I’ve always been interested in hearing why short form writers decide to take on a novel. So, over at BuzzