of fat to trim, just some basic copy-editing. So maybe it’s not a weakness after all.
3) You're a born and bred New Yorker. How do you think this affects your creative view and your writing in particular?
Hard to say really. The world is such a smaller place now, so connected. We’re all watching the same films, TV shows, surfing the internet. We all have those same influences. Is someone sitting in San Diego or London really that different from me anymore? Maybe the only affect being a New Yorker has on my work is that most of my stories take place in New York. So I can get a good sense of not only the environment, but the attitude of the people. Because I’m one of them. New Yorkers are always on the go, we try to maximize every minute of the day. I do that by writing as often as I can, I don’t want to waste time or put it off to the next day or the day after. You’ll never finish writing a story or novel with that attitude. So maybe being a New Yorker just makes me write faster.
4) You’re also a graphic designer and painter. Is there anything you learned from painting that you apply to your writing, or are they two completely separate forms without intersection?
Totally different animals. I don’t consider myself a painter, anyway, at least anymore. I sold a few some years back, but I’ve given it up now. I’m a much better writer than painter. And my dirty little secret is I can’t draw. Plus, writing is a lot cheaper.
5) You have a lot of range as a writer. I’ve seen you tackle very serious subjects (such as 9/11) from different angles: ironic and also deeply moving. You seem to move effortlessly from comedy to action to suspense to intense drama. Do you have a “mood” or tone in mind before you begin a particular story, or can something change and develop as you write? (Like, have you ever set out to write something very serious and it took on a comic undertone?) Also, what kind of mood/genre/tone do you find to be most demanding and what are you eventually most satisfied with?
I don’t consciously set out to write in a certain mood. Anyway, the story itself usually dictates what tone it’ll take. 9/11 wouldn’t really translate into a slapstick comedy, you know, though you could get away with black humor (maybe). I tried it in a story called “Terrorist Lite,” about a pre-9/11 wannabe terrorist, but I’m still trying to get that one right (this is an example of setting out to write something serious and it taking on a comic undertone). My early writing was more humorous; once I became a better writer, or got more confidence at least, I was able to write in a more serious or “literary” style. But I don’t even see myself as crossing any genres when I write because I always write from the character’s perspective (character driven vs. plot driven and all that nonsense). If your character is walking down the street with his best friend and something funny happens to them, then you have a comedy; if his best friend has a piano fall on his head then you have a serious story on your hands. Except that’s not a good example because a piano on the head is pretty funny. Suspense/intense drama is the hardest, and I’ve only really tackled it once with my story “Reprisal.” It worked there, but it’s too hard to keep away from cliches: “Suddenly he pulled a gun from his coat pocket!” Someone gets shot and it hurts and they’re dying. I think I’m most comfortable and satisfied with the “mainstream” story—I find most of my characters are yearning for something, wanting more out of life, yet can still see the ironic humor in life. I always inject humor into my writing, even the more serious pieces.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
John Lennon. And I hope he’d be alive, because dead it wouldn’t be a very appetizing meal. Off the top of my head, though, I can’t even think of any questions I’d have for him. I’d be happy to just sit and listen to him talk all night. Then Yoko would come and gather him and I’d go home with a good story to tell.
7) What’s the best sound of New York in the summer?
Yankees radio announcer John Sterling screaming, “The Yankees WIN! TheeEEEeeee YAN-kees WIN!!” Haven’t heard it enough this year, though. When Yankees rookie pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (pronounced Wong) won his first Major League game earlier this year, Sterling actually was corny enough to say, “The Yankees Wong!, TheeEEEeeee YAN-kees Wong!!!”
8) Other than fiction writing, what’s the biggest lie you ever told?
See the answer to question #9. Seriously, I really can’t think of any big lie I’ve told. Just your normal, run-of-the-mill small daily lies. Maybe I haven’t told my big lie yet.
9) You can’t have both: Would you rather have respect from your peers and critical acclaim (but not making cash from writing), or would you rather be a bestselling author with the fat coin?
I’d love to take the high road and say critical acclaim and respect from my peers. But it’d be hard to resist the big bucks and the opportunity to quit the daily grind of cubicle life. Once you hit the jackpot, then you’ll have plenty of time to work on critical acclaim (see Stephen King). $o, in conclusion: fork over the cash, bastardize my work, cast Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr in the movie version of my novel and let me out of this cubicle already! OK, that makes me sound like all I want is money. Every writer knows there’s no money to be had, we’re giving our work away! Literally. So I don’t begrudge anyone their money. If someone breaks out and scores big, more power to him! Because we all know we write for the love of writing, and having people enjoy our work, and seeing our name in print. No one gets into writing to make the big bucks. You’d have a better chance winning Lotto.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Better days to come
Ok. I'm a sucky blogger. I admit this fault and apologize. However, we will have some pretty cool stuff coming up soon.
I met another really cool and extremely funny and quite talented writer this past weekend at a book signing we both attended. In his words, it was the " the largest unpublicized gathering of the most regional authors in one place at one time anywhere, ever!"
And that about sums up the event.
But I did get to meet the funny guy, and his name is William Vitanyi and his book, Kyuboria is sure to please anyone who's ever held down a cubicle job. I'll be having a feature on him in a short amount of time.
Also coming up we're going to talk to my pal and future hotshot writer Don Capone. I just finished reading his latest novel and it's smashing. He's got a great new story up now at Word Riot.
Until these things get in order though, why not pop over to Small Spiral Notebook and check out Steve Hansen's review of Paula Martin Morell's broken water.
Thanks for your patience.
And please don't forget about 24/7 at Fictionwise. I've been told that if I get some high scores posted, it'll help sales. And I really need help with sales. So if you're a sport and you're willing to tag my book with a "great" rating, drop me a line and in return I'll send you a Fictionwise gift certificate to get the book FOR FREE.
Thanks. We'll talk again soon.
I met another really cool and extremely funny and quite talented writer this past weekend at a book signing we both attended. In his words, it was the " the largest unpublicized gathering of the most regional authors in one place at one time anywhere, ever!"
And that about sums up the event.
But I did get to meet the funny guy, and his name is William Vitanyi and his book, Kyuboria is sure to please anyone who's ever held down a cubicle job. I'll be having a feature on him in a short amount of time.
Also coming up we're going to talk to my pal and future hotshot writer Don Capone. I just finished reading his latest novel and it's smashing. He's got a great new story up now at Word Riot.
Until these things get in order though, why not pop over to Small Spiral Notebook and check out Steve Hansen's review of Paula Martin Morell's broken water.
Thanks for your patience.
And please don't forget about 24/7 at Fictionwise. I've been told that if I get some high scores posted, it'll help sales. And I really need help with sales. So if you're a sport and you're willing to tag my book with a "great" rating, drop me a line and in return I'll send you a Fictionwise gift certificate to get the book FOR FREE.
Thanks. We'll talk again soon.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
24/7 now at Fictionwise
And we're back to me again. I just realized that my book, 24/7 is now available in ebook format at Fictionwise. Whoo hoo! If you're familiar with ebooks, you'll know what a great bargain they are, and that once you do adapt and start reading that way, you'll really dig it. And if you're not familiar with them, and in case you have a bit of curiosity about my book, this is a good way to check it all out. At Fictionwise, the ebook version of 24/7 is only $6.74, and if you're a Fictionwise club member, it's only $5.73. They have it listed as "erotica" and that's fine by me. It IS filled to the brim with steamy sex. And erotica is apparently what sells best over the 'net. (I know, it's shocking, isn't it?) So I'm not bristling at the label, but I do want to add that it's not just pure erotica either. There's like, a whole big story going on in the book too. So do consider picking up a download. (it's in every format you'd want) I'd appreciate it, and I think you'd probably enjoy it.
Here's the link one more time: 24/7 at Fictionwise.
Thanks!
Here's the link one more time: 24/7 at Fictionwise.
Thanks!
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Matthew St. Amand
Hello teenagers. I've got another great interview here for you today. It's going up a day early in the hopes that everyone (including me) will be starting the long holiday weekend early tomorrow. So today I bring you:
MATTHEW ST. AMAND
Novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, reviewer, interviewer, and blogger, Matt St. Amand is one of the more successful writers working today. His newest release is a hilarious and unique collection of correspondence, writings, and transmissions from one of the hardest working guys in the literary world. It's called Homunculus, and it's kept me up laughing many nights.
On Matt's interesting, extensive, and dynamic website, you'll be find plenty of information and links to his others writings. Among them is his brilliant collection of short stories, As My Sparks Fly Upward. Evocative, emotionally compelling, and beautifully crafted, this collection showcases Matt's range as an artist. Whether he's writing about a first romance, a chance encounter with a Vernor's can that spins horribly out of control, or a pilgrimage in Dublin, he commands your attention and often holds your heart in the palm of his hand. A couple of stories from this collection can be found online, including "Grudgingly" in FRiGG, and "And the Rocks and Stones Shall Sing" in Opium.
Forever & A Day is a collection of poems inspired by an ex-girlfriend's younger sister who got pregnant at an early age. Matt's poetry shows off a cadence and connection closely affiliated with rock-n-roll lyrics. In other words, it's amazingly hypnotic and readable.
His novel, "Randham Acts", has been acquired by Better Non Sequitur and is slated for release in late 2005 or early 2006.
His blog, Inside the Hotdog Factory, is a hilarious peek inside his everyday life – the life of a writer trying to make it.
Without further ado, Matthew St. Amand.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they’ve influenced you?
Bob Dylan’s lyrics opened me to the idea that there’s more to language than literal meaning—there are considerations like how certain words sound together; stringing together disparate images, as he does in his song “Tombstone Blues”:
“Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, ‘Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?’”
The legendary comic, Lenny Bruce, also really inspired me. Not only by his humor, but the way he deconstructed moral problems, situations, and reconstructed them in a slightly altered way, highlighting the absurdity of our belief systems. For instance, he spoke a lot about “my right, your wrong,” and how a guy he knew received a medal for killing twenty Italians during WWII, and received a life sentence for killing one Italian in Brooklyn after the war. Or, speaking about the Civil Rights Movement during his 1961 Carnegie Hall performance, he compared the prejudice blacks suffered with that which Christians once suffered at the hands of the Romans—being fed to lions. Lenny’s comment on this was “There’s a quanitative difference between being refused the right to service and being served as refuse.”
Other artists whose work inspired me are Thomas Wolfe, Salvador Dali, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath (her prose, only!), Tim O’Brien, Jonathan Lethem, Frederick Exley, Mark Twain, and Johnny Cash.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength is writing dialogue. Readers tell me that how my characters speak and interact strikes them as completely realistic. My flaws and weaknesses are many—I’m ego/ethnocentric, my work can quickly veer into the self-indulgent.
Susan's note: I've never noticed his work getting self-indulgent, so he either doesn't publish those pieces or he re-works them before I've seen them
3) You’re a born and bred Canadian, and you’ve lived overseas in Ireland. How do you think this affected your prose writing and poetry?
I don’t consider myself a “Canadian” writer or an “Irish” writer. My stories are more about human experience than geography. Living away from North America showed me there is a whole universe of ideas and experiences different from what we take for granted as “normal.” While filling out job applications in Ireland, a clerk asked me if I had a “biro.” I had no clue what this person was saying. Turned out a “biro” is their word for a pen. Living in Ireland allowed me to indulge my propensity for eavesdropping on others’ conversations. I can’t help myself, I’m always doing this. But in Ireland the conversations were worth listening to—the Irish are the best speakers you’ll find anywhere. All of this has helped me—hopefully—move well beyond the pedestrian in my writing, striving for language that is outside of the normal course of zombified discourse that fills up daily life.
4) Your stories seem to have such a genuine and “real” quality about them. Even your poetry is completely readable and relatable. Do you feel it’s important to start off with seeds of truth and real-life scenarios?
As a kid, I hated reading. The idea of books bored me terribly. When I finally came around to enjoying books, and ultimately to writing, I never lost touch with that kid who hated reading. Every time I sit down to write, I’m always answering the question “Who gives a shit about this?” In order to get started, I do need to begin with a real-life scenario, or an idea easily spun-off an actual situation. This doesn’t mean my work is patently autobiographical; I’d make a lousy journalist. It’s not long before I’m making stuff out of the air, stringing together multiple partially-real situations together to form my fiction. And always, always, always, the kernel of the idea has to be fascinating, to hold something close to obsession in it—whether it’s the best man in my story “Best Man” about to watch his friend marry a girl he thinks is dead wrong for him, or making a pilgrimage to Bono’s estate in County Dublin. There has to be a substantial hook in the idea to keep me going.
5) You separate yourself from many modern writers because your stories are rife with emotion. Now, when I say that, I don’t mean that they’re sappy or overplayed. But that you have actual plots where things happen, but I also connect with the characters and can understand them and sympathize. Is this something you strive to achieve with your work, or does it come naturally?
Emotion is the blood that brings a story to life. If we don’t care about what a character is going through—whether that character is up to his/her neck in shit due to their own poor judgment or simple bad luck—that story won’t interest readers. For me, I focus so much on the emotional aspects of my stories because I am, in a way, creating alternate realities I wish I might have lived, or am glad I never lived. It’s hard to say how “naturally” this comes to me because I work very hard on ensuring the emotions evoked in any given story are real. Sometimes that means taking a story in a direction I don’t want it to go in—like the ending for my story “Hadley.” I hated writing that ending, but it was the only one that worked. Anything else would have been false.
Susan's note: "Hadley" is one of my favorite stories of Matt's, and he's right. The ending was probably very difficult to put on paper, but it's so truthful that it resonates very deeply and was definitely worth it.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Lenny Bruce at his favorite Hollywood Chinese restaurant.
7) What is the mystery/enigma/riddle of Xavier Lipshitz and Zemhep Co Group?
Rather than a riddle or mystery, I think that Xavier and ZemhepCo Group, in fact, dispel mystery and enigma. For instance, there is no cadre of billionaires running the world, nor does the Bildenberger Group, Trilateral Commission or Commission on Foreign Relations have any special powers or agendas. It is ZemhepCo Group pulling the strings behind the scenes in world events, affecting everything from the price of socks at Wal-Mart to the number of dead in any of the world’s current wars.
That great quote from the film The Usual Suspects, in which Kevin Spacey’s character says, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” was written with Xavier in mind.
The Lipshitz dynasty is a Twentieth Century monstrocity, imposing and invisible as those crystal towers that loom on the dark side of the moon. It casts no shadow, but is as insidious as UV rays on our economy and our lives. Through a series of mishaps and unfortunate coincidences—involving the harassment and kidnapping of several of my family members—I was at one time enlisted as biographer of Xavier Lipshitz. A commercial belljar has been placed over me until I complete the work. When that will be is still unknown, even to me.
8) Publishing is a tough gig, and you’ve found ample success already. What, for you personally, is the most difficult part of the whole game, and what’s the most rewarding aspect? What’s the accomplishment you’re the most proud of to date?
The most difficult part of writing/publishing for me is gauging the effects I’m trying to elicit from readers without running to my outside readers with every paragraph I write. Showing partially finished work to be people has never been a good move, at least for me. Invariably the feedback I receive involves gaps in the story that will be filled in later on. It’s best just to complete a work, and then let people near me read it. So, trusting my instincts and third eye are paramount—and difficult.
The accomplishment of which I am most proud is probably seeing my first book into print. After years of rejection slips and self-doubt, it was truly a surreal moment to finally hold a copy of my book in my hands. And receiving reader feedback has also been quite satisfying. You have to understand that for the first five years of my writing career, I received on average 100 rejection slips a year. In the fifteen years I’ve been writing and submitting my work, I would conservatively estimate that average has held up. But once some of my work began making it into journals and zines, and my book was released, I was amazed to receive positive feedback from readers. I’ve never been able to reconcile editors’/publishers’ near-seamless distaste for my work with the warm reception readers have given my stories and poems.
9) You’re also extremely funny, especially when something is stupid or annoying, you’re great at finding the joke of the ludicrousness of the situation. Do you enjoy writing “funny” as much as writing more serious themes? And which do you think is more difficult to pull off?
I really enjoy writing satire and burlesque pieces. It’s taken a mighty long time to get to a place where I’m able to do it with any consistency. It’s much harder than it seems because the first impulse in writing humor is also the worst impulse—leap for the obvious joke. Sure, you’ll get it, but you have to ramp-up all over again and leap for the next obvious joke. The comedy that works best for me is rife with subtle humor with a few set-piece jokes strewn about like landmines. I’ve been a comedy aficionado since I was a child, particularly a fan of George Carlin and Lenny Bruce, whose humor worked so much better for me than the lame, piñata-bashing humor of David Letterman or Jay Leno, for instance. Carlin and Bruce had a point of view, a whole absurd vision under which any aspect of life could be placed and its ludicrous aspects revealed. The Jay Lenos of the world leave me flat. Listening to them is like trying to make a meal out of a bad of chips. So, with my own attempts at humorous writing, I aim for the territory blazed by Carlin and Bruce, where jokes resonate like echoes, where even untintentional humor fits in. That’s been some of the most satisfying writing I’ve done.
10) I usually only ask 9 questions. But you’re special, because you’ve done so many interviews yourself. Among the luminaries you’ve interviewed are Gary Britson, which can be found in your current release, Homunculus, Paul Toth, author of Fizz, and Yourself. So. You’re kind of an expert. So since this is all about me in the end, how’d I do with the interview?
You’re an amazing interviewer! There’s something artistically nourishing about answering your questions, they are so well conceived, and pointed at corners of my work I haven’t given much thought to. You’re a writer’s-reader, if that makes sense, and a fine author, too. Feedback and interest from you rates so much higher on my unscientific scale because you’re a fan and creator of solid work. Kudos from you are gold dubloons. Thanks for your support and interest in my work!
Susan's note: How could I NOT personally like a guy with a silver tongue like that? But professionally, his work is worth all the praise it gets.
MATTHEW ST. AMAND
Novelist, poet, short story writer, essayist, reviewer, interviewer, and blogger, Matt St. Amand is one of the more successful writers working today. His newest release is a hilarious and unique collection of correspondence, writings, and transmissions from one of the hardest working guys in the literary world. It's called Homunculus, and it's kept me up laughing many nights.
On Matt's interesting, extensive, and dynamic website, you'll be find plenty of information and links to his others writings. Among them is his brilliant collection of short stories, As My Sparks Fly Upward. Evocative, emotionally compelling, and beautifully crafted, this collection showcases Matt's range as an artist. Whether he's writing about a first romance, a chance encounter with a Vernor's can that spins horribly out of control, or a pilgrimage in Dublin, he commands your attention and often holds your heart in the palm of his hand. A couple of stories from this collection can be found online, including "Grudgingly" in FRiGG, and "And the Rocks and Stones Shall Sing" in Opium.
Forever & A Day is a collection of poems inspired by an ex-girlfriend's younger sister who got pregnant at an early age. Matt's poetry shows off a cadence and connection closely affiliated with rock-n-roll lyrics. In other words, it's amazingly hypnotic and readable.
His novel, "Randham Acts", has been acquired by Better Non Sequitur and is slated for release in late 2005 or early 2006.
His blog, Inside the Hotdog Factory, is a hilarious peek inside his everyday life – the life of a writer trying to make it.
Without further ado, Matthew St. Amand.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and how do you think they’ve influenced you?
Bob Dylan’s lyrics opened me to the idea that there’s more to language than literal meaning—there are considerations like how certain words sound together; stringing together disparate images, as he does in his song “Tombstone Blues”:
“Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, ‘Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?’”
The legendary comic, Lenny Bruce, also really inspired me. Not only by his humor, but the way he deconstructed moral problems, situations, and reconstructed them in a slightly altered way, highlighting the absurdity of our belief systems. For instance, he spoke a lot about “my right, your wrong,” and how a guy he knew received a medal for killing twenty Italians during WWII, and received a life sentence for killing one Italian in Brooklyn after the war. Or, speaking about the Civil Rights Movement during his 1961 Carnegie Hall performance, he compared the prejudice blacks suffered with that which Christians once suffered at the hands of the Romans—being fed to lions. Lenny’s comment on this was “There’s a quanitative difference between being refused the right to service and being served as refuse.”
Other artists whose work inspired me are Thomas Wolfe, Salvador Dali, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath (her prose, only!), Tim O’Brien, Jonathan Lethem, Frederick Exley, Mark Twain, and Johnny Cash.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
My greatest strength is writing dialogue. Readers tell me that how my characters speak and interact strikes them as completely realistic. My flaws and weaknesses are many—I’m ego/ethnocentric, my work can quickly veer into the self-indulgent.
Susan's note: I've never noticed his work getting self-indulgent, so he either doesn't publish those pieces or he re-works them before I've seen them
3) You’re a born and bred Canadian, and you’ve lived overseas in Ireland. How do you think this affected your prose writing and poetry?
I don’t consider myself a “Canadian” writer or an “Irish” writer. My stories are more about human experience than geography. Living away from North America showed me there is a whole universe of ideas and experiences different from what we take for granted as “normal.” While filling out job applications in Ireland, a clerk asked me if I had a “biro.” I had no clue what this person was saying. Turned out a “biro” is their word for a pen. Living in Ireland allowed me to indulge my propensity for eavesdropping on others’ conversations. I can’t help myself, I’m always doing this. But in Ireland the conversations were worth listening to—the Irish are the best speakers you’ll find anywhere. All of this has helped me—hopefully—move well beyond the pedestrian in my writing, striving for language that is outside of the normal course of zombified discourse that fills up daily life.
4) Your stories seem to have such a genuine and “real” quality about them. Even your poetry is completely readable and relatable. Do you feel it’s important to start off with seeds of truth and real-life scenarios?
As a kid, I hated reading. The idea of books bored me terribly. When I finally came around to enjoying books, and ultimately to writing, I never lost touch with that kid who hated reading. Every time I sit down to write, I’m always answering the question “Who gives a shit about this?” In order to get started, I do need to begin with a real-life scenario, or an idea easily spun-off an actual situation. This doesn’t mean my work is patently autobiographical; I’d make a lousy journalist. It’s not long before I’m making stuff out of the air, stringing together multiple partially-real situations together to form my fiction. And always, always, always, the kernel of the idea has to be fascinating, to hold something close to obsession in it—whether it’s the best man in my story “Best Man” about to watch his friend marry a girl he thinks is dead wrong for him, or making a pilgrimage to Bono’s estate in County Dublin. There has to be a substantial hook in the idea to keep me going.
5) You separate yourself from many modern writers because your stories are rife with emotion. Now, when I say that, I don’t mean that they’re sappy or overplayed. But that you have actual plots where things happen, but I also connect with the characters and can understand them and sympathize. Is this something you strive to achieve with your work, or does it come naturally?
Emotion is the blood that brings a story to life. If we don’t care about what a character is going through—whether that character is up to his/her neck in shit due to their own poor judgment or simple bad luck—that story won’t interest readers. For me, I focus so much on the emotional aspects of my stories because I am, in a way, creating alternate realities I wish I might have lived, or am glad I never lived. It’s hard to say how “naturally” this comes to me because I work very hard on ensuring the emotions evoked in any given story are real. Sometimes that means taking a story in a direction I don’t want it to go in—like the ending for my story “Hadley.” I hated writing that ending, but it was the only one that worked. Anything else would have been false.
Susan's note: "Hadley" is one of my favorite stories of Matt's, and he's right. The ending was probably very difficult to put on paper, but it's so truthful that it resonates very deeply and was definitely worth it.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Lenny Bruce at his favorite Hollywood Chinese restaurant.
7) What is the mystery/enigma/riddle of Xavier Lipshitz and Zemhep Co Group?
Rather than a riddle or mystery, I think that Xavier and ZemhepCo Group, in fact, dispel mystery and enigma. For instance, there is no cadre of billionaires running the world, nor does the Bildenberger Group, Trilateral Commission or Commission on Foreign Relations have any special powers or agendas. It is ZemhepCo Group pulling the strings behind the scenes in world events, affecting everything from the price of socks at Wal-Mart to the number of dead in any of the world’s current wars.
That great quote from the film The Usual Suspects, in which Kevin Spacey’s character says, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” was written with Xavier in mind.
The Lipshitz dynasty is a Twentieth Century monstrocity, imposing and invisible as those crystal towers that loom on the dark side of the moon. It casts no shadow, but is as insidious as UV rays on our economy and our lives. Through a series of mishaps and unfortunate coincidences—involving the harassment and kidnapping of several of my family members—I was at one time enlisted as biographer of Xavier Lipshitz. A commercial belljar has been placed over me until I complete the work. When that will be is still unknown, even to me.
8) Publishing is a tough gig, and you’ve found ample success already. What, for you personally, is the most difficult part of the whole game, and what’s the most rewarding aspect? What’s the accomplishment you’re the most proud of to date?
The most difficult part of writing/publishing for me is gauging the effects I’m trying to elicit from readers without running to my outside readers with every paragraph I write. Showing partially finished work to be people has never been a good move, at least for me. Invariably the feedback I receive involves gaps in the story that will be filled in later on. It’s best just to complete a work, and then let people near me read it. So, trusting my instincts and third eye are paramount—and difficult.
The accomplishment of which I am most proud is probably seeing my first book into print. After years of rejection slips and self-doubt, it was truly a surreal moment to finally hold a copy of my book in my hands. And receiving reader feedback has also been quite satisfying. You have to understand that for the first five years of my writing career, I received on average 100 rejection slips a year. In the fifteen years I’ve been writing and submitting my work, I would conservatively estimate that average has held up. But once some of my work began making it into journals and zines, and my book was released, I was amazed to receive positive feedback from readers. I’ve never been able to reconcile editors’/publishers’ near-seamless distaste for my work with the warm reception readers have given my stories and poems.
9) You’re also extremely funny, especially when something is stupid or annoying, you’re great at finding the joke of the ludicrousness of the situation. Do you enjoy writing “funny” as much as writing more serious themes? And which do you think is more difficult to pull off?
I really enjoy writing satire and burlesque pieces. It’s taken a mighty long time to get to a place where I’m able to do it with any consistency. It’s much harder than it seems because the first impulse in writing humor is also the worst impulse—leap for the obvious joke. Sure, you’ll get it, but you have to ramp-up all over again and leap for the next obvious joke. The comedy that works best for me is rife with subtle humor with a few set-piece jokes strewn about like landmines. I’ve been a comedy aficionado since I was a child, particularly a fan of George Carlin and Lenny Bruce, whose humor worked so much better for me than the lame, piñata-bashing humor of David Letterman or Jay Leno, for instance. Carlin and Bruce had a point of view, a whole absurd vision under which any aspect of life could be placed and its ludicrous aspects revealed. The Jay Lenos of the world leave me flat. Listening to them is like trying to make a meal out of a bad of chips. So, with my own attempts at humorous writing, I aim for the territory blazed by Carlin and Bruce, where jokes resonate like echoes, where even untintentional humor fits in. That’s been some of the most satisfying writing I’ve done.
10) I usually only ask 9 questions. But you’re special, because you’ve done so many interviews yourself. Among the luminaries you’ve interviewed are Gary Britson, which can be found in your current release, Homunculus, Paul Toth, author of Fizz, and Yourself. So. You’re kind of an expert. So since this is all about me in the end, how’d I do with the interview?
You’re an amazing interviewer! There’s something artistically nourishing about answering your questions, they are so well conceived, and pointed at corners of my work I haven’t given much thought to. You’re a writer’s-reader, if that makes sense, and a fine author, too. Feedback and interest from you rates so much higher on my unscientific scale because you’re a fan and creator of solid work. Kudos from you are gold dubloons. Thanks for your support and interest in my work!
Susan's note: How could I NOT personally like a guy with a silver tongue like that? But professionally, his work is worth all the praise it gets.
Friday, May 20, 2005
RENEE K. NICHOLSON
RENEE NICHOLSON
Ballerina, arthritis advocate, fiction writer, blogger and reviewer Renee Nicholson knows her way around the arts. Instead of dosing out the cursory "what a good read" and slapping a starred rating as a shortcut on her reviews, Renee has the ability and insight to delve inside a book or story to understand its construction, themes, and underlying meanings. The effort and care she employs is not only a boon for the writers, but also potential readers. By thoughtfully and gracefully articulating the gestalt of the work, it allows readers to connect beyond the superficial level, and paints clear pictures for potential readers to accurately gauge interest levels.
What she does with her reviews is very similar to creating an entire fiction story – or performing a ballet. It's graceful and artistic, and though less abstract in some ways, it's a form of dialogue – a forging of a connection and informing the world-view of others.
The same could be said of her blog at healthdiaries.com, where she's a featured writer. Her blog, Life with RA, is an unflinchingly honest, brave and heartfelt account of how living with Rheumatoid Arthritis affects, changes, and shapes her life. The RA ended her ballet career, but you can see that same strength and artistry at work now in her prose. Ballerinas are known for their grace, and after reading just a few of Renee's entries, you can see that emanating not only from my style on the page, but also in how she relates to life. But what's often overlooked is the grit and determination, the fierce toughness that the dancers need to have to persevere and succeed in their field. It's both a physically demanding and emotionally testing arena. Renee succeeded there. And it's that same stunning combination of grace and grit that now touches her writing.
Her short story "My Darlings" can currently be found at The Cerebral Catalyst. Several of her reviews can be found at The Beat. Among them are: The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories by Steve Almond , Iconography: A Writer's Meditation by Susan Neville, Freeways & Aqueducts by James Harms, and Candy Freak by Steve Almond.
Renee is starting an MFA program at WVU this fall, she'll be doing book reviews for Chelsea Magazine and I suspect we'll be hearing much more about her before long.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they've influenced you?
This is the question that could potentially go on for ever. But I'll try to make it reasonable. The first would have to be Susan Neville, whose books include both short fiction and creative nonfiction: The Invention of Flight, In The House of Blue Lights, Indiana Winter, Fabrication, and Iconography: A Writer's Meditation. I could tell you about all her awards and such (like the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction), but that's really only the credentials folks look for when they don't look at the writing. Susan rescued me in many ways, and she probably never knew it. She was my first creative writing teacher and mentor, and the great thing about her is that she treated her students' work with the care and attention she treats her own work. It's such a gift. From her I learned about dialogue and pacing. She used to say, "No one directly answers a question. A woman tells a man she wants to talk and the man asks her to pass the pizza." She also was always giving me books to read - it was great. She gave me Susan Minot's book of short stories, Lust and Kathy Aker's Portrait of an Eye. She was the first to suggest to me that I could, and maybe should, be a writer.
Then there is the poet John Hoppenthaler. Now, I don't write poetry, but poets have influenced me greatly because of their attention to line and language. Prose can be lyrical like poetry and reading John's poetry is a lesson in what makes language deeply musical and enchanting. His poems have a flowing narrative through them that seems to capture the best of good writing, irrespective to genre. Plus, John is a great friend, he's a rock. He continues to be a supportive friend and mentor. And he appreciates good food and good wine! An excellent combination. In his book Lives of Water the poem "Telling Tales in a River Town" is dedicated to me.
Another poet is James Harms, who is the Director of Creative Writing at WVU. He's a big part of the reason I'm going to West Virginia, along with two other short fiction writers, Gail Galloway Adams and Mark Brazaitis.
I'm a huge fan of Steve Almond's work, both his collections of short fiction and his non fiction book, Candy Freak. I think that Almond's work often gets glossed over as just being sexy or just being funny, but there's much depth in his characters, who are often confused and conflicted because of the weird, often paradoxical culture we live in. The sense of frustration, a quiet, under the surface kind of angst, makes his work compelling to me. I think there are definitely parallels between his work and John Cheever's short fiction. A Cheever story, to me, is a pure short story the way it should be done. Favorites include, "The Swimmer" and "A Sutton Place Story."
I would be remiss if I didn't include Michael Martone in this list. His work is so indicative of place, especially The Flatness and Other Landscapes, one of my favorite books of non-fiction. He has the ability to put you in a setting and allow you to experience it in tangible sensory details - not just sight, but smells and tastes and sounds. He's genius that way.
There are so many others, but these have to be at the top of the list.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I'll start with flaws... Yikes. Biggest flaw has to be lack of attention to plot. My plots are thin and often shallow. I wish I was better at plotting, but the truth is my plots fall down. I also cannot spell worth a damn, and grammar is crappy. But many writers seem to put these on the flaw list; I believe it's just a mechanical thing that sometimes gets in the way of creativity... but then you need to polish the mechanical stuff to let the artistry shine through. I always recommend finding someone who is a kick-ass proofreader. My husband does this for me - he's a CPA and very detail oriented. Without him, my stuff would look just horrible, full of mistakes and misspellings.
Strengths is harder to say. Sometimes I think I write with a strong sense of place, other times character. I do think that there is something pushing my writing, something authentic. To me, being true to the story is paramount. So, if I'm writing about a character who is a ballet dancer, it's got to be true to that world, or if I'm writing a story that can only take place in a certain locale, the details of that place have to be dead-on correct. So, even if the writing isn't perfect, it's authentic.
3) You were a ballerina which is also an intensely creative and talent-oriented art, but it's also very physically and mentally and perhaps emotionally demanding. In comparison to writing, which (ballet or writing) do you find overall most challenging and which most rewarding?
Wow, what a question! And a fair one too. Working in two very different art forms gives you a kind of perspective that can be both expansive and limiting. Ballet is physically and emotionally demanding, but there is an element of imitation that limits one's own creative impulse. As a dancer, you recreate steps in choreography that have been handed down through generations. You try to bring something to it, but ultimately you are a variation on a theme. In writing, your net is cast over everything - anything is possible, and everything is potentially material. I've found the discipline of dancer has carried over to my writing and has helped to shape and focus my efforts.
Writing is rewarding because of process, while dance is rewarding because of performance. The challenges are so different that it's hard to say which is the most challenging.
An interesting aside about the two art forms - both come with a lot of rejection. Many writers I know think that the rejection from writing is tough. It is, I suppose, but compared to ballet, where the feedback is immediate and often exceptionally personal, the rejection from writing seems much easier to swallow. I mean, no editor has asked me to stand up and read a piece, only to tell me my prose is great but I need to shed the extra pounds of baby fat.
4) You write fiction and non-fiction and also do in-depth book reviews. Does working in one field help strengthen you in others, or does it make it more difficult? (Like, does analyzing someone else's fiction help you structure yours? Or is it difficult to switch gears and move between the different forms? )
I like the freedom to switch around in genres... and certain pieces feel like they can be fictionalized while others feel like they should be true stories. The stuff I write about having RA (rheumatoid arthritis) for instance, needs to be told as truth in order to be authentic. At least to me. I often write stories about ballet, which I usually fictionalize. Some of the stories incorporate my experiences, but also and often things I've witnessed in that world. So I tend to fictionalize so that I can combine these elements and feel that it, too is authentic.
Now, reviewing is the best thing I've done for my writing, because everything I read is teaching me something and writing the review requires me to articulate my thoughts about it. But I'm in a different mode when writing a review - like a detective figuring out a mystery, I'm trying to piece together what the author is doing in a work. I like the critical side of things because it is forcing me to learn about the aesthetics of writing... it's like the barre work in ballet, where you warm up and perfect the basic skills that allows you to be a performer. Looking at another's work in a way that allows you to understand their choice, see their aesthetics is great mental calisthenics.
5) In one of your blog entries, you talk about how you were very nervous to reveal to your then boyfriend that you have rheumatoid arthritis. It worked out extremely well considering you're about to celebrate your fourth wedding anniversary. Do you ever have this same hesitant and nervous feeling about "revealing yourself" through your writing? And do you think it usually works out just as well if you take that same leap of faith?
Heck, I'm worried and nervous about everything I write. But revealing myself, especially personal things can freak me out. But it's also strangely relieving, like, okay, if I can write about that then I can sleep with a clear conscience. And at some point I think you have to reveal yourself to be an artist or a writer or really just a good person. I think people connect to those people who can talk about the tough stuff without being fluffy or disingenuous. Really, life is this giant leap of faith. People look for this thing called "security" but I'm not sure that true security exists. No one can predict the future. Really, the best security is to take the leap of faith each day on yourself. And, as my granddad back in West Virginia always said, "It's a great life if you don't weaken." And that's true.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My grandmother, Opal. She was diagnosed with liver cancer when my mom was pregnant with me. The doctors told her she wouldn't live to see me born and she told them oh yes she would. And she died a little under two months after I was born. The doctor's were stunned. I like to think she passed on a bit of that volition to me. I've got loads of questions for her, and if I had the chance, I'd have her make her famous fried chicken and wax nostalgic for a while.
7) What's the best taste of summer?
Anything on the grill! Burgers, brats, BBQ chicken... and ice cold beer. Or a crisp wine. And ice cream, chocolate. MMMMMM... I'm hungry already.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
I consider not telling the full truth the worst kind of lie and I used to not tell people about having RA. I was completely embarrassed about it. So I would just say "My knee hurts" or something generic. After spending most of my life in ballet I thought it was shameful what was happening to my body. But when you don't come clean with stuff like that, it gets at you. And, things really changed when I met Matt, my husband of 4 years this June 2nd. He just didn't care that I have RA - not in a bad way, but it didn't change how he felt about me as a person. I felt sort of freed by it, and then I told everyone about it, without the old stigma.
I also used to lie about eating, back in my ballet days. It's fair to say I was borderline anorexic, as were most the dancers I knew. But now I LOVE to EAT! My God, what was I missing!
9) If you had to choose -- what was your single favorite ballet performance? And what so far is your single favorite writing-related accomplishment, and how do they compare?
My favorite ballet performance had to be my first Nutcracker. I was seven and was a mouse. The first time on stage was completely magical... it's a natural high and I knew I just had to have more. I've played almost every role in The Nutcracker since but it never compares to that first time.
My favorite writing-related accomplishment is being accepted into the program at WVU and getting the teaching assistantship/scholarship. I surprised myself with that one. Although I don't think everyone has to do an MFA to be a great writer. They come in all forms and all backgrounds. For me, this was just a sense of right place and right time. I wanted to work and be mentored by certain other writers and I thought that this was a sign that they wanted to help me.
Really, they can't compare. It's like comparing Robert Frost to Thomas Pynchon - they just aren't doing the same thing. But I've met some truly wonderful people in both the ballet world and writing world, and honestly, it's the friendships that mean the most to me. That's the heart of it - good work, good friends.
Ballerina, arthritis advocate, fiction writer, blogger and reviewer Renee Nicholson knows her way around the arts. Instead of dosing out the cursory "what a good read" and slapping a starred rating as a shortcut on her reviews, Renee has the ability and insight to delve inside a book or story to understand its construction, themes, and underlying meanings. The effort and care she employs is not only a boon for the writers, but also potential readers. By thoughtfully and gracefully articulating the gestalt of the work, it allows readers to connect beyond the superficial level, and paints clear pictures for potential readers to accurately gauge interest levels.
What she does with her reviews is very similar to creating an entire fiction story – or performing a ballet. It's graceful and artistic, and though less abstract in some ways, it's a form of dialogue – a forging of a connection and informing the world-view of others.
The same could be said of her blog at healthdiaries.com, where she's a featured writer. Her blog, Life with RA, is an unflinchingly honest, brave and heartfelt account of how living with Rheumatoid Arthritis affects, changes, and shapes her life. The RA ended her ballet career, but you can see that same strength and artistry at work now in her prose. Ballerinas are known for their grace, and after reading just a few of Renee's entries, you can see that emanating not only from my style on the page, but also in how she relates to life. But what's often overlooked is the grit and determination, the fierce toughness that the dancers need to have to persevere and succeed in their field. It's both a physically demanding and emotionally testing arena. Renee succeeded there. And it's that same stunning combination of grace and grit that now touches her writing.
Her short story "My Darlings" can currently be found at The Cerebral Catalyst. Several of her reviews can be found at The Beat. Among them are: The Evil B.B. Chow and Other Stories by Steve Almond , Iconography: A Writer's Meditation by Susan Neville, Freeways & Aqueducts by James Harms, and Candy Freak by Steve Almond.
Renee is starting an MFA program at WVU this fall, she'll be doing book reviews for Chelsea Magazine and I suspect we'll be hearing much more about her before long.
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they've influenced you?
This is the question that could potentially go on for ever. But I'll try to make it reasonable. The first would have to be Susan Neville, whose books include both short fiction and creative nonfiction: The Invention of Flight, In The House of Blue Lights, Indiana Winter, Fabrication, and Iconography: A Writer's Meditation. I could tell you about all her awards and such (like the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction), but that's really only the credentials folks look for when they don't look at the writing. Susan rescued me in many ways, and she probably never knew it. She was my first creative writing teacher and mentor, and the great thing about her is that she treated her students' work with the care and attention she treats her own work. It's such a gift. From her I learned about dialogue and pacing. She used to say, "No one directly answers a question. A woman tells a man she wants to talk and the man asks her to pass the pizza." She also was always giving me books to read - it was great. She gave me Susan Minot's book of short stories, Lust and Kathy Aker's Portrait of an Eye. She was the first to suggest to me that I could, and maybe should, be a writer.
Then there is the poet John Hoppenthaler. Now, I don't write poetry, but poets have influenced me greatly because of their attention to line and language. Prose can be lyrical like poetry and reading John's poetry is a lesson in what makes language deeply musical and enchanting. His poems have a flowing narrative through them that seems to capture the best of good writing, irrespective to genre. Plus, John is a great friend, he's a rock. He continues to be a supportive friend and mentor. And he appreciates good food and good wine! An excellent combination. In his book Lives of Water the poem "Telling Tales in a River Town" is dedicated to me.
Another poet is James Harms, who is the Director of Creative Writing at WVU. He's a big part of the reason I'm going to West Virginia, along with two other short fiction writers, Gail Galloway Adams and Mark Brazaitis.
I'm a huge fan of Steve Almond's work, both his collections of short fiction and his non fiction book, Candy Freak. I think that Almond's work often gets glossed over as just being sexy or just being funny, but there's much depth in his characters, who are often confused and conflicted because of the weird, often paradoxical culture we live in. The sense of frustration, a quiet, under the surface kind of angst, makes his work compelling to me. I think there are definitely parallels between his work and John Cheever's short fiction. A Cheever story, to me, is a pure short story the way it should be done. Favorites include, "The Swimmer" and "A Sutton Place Story."
I would be remiss if I didn't include Michael Martone in this list. His work is so indicative of place, especially The Flatness and Other Landscapes, one of my favorite books of non-fiction. He has the ability to put you in a setting and allow you to experience it in tangible sensory details - not just sight, but smells and tastes and sounds. He's genius that way.
There are so many others, but these have to be at the top of the list.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
I'll start with flaws... Yikes. Biggest flaw has to be lack of attention to plot. My plots are thin and often shallow. I wish I was better at plotting, but the truth is my plots fall down. I also cannot spell worth a damn, and grammar is crappy. But many writers seem to put these on the flaw list; I believe it's just a mechanical thing that sometimes gets in the way of creativity... but then you need to polish the mechanical stuff to let the artistry shine through. I always recommend finding someone who is a kick-ass proofreader. My husband does this for me - he's a CPA and very detail oriented. Without him, my stuff would look just horrible, full of mistakes and misspellings.
Strengths is harder to say. Sometimes I think I write with a strong sense of place, other times character. I do think that there is something pushing my writing, something authentic. To me, being true to the story is paramount. So, if I'm writing about a character who is a ballet dancer, it's got to be true to that world, or if I'm writing a story that can only take place in a certain locale, the details of that place have to be dead-on correct. So, even if the writing isn't perfect, it's authentic.
3) You were a ballerina which is also an intensely creative and talent-oriented art, but it's also very physically and mentally and perhaps emotionally demanding. In comparison to writing, which (ballet or writing) do you find overall most challenging and which most rewarding?
Wow, what a question! And a fair one too. Working in two very different art forms gives you a kind of perspective that can be both expansive and limiting. Ballet is physically and emotionally demanding, but there is an element of imitation that limits one's own creative impulse. As a dancer, you recreate steps in choreography that have been handed down through generations. You try to bring something to it, but ultimately you are a variation on a theme. In writing, your net is cast over everything - anything is possible, and everything is potentially material. I've found the discipline of dancer has carried over to my writing and has helped to shape and focus my efforts.
Writing is rewarding because of process, while dance is rewarding because of performance. The challenges are so different that it's hard to say which is the most challenging.
An interesting aside about the two art forms - both come with a lot of rejection. Many writers I know think that the rejection from writing is tough. It is, I suppose, but compared to ballet, where the feedback is immediate and often exceptionally personal, the rejection from writing seems much easier to swallow. I mean, no editor has asked me to stand up and read a piece, only to tell me my prose is great but I need to shed the extra pounds of baby fat.
4) You write fiction and non-fiction and also do in-depth book reviews. Does working in one field help strengthen you in others, or does it make it more difficult? (Like, does analyzing someone else's fiction help you structure yours? Or is it difficult to switch gears and move between the different forms? )
I like the freedom to switch around in genres... and certain pieces feel like they can be fictionalized while others feel like they should be true stories. The stuff I write about having RA (rheumatoid arthritis) for instance, needs to be told as truth in order to be authentic. At least to me. I often write stories about ballet, which I usually fictionalize. Some of the stories incorporate my experiences, but also and often things I've witnessed in that world. So I tend to fictionalize so that I can combine these elements and feel that it, too is authentic.
Now, reviewing is the best thing I've done for my writing, because everything I read is teaching me something and writing the review requires me to articulate my thoughts about it. But I'm in a different mode when writing a review - like a detective figuring out a mystery, I'm trying to piece together what the author is doing in a work. I like the critical side of things because it is forcing me to learn about the aesthetics of writing... it's like the barre work in ballet, where you warm up and perfect the basic skills that allows you to be a performer. Looking at another's work in a way that allows you to understand their choice, see their aesthetics is great mental calisthenics.
5) In one of your blog entries, you talk about how you were very nervous to reveal to your then boyfriend that you have rheumatoid arthritis. It worked out extremely well considering you're about to celebrate your fourth wedding anniversary. Do you ever have this same hesitant and nervous feeling about "revealing yourself" through your writing? And do you think it usually works out just as well if you take that same leap of faith?
Heck, I'm worried and nervous about everything I write. But revealing myself, especially personal things can freak me out. But it's also strangely relieving, like, okay, if I can write about that then I can sleep with a clear conscience. And at some point I think you have to reveal yourself to be an artist or a writer or really just a good person. I think people connect to those people who can talk about the tough stuff without being fluffy or disingenuous. Really, life is this giant leap of faith. People look for this thing called "security" but I'm not sure that true security exists. No one can predict the future. Really, the best security is to take the leap of faith each day on yourself. And, as my granddad back in West Virginia always said, "It's a great life if you don't weaken." And that's true.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
My grandmother, Opal. She was diagnosed with liver cancer when my mom was pregnant with me. The doctors told her she wouldn't live to see me born and she told them oh yes she would. And she died a little under two months after I was born. The doctor's were stunned. I like to think she passed on a bit of that volition to me. I've got loads of questions for her, and if I had the chance, I'd have her make her famous fried chicken and wax nostalgic for a while.
7) What's the best taste of summer?
Anything on the grill! Burgers, brats, BBQ chicken... and ice cold beer. Or a crisp wine. And ice cream, chocolate. MMMMMM... I'm hungry already.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
I consider not telling the full truth the worst kind of lie and I used to not tell people about having RA. I was completely embarrassed about it. So I would just say "My knee hurts" or something generic. After spending most of my life in ballet I thought it was shameful what was happening to my body. But when you don't come clean with stuff like that, it gets at you. And, things really changed when I met Matt, my husband of 4 years this June 2nd. He just didn't care that I have RA - not in a bad way, but it didn't change how he felt about me as a person. I felt sort of freed by it, and then I told everyone about it, without the old stigma.
I also used to lie about eating, back in my ballet days. It's fair to say I was borderline anorexic, as were most the dancers I knew. But now I LOVE to EAT! My God, what was I missing!
9) If you had to choose -- what was your single favorite ballet performance? And what so far is your single favorite writing-related accomplishment, and how do they compare?
My favorite ballet performance had to be my first Nutcracker. I was seven and was a mouse. The first time on stage was completely magical... it's a natural high and I knew I just had to have more. I've played almost every role in The Nutcracker since but it never compares to that first time.
My favorite writing-related accomplishment is being accepted into the program at WVU and getting the teaching assistantship/scholarship. I surprised myself with that one. Although I don't think everyone has to do an MFA to be a great writer. They come in all forms and all backgrounds. For me, this was just a sense of right place and right time. I wanted to work and be mentored by certain other writers and I thought that this was a sign that they wanted to help me.
Really, they can't compare. It's like comparing Robert Frost to Thomas Pynchon - they just aren't doing the same thing. But I've met some truly wonderful people in both the ballet world and writing world, and honestly, it's the friendships that mean the most to me. That's the heart of it - good work, good friends.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Good Reads
Ok teenagers. Tomorrow we'll be having another writer spotlight and this one will be with Renee Nicholson. In case you care to brush up ahead of time though, she's just had a story pubbed at The Cerebral Catalyst. It's called My Darlings and it's fierce and fab. (and it's now officially time for me to stop watching ANTM)
Another splendid read I ran across this week is by the multi-talented and multi-wonderful Beverly Jackson. It's called The Day Room and it's up as part of The Absinthe Literary Review's Eros and Thanatos issue. (I would LOVE to get into that issue of that mag, and I'm so jazzed for Bev for doing it. Trust me, I've tried and didn't make the cut. Her story most definitely fits the bill and is well deserving of being there. But I'm still jealous as hell!)
In the non-fiction vein, excellent book reviewer Steve Hansen has a new book review posted at Small Spiral Notebook. It's of Bee Lavender's Lessons in Taxidermy.
Another splendid read I ran across this week is by the multi-talented and multi-wonderful Beverly Jackson. It's called The Day Room and it's up as part of The Absinthe Literary Review's Eros and Thanatos issue. (I would LOVE to get into that issue of that mag, and I'm so jazzed for Bev for doing it. Trust me, I've tried and didn't make the cut. Her story most definitely fits the bill and is well deserving of being there. But I'm still jealous as hell!)
In the non-fiction vein, excellent book reviewer Steve Hansen has a new book review posted at Small Spiral Notebook. It's of Bee Lavender's Lessons in Taxidermy.
Monday, May 16, 2005
2005 Moondance Film Festival
And we're back to me again.
My short story "I, Candy" won the short story category at the 2005 Moondance Film Festival. (!!!)
If you're so inclined, you can read the story at Write This.
My short story "I, Candy" won the short story category at the 2005 Moondance Film Festival. (!!!)
If you're so inclined, you can read the story at Write This.
Biff Mitchell in Projected Letters
Funky cool and super-sized talent Biff Mitchell has two stories up in the new issue of Projected Letters. This seems to be a good new literary 'zine, and Biff's stories up there are "The Nickel" and "Fishing the Moody River" from his wonderful short story collection Surfing in Catal Hyuk.
Bif is a remarkably talented writer with a diverse range. He's had three novels published, The War Bug, Team Player, and Heavy Load. All three mix humor with action -- and plenty of assorted weirdness. One thing's for sure, you've never read anything even remotely close to one of Biff's novels before. The mix of wit and literary skill -- and weirdness -- can summon correlations with Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore. But his plots are fresh and he goes to completely different places than either of those writers. Team Player is a hilarious and satirical look inside the IT industry. He also has a couple of novellas available as dollar downloads: Smoke Break and The Baton.
So here's a good chance to check out his style at Projected Letters and see if you aren't down for him. You won't be disappointed.
Bif is a remarkably talented writer with a diverse range. He's had three novels published, The War Bug, Team Player, and Heavy Load. All three mix humor with action -- and plenty of assorted weirdness. One thing's for sure, you've never read anything even remotely close to one of Biff's novels before. The mix of wit and literary skill -- and weirdness -- can summon correlations with Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore. But his plots are fresh and he goes to completely different places than either of those writers. Team Player is a hilarious and satirical look inside the IT industry. He also has a couple of novellas available as dollar downloads: Smoke Break and The Baton.
So here's a good chance to check out his style at Projected Letters and see if you aren't down for him. You won't be disappointed.
Friday, May 13, 2005
TRIPP READE
Not only does he have one of the coolest names for a writer ever – Tripp Reade, don't you just love that -- Tripp is an incredibly talented writer who lives in Durham, NC. I first ran across his work on the Zoetrope Virtual Studio when I read his story, "Memoirs of an Atomic Insect." I was instantly hooked by his sublime fusion of humanity and the surreal. After that, I began to actively seek out more of Tripp's fiction, and I was delighted to find a diversified approach to the stories themselves, but a steady and generous spirit as the connecting tissue.
If you're looking for street cred, he's got plenty. A chapter from his novel-in-progress won a 2002 North Carolina Writer's Network Blumenthal Award, and he subsequently read that chapter at the NC Literary Festival. He was also part of a successful panel at the 2004 South Carolina Book Festival. His work can be found in magazines such as Sandhills Review, Timber Creek Review, and Spout.
You can check out some of his fiction online at these links:
Before the Plunge at Slow Trains
She Was at Write This
One Coat at Dead Mule
He is currently working on a collection of related short stories that showcase and celebrate his beloved Durham, NC. What pulls the stories together, other than the setting, is a seemingly small and common twist in one of the character's life. This event ricochets around, and we see its ripple effect upon other characters – some of them seemingly unrelated to the initial progenitor of the karma, and sometimes decades after the initial event. But what keeps the reader fascinated is not just the common thread, but Reade's uncanny ability to make all the characters visceral, vital, and vivid on an emotional level.
Q & A With Tripp Reade
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they've influenced you?
First there were comic books. Hundreds and thousands of comic books. Next big discovery: mythology, particularly those old stand-bys, the wanton Greeks and the gloomy Norse. Once upon a time, I could tell you the name of every least godling, troll, and dryad. Up to this point, though, no single writers of note, just a great avalanche of stories. The first writer I encountered who had an impact on me was Tolkien. Man, I read and re-read those books, a whole world I could fall into again and again. Then, in chronological order, and appearing with the regularity of signposts, Mark Twain, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harlan Ellison, Alice Hoffman, Charles Dickens, Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, and Thomas Pynchon.
While I absolutely believe these, and other writers to a lesser extent, have influenced me--really, how could they not, unless I managed to forget about them as soon as I read them, internalizing nothing--I see no obvious resemblance between my writing and theirs, though perhaps resemblance is easier to detect where the pure storytellers are concerned, more so than with the post-moderns: I'm fond of irony, but rarely, if ever, use it in my own stories.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
Let's see. I've a pretty good grasp of viewpoint and pacing, and can turn a clever phrase. Though I don't use a great deal of description, I think what I do use is quite satisfactory. Oh, and I can do funny. However, you asked for greatest asset or strength, so let me anticipate the next question and say I can slip my feet into near about anyone's shoes. The flip side of this empathy is that it remains to be seen if I can write a truly despicable or just plain old snake-mean character.
Ah, but weaknesses, where shall I begin? I write long, and can take forever to get where I'm going. As a result, I too easily contract a bad case of narrative impatience, which is the tendency to hurry through a story and which results in a simplistic structure. I under-utilize narrative summary, which often results in a story neatly penned by the Aristotelian unities. Prior to 2003 I almost never fully engaged with emotion in my writing, preferring to get by with cleverness and humor, such as they were, but that weakness seems to have been adequately addressed.
3) You seem to be able to climb inside a character's skin to really let the reader connect to them emotionally. Is this something that comes natural, or do you work at it to cull this sympathy/empathy? Also, do you ever feel that you should pull back so you don't overplay your hand?
<>I alluded to this somewhat in my answer to the previous question. I've always been extremely sensitive to what other people must be feeling, to their difficulties and sorrows, and when I was growing up felt that, for a boy who loved to play sports and hurl himself through the woods in all sorts of dangerous games and adventures, I was ridiculously prone to tears. However, and for reasons that would take far too much time and webpage real estate to fully explore right now, I didn't feel this inclination was sufficiently masculine, so I very effectively suppressed it. And then in 2003 I changed--more precisely, 2003 hastened a transformation that had been taking place in fits and starts over a number of years--and this change radically affected my fiction. The stories written on either slope of that dividing year can only with some effort be attributed to the same person.
So yes, it comes to me naturally, and yes, I had to work at it. I'm pleased with the stories that have resulted. They don't seem overly sentimental, which might easily have happened. I've always been wary of writing in such a way that everything is obvious, the sum total of a story's meaning right there on the page and therefore lacking complexity. Though this approach, too, has its pitfalls--it can result in a subtlety that verges on opacity and confusion--in this case it has served me well by keeping the stories from becoming maudlin.
4) You're good at capturing very evocative details without losing the forward momentum of the story. Is it a balancing act to get those details on the page without wandering off on tangents?
Again, I alluded to this in my answer to the second question. At the drop of a hat, I'll wander off on a tangent! You should see what happens when I try to write a novel; they turn into these marathon journeys of tangent-chasing. Short stories are how I hope to become a more disciplined writer, and this is why my descriptions may seem spare: I've become ruthless in the way I limit them. With such Draconian measures in place, I search hard for the best details possible.
5) Your stories are mostly set in the Carolinas and you seem to have a genuine love for the area. What are some of the best things about that area that are unique to it?
I've been hung up on the word unique in this question. There are lots of friendly people here in Durham and in North Carolina, but that's true everywhere. The barbeque is delicious, but I've had just as good in other places. There are tree-shaded streets in my city that are perfect cathedrals of lovely green light, but, again, that's not unique to Durham. We're basketball crazy, but so are Indiana, Kentucky, and Kansas. Downtown architecture is wonderful 1920s-era Art Nouveau, but so is the architecture of many other downtowns, I'm sure. The smell of tobacco still lingers in the heart of the city, even though the leaf is no longer traded and processed here, and that may be unique: it's such a toasty, golden aroma.
In the end, maybe it's all in how the ingredients are mixed, so that all of the above, and a thousand other everyday wonders, combine to make this place, my city, unique. No two places will use the same recipe, thank goodness. For this reason, just about every town and city I visit feels like a place I could fall for, but Durham is where I grew up, and so it's the place I love best.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Please don't make me do it. I'm terrible with this sort of question, terrible, as a rule, with any attempt to pick my favorite anything, if that hasn't become groaningly obvious by now. See, I might say something underwhelming like, my paternal grandmother. In fact, I am going to say exactly that. I'm fascinated by hidden histories, the kind we lose when people who aren't famous and who never wrote a memoir, die, and everything they knew or felt or dreamed dies with them. I've thought of a million things I wish I had asked her ever since she died in 1996, so, absolutely, a long, twenty course dinner with her would be perfect.
7) What's the best smell of summer?
Again with the "best of" questions! Okay, when I was a kid, if I wanted to smell summer, meaning the beach, I simply had to twist the top on a bottle of suntan lotion and breathe deeply. I still do that, too. That's right--Coppertone functions as my Proustian madeleine. But maybe that's the most evocative smell of summer, rather than the best. Okay, here it is: magnolia blossoms or honeysuckle. Don't force me to choose.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
And they just keep coming, these questions, don't they? The biggest, and longest running lie, I ever told, was when I convinced myself I wasn't flunking out of college my first semester. A three and a half month performance that called on all my powers of invention, rationalization, and self-delusion. I even went and took exams for classes I hadn't attended since the first week of school! I was almost genuinely shocked when the dean called me into her office to tell me I was an academic failure. Yeah, that was a humdinger.
9) You read at the NC literary festival. What did you read? Were you nervous before you started and did that subside? Do you have a southern accent when you speak?
A chapter from what I call, with equal parts fondness and exasperation, my perpetually in-progress novel, won an award. In addition to some money, I was asked to read this chapter at the 2002 North Carolina Literary Festival. Here's the cool part: I used to be very shy, but as the years passed decided not to be shy any longer. So perhaps I was a tiny bit nervous--Will they laugh in all the right places? and that sort of thing--but more than that I was excited. I still like to have some water handy, though, in case cotton mouth should strike.
Not much of a Southern accent, no, at least not much of one according to non-Southerners. They may be expecting something more dramatic and twangy, though, because when I hear my voice on a tape recorder or answering machine, I think I sound very Southern. Anyway, certain words out of my mouth can tend to have luxurious vowels, and if I'm around more pronounced accents for any length of time, my own will thicken.
If you're looking for street cred, he's got plenty. A chapter from his novel-in-progress won a 2002 North Carolina Writer's Network Blumenthal Award, and he subsequently read that chapter at the NC Literary Festival. He was also part of a successful panel at the 2004 South Carolina Book Festival. His work can be found in magazines such as Sandhills Review, Timber Creek Review, and Spout.
You can check out some of his fiction online at these links:
Before the Plunge at Slow Trains
She Was at Write This
One Coat at Dead Mule
He is currently working on a collection of related short stories that showcase and celebrate his beloved Durham, NC. What pulls the stories together, other than the setting, is a seemingly small and common twist in one of the character's life. This event ricochets around, and we see its ripple effect upon other characters – some of them seemingly unrelated to the initial progenitor of the karma, and sometimes decades after the initial event. But what keeps the reader fascinated is not just the common thread, but Reade's uncanny ability to make all the characters visceral, vital, and vivid on an emotional level.
Q & A With Tripp Reade
1) Who are some of your favorite writers, and do you think they've influenced you?
First there were comic books. Hundreds and thousands of comic books. Next big discovery: mythology, particularly those old stand-bys, the wanton Greeks and the gloomy Norse. Once upon a time, I could tell you the name of every least godling, troll, and dryad. Up to this point, though, no single writers of note, just a great avalanche of stories. The first writer I encountered who had an impact on me was Tolkien. Man, I read and re-read those books, a whole world I could fall into again and again. Then, in chronological order, and appearing with the regularity of signposts, Mark Twain, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Virginia Woolf, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harlan Ellison, Alice Hoffman, Charles Dickens, Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, and Thomas Pynchon.
While I absolutely believe these, and other writers to a lesser extent, have influenced me--really, how could they not, unless I managed to forget about them as soon as I read them, internalizing nothing--I see no obvious resemblance between my writing and theirs, though perhaps resemblance is easier to detect where the pure storytellers are concerned, more so than with the post-moderns: I'm fond of irony, but rarely, if ever, use it in my own stories.
2) What do you think is your greatest strength or asset in your writing? Your biggest weakness or flaw?
Let's see. I've a pretty good grasp of viewpoint and pacing, and can turn a clever phrase. Though I don't use a great deal of description, I think what I do use is quite satisfactory. Oh, and I can do funny. However, you asked for greatest asset or strength, so let me anticipate the next question and say I can slip my feet into near about anyone's shoes. The flip side of this empathy is that it remains to be seen if I can write a truly despicable or just plain old snake-mean character.
Ah, but weaknesses, where shall I begin? I write long, and can take forever to get where I'm going. As a result, I too easily contract a bad case of narrative impatience, which is the tendency to hurry through a story and which results in a simplistic structure. I under-utilize narrative summary, which often results in a story neatly penned by the Aristotelian unities. Prior to 2003 I almost never fully engaged with emotion in my writing, preferring to get by with cleverness and humor, such as they were, but that weakness seems to have been adequately addressed.
3) You seem to be able to climb inside a character's skin to really let the reader connect to them emotionally. Is this something that comes natural, or do you work at it to cull this sympathy/empathy? Also, do you ever feel that you should pull back so you don't overplay your hand?
<>I alluded to this somewhat in my answer to the previous question. I've always been extremely sensitive to what other people must be feeling, to their difficulties and sorrows, and when I was growing up felt that, for a boy who loved to play sports and hurl himself through the woods in all sorts of dangerous games and adventures, I was ridiculously prone to tears. However, and for reasons that would take far too much time and webpage real estate to fully explore right now, I didn't feel this inclination was sufficiently masculine, so I very effectively suppressed it. And then in 2003 I changed--more precisely, 2003 hastened a transformation that had been taking place in fits and starts over a number of years--and this change radically affected my fiction. The stories written on either slope of that dividing year can only with some effort be attributed to the same person.
So yes, it comes to me naturally, and yes, I had to work at it. I'm pleased with the stories that have resulted. They don't seem overly sentimental, which might easily have happened. I've always been wary of writing in such a way that everything is obvious, the sum total of a story's meaning right there on the page and therefore lacking complexity. Though this approach, too, has its pitfalls--it can result in a subtlety that verges on opacity and confusion--in this case it has served me well by keeping the stories from becoming maudlin.
4) You're good at capturing very evocative details without losing the forward momentum of the story. Is it a balancing act to get those details on the page without wandering off on tangents?
Again, I alluded to this in my answer to the second question. At the drop of a hat, I'll wander off on a tangent! You should see what happens when I try to write a novel; they turn into these marathon journeys of tangent-chasing. Short stories are how I hope to become a more disciplined writer, and this is why my descriptions may seem spare: I've become ruthless in the way I limit them. With such Draconian measures in place, I search hard for the best details possible.
5) Your stories are mostly set in the Carolinas and you seem to have a genuine love for the area. What are some of the best things about that area that are unique to it?
I've been hung up on the word unique in this question. There are lots of friendly people here in Durham and in North Carolina, but that's true everywhere. The barbeque is delicious, but I've had just as good in other places. There are tree-shaded streets in my city that are perfect cathedrals of lovely green light, but, again, that's not unique to Durham. We're basketball crazy, but so are Indiana, Kentucky, and Kansas. Downtown architecture is wonderful 1920s-era Art Nouveau, but so is the architecture of many other downtowns, I'm sure. The smell of tobacco still lingers in the heart of the city, even though the leaf is no longer traded and processed here, and that may be unique: it's such a toasty, golden aroma.
In the end, maybe it's all in how the ingredients are mixed, so that all of the above, and a thousand other everyday wonders, combine to make this place, my city, unique. No two places will use the same recipe, thank goodness. For this reason, just about every town and city I visit feels like a place I could fall for, but Durham is where I grew up, and so it's the place I love best.
6) Stock question: Dinner with anyone, dead or alive. Who is it?
Please don't make me do it. I'm terrible with this sort of question, terrible, as a rule, with any attempt to pick my favorite anything, if that hasn't become groaningly obvious by now. See, I might say something underwhelming like, my paternal grandmother. In fact, I am going to say exactly that. I'm fascinated by hidden histories, the kind we lose when people who aren't famous and who never wrote a memoir, die, and everything they knew or felt or dreamed dies with them. I've thought of a million things I wish I had asked her ever since she died in 1996, so, absolutely, a long, twenty course dinner with her would be perfect.
7) What's the best smell of summer?
Again with the "best of" questions! Okay, when I was a kid, if I wanted to smell summer, meaning the beach, I simply had to twist the top on a bottle of suntan lotion and breathe deeply. I still do that, too. That's right--Coppertone functions as my Proustian madeleine. But maybe that's the most evocative smell of summer, rather than the best. Okay, here it is: magnolia blossoms or honeysuckle. Don't force me to choose.
8) Other than fiction writing, what's the biggest lie you ever told?
And they just keep coming, these questions, don't they? The biggest, and longest running lie, I ever told, was when I convinced myself I wasn't flunking out of college my first semester. A three and a half month performance that called on all my powers of invention, rationalization, and self-delusion. I even went and took exams for classes I hadn't attended since the first week of school! I was almost genuinely shocked when the dean called me into her office to tell me I was an academic failure. Yeah, that was a humdinger.
9) You read at the NC literary festival. What did you read? Were you nervous before you started and did that subside? Do you have a southern accent when you speak?
A chapter from what I call, with equal parts fondness and exasperation, my perpetually in-progress novel, won an award. In addition to some money, I was asked to read this chapter at the 2002 North Carolina Literary Festival. Here's the cool part: I used to be very shy, but as the years passed decided not to be shy any longer. So perhaps I was a tiny bit nervous--Will they laugh in all the right places? and that sort of thing--but more than that I was excited. I still like to have some water handy, though, in case cotton mouth should strike.
Not much of a Southern accent, no, at least not much of one according to non-Southerners. They may be expecting something more dramatic and twangy, though, because when I hear my voice on a tape recorder or answering machine, I think I sound very Southern. Anyway, certain words out of my mouth can tend to have luxurious vowels, and if I'm around more pronounced accents for any length of time, my own will thicken.
Writer spotlights
So, as I'd previously stated, to make this blog about something, I'll be having short profiles on writers I enjoy with links to some of their work and often a short q&a.
Before we get to that, I'd like to explain why I'm doing it. Fred Schoeneman suggested in his blog that this is a bad idea because writers are boring. While Fred is generally correct about such things, and while I respect his opinion, I'm going to see if it works out anyhow. Cause Fred suggested I interview other folks, like hookers and croupiers. I may, in the future, attempt this. However, there's a small hitch with actually doing that. This is because whenever I hang out with hookers, all they want to talk about is if I'll buy them a drink (I usually do) and can they have some of my money (they generally can't because I have none if I'm sitting at a bar instead of gambling) and then they try to bum cigarettes from me and that's when I get pissed because I don't like to share my cigarettes. (I don't know why, ok? I just don't.)
Anyhow.
As for croupiers and dealers, they're also difficult to interview because generally all they want to do is get done with work and get the fuck out of the casino so that they can go hang out with hookers.
Ahh, that's not fair. That's not true at all, really. Dealers aren't like that.
They just want to get the fuck out of work so they can go hang out with the cocktail waitresses.
Anyhow.
I'll have some dealer and hooker features on here in the future. Why don't you drop me a line if you have any specific interest you want to know about.
But for now, we'll start with some interesting writers.
The first victim is the marvelously talented Tripp Reade, and that's coming right up.
Before we get to that, I'd like to explain why I'm doing it. Fred Schoeneman suggested in his blog that this is a bad idea because writers are boring. While Fred is generally correct about such things, and while I respect his opinion, I'm going to see if it works out anyhow. Cause Fred suggested I interview other folks, like hookers and croupiers. I may, in the future, attempt this. However, there's a small hitch with actually doing that. This is because whenever I hang out with hookers, all they want to talk about is if I'll buy them a drink (I usually do) and can they have some of my money (they generally can't because I have none if I'm sitting at a bar instead of gambling) and then they try to bum cigarettes from me and that's when I get pissed because I don't like to share my cigarettes. (I don't know why, ok? I just don't.)
Anyhow.
As for croupiers and dealers, they're also difficult to interview because generally all they want to do is get done with work and get the fuck out of the casino so that they can go hang out with hookers.
Ahh, that's not fair. That's not true at all, really. Dealers aren't like that.
They just want to get the fuck out of work so they can go hang out with the cocktail waitresses.
Anyhow.
I'll have some dealer and hooker features on here in the future. Why don't you drop me a line if you have any specific interest you want to know about.
But for now, we'll start with some interesting writers.
The first victim is the marvelously talented Tripp Reade, and that's coming right up.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Cue the Van Morrison
It's a marvelous night for a moondance...
Great news. Three of my short stories are finalists at the 2005 Moondance Film Festival.
The stories are:
I, Candy, live at Write This
Shuffle Up (And Deal) live at Word Riot
Neon Nights, live at Ruthie's Club
I'm very amped. Wish me luck!
Great news. Three of my short stories are finalists at the 2005 Moondance Film Festival.
The stories are:
I, Candy, live at Write This
Shuffle Up (And Deal) live at Word Riot
Neon Nights, live at Ruthie's Club
I'm very amped. Wish me luck!
The first rule of blogging...
...is don't talk about blogging and instead find something to blog about.
This puts me in a strange little predicament. As a writer, you'd think I'd have plenty to jot down here. Ironically, I don't!
But I do have a pipeline to some cool and talented people, so I'm gonna tap into that for material.
One of the things I've been most grateful for in recent months is the response and support I've gotten from some of the people in the writing community. People I already knew, and people that I've just met have been extremely generous to me in helping me get some exposure and word out about my books. (24/7 and Trattoria, lest you forget for a second that I'm selling something here.)
So, since I have this immense arsenal of interesting talent at my disposal, I'm going to infringe on them even more!
Once a week (hopefully) we'll have a little feature here where I'll profile a talented writer. We'll have links to their work and a short little q&a with them.
I think you'll enjoy it.
Thanks for stopping in.
This puts me in a strange little predicament. As a writer, you'd think I'd have plenty to jot down here. Ironically, I don't!
But I do have a pipeline to some cool and talented people, so I'm gonna tap into that for material.
One of the things I've been most grateful for in recent months is the response and support I've gotten from some of the people in the writing community. People I already knew, and people that I've just met have been extremely generous to me in helping me get some exposure and word out about my books. (24/7 and Trattoria, lest you forget for a second that I'm selling something here.)
So, since I have this immense arsenal of interesting talent at my disposal, I'm going to infringe on them even more!
Once a week (hopefully) we'll have a little feature here where I'll profile a talented writer. We'll have links to their work and a short little q&a with them.
I think you'll enjoy it.
Thanks for stopping in.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
The Beat
And we're back to me. The cool online magazine The Beat was kind enough to post an excerpt of my book, 24/7. It's also got a way cool intro by Renee Nicholson that says things that make me swoon to read them. If you put "Chuck Palahniuk" anywhere in connection to my writing, I about die of happiness. (And I'm sure that somewhere, someday, when Chuck Palahniuk sees the references he'll want to die, too. Ahem. Not of happiness.) Anyhow, it's all right here: Renee's intro and excerpt at The Beat.
A few words about The Beat: They feature short stories, reviews, poetry, and terrific links. It's a very cool place that's probably too classy for me. But I'll gladly bask in it!
A few words about Renee. She's a former ballerina who was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She's recently begun political advocacy work and she keeps a blog about her adventures which is well worth checking out. It can be found here: Life With RA. She also writes fiction and regularly does book reviews for The Beat. She's sharp and insightful and she has an uncanny connection and ability to see inside the work she tackles. Here's a few samples of her reviews:
Steve Almond's The Evil BB Chow
James Harms' Freeways and Aqueducts
Thanks to both Renee and The Beat.
A few words about The Beat: They feature short stories, reviews, poetry, and terrific links. It's a very cool place that's probably too classy for me. But I'll gladly bask in it!
A few words about Renee. She's a former ballerina who was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She's recently begun political advocacy work and she keeps a blog about her adventures which is well worth checking out. It can be found here: Life With RA. She also writes fiction and regularly does book reviews for The Beat. She's sharp and insightful and she has an uncanny connection and ability to see inside the work she tackles. Here's a few samples of her reviews:
Steve Almond's The Evil BB Chow
James Harms' Freeways and Aqueducts
Thanks to both Renee and The Beat.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Sin City
This isn't a pimp for my books, but instead what I'd like to talk about a little bit is the movie Sin City.
So, yes, I'm a little late with this, but since I just started my blog, cut me some slack.
I love Robert Rodriguez flicks. When everyone was swooning over Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean a couple summers ago, I was swooning over him in Once Upon A Time In Mexico. That flick was more my speed: faster, flashier, nastier. The Mariachi series rocked. Admit it, even Spy Kids was a good flick. And Clooney was at the apex of his hotness in From Dusk Till Dawn. I just dig Rodriguez.
And it doesn't hurt that he gives Mickey Rourke work.
Oh, I can feel the chill and nearly hear the snide comments on the tip of your tongue about Rourke right now.
Yes, yes, he's fucked up his face. Yes, yes, he's a baaaad boy who threw away his Hollywood career. (the horror! To DARE to do something you WANT to do instead of just Be Hollywood.)
But have you seen Sin City?
It's a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels, certainly. Some would call it slavish. So what. It's disgustingly violent, and I suppose maybe even a bit vapid. But know what? It's also GOOOD. And it's different. It was so completely different from the routine slop I've been seeing at the movies lately that it was beyond refreshing. It was riveting.
And Mickey Rourke was outstanding. His face was covered by a mask, but every once in a while I'd catch a glimpse of a close-up of his eyes. That's enough. That's all he needs. That and his voice in this flick. It's getting rougher and lower with every picture now, but there's something still insanely libidinal about the guy.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Yeah, but behind that "ugly mask", his face is all fucked up anyhow." Yeah, well, maybe. He doesn't look like he used to. He's gotten older and he's gotten roughed up in the ring and supposedly from plastic surgery and maybe booze or something. I don't know. But here's the point: I don't care. That's right. I. Don't. Care.
I don't give a fuck what you think he looks like (or doesn't look like anymore.) That charm and that spark and that, that -- libido of his. It still WORKS. Some stars have talent, some have looks, and some have the X factor. Mickey had looks, and I think he's still got plenty of talent, but he's also still got that mystique IT, X, je ne sais quoi, VIBE about him that comes across onscreen.
I love that Robert Rodriguez gets that. And I love that he gives work to his little dog, too.
I just wish there were more of them out there. Guys like Rodriguez who're willing to give up thier membership in the Director's guild to make something they believe in. Guys like Mickey who're willing to give up the Star's life for something he believed in. Guys like this who get together and give us something unique and unexpected and shocking and BOLD and gorgeous and grotesque and provocative.
Even though it's built with technical prowess and manipulates cutting edge, stylish excess, Sin City is more than the sum of those parts. It's something where you can still see the spark and gleam in the eyes behind that thick mask.
So, yes, I'm a little late with this, but since I just started my blog, cut me some slack.
I love Robert Rodriguez flicks. When everyone was swooning over Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean a couple summers ago, I was swooning over him in Once Upon A Time In Mexico. That flick was more my speed: faster, flashier, nastier. The Mariachi series rocked. Admit it, even Spy Kids was a good flick. And Clooney was at the apex of his hotness in From Dusk Till Dawn. I just dig Rodriguez.
And it doesn't hurt that he gives Mickey Rourke work.
Oh, I can feel the chill and nearly hear the snide comments on the tip of your tongue about Rourke right now.
Yes, yes, he's fucked up his face. Yes, yes, he's a baaaad boy who threw away his Hollywood career. (the horror! To DARE to do something you WANT to do instead of just Be Hollywood.)
But have you seen Sin City?
It's a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novels, certainly. Some would call it slavish. So what. It's disgustingly violent, and I suppose maybe even a bit vapid. But know what? It's also GOOOD. And it's different. It was so completely different from the routine slop I've been seeing at the movies lately that it was beyond refreshing. It was riveting.
And Mickey Rourke was outstanding. His face was covered by a mask, but every once in a while I'd catch a glimpse of a close-up of his eyes. That's enough. That's all he needs. That and his voice in this flick. It's getting rougher and lower with every picture now, but there's something still insanely libidinal about the guy.
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Yeah, but behind that "ugly mask", his face is all fucked up anyhow." Yeah, well, maybe. He doesn't look like he used to. He's gotten older and he's gotten roughed up in the ring and supposedly from plastic surgery and maybe booze or something. I don't know. But here's the point: I don't care. That's right. I. Don't. Care.
I don't give a fuck what you think he looks like (or doesn't look like anymore.) That charm and that spark and that, that -- libido of his. It still WORKS. Some stars have talent, some have looks, and some have the X factor. Mickey had looks, and I think he's still got plenty of talent, but he's also still got that mystique IT, X, je ne sais quoi, VIBE about him that comes across onscreen.
I love that Robert Rodriguez gets that. And I love that he gives work to his little dog, too.
I just wish there were more of them out there. Guys like Rodriguez who're willing to give up thier membership in the Director's guild to make something they believe in. Guys like Mickey who're willing to give up the Star's life for something he believed in. Guys like this who get together and give us something unique and unexpected and shocking and BOLD and gorgeous and grotesque and provocative.
Even though it's built with technical prowess and manipulates cutting edge, stylish excess, Sin City is more than the sum of those parts. It's something where you can still see the spark and gleam in the eyes behind that thick mask.
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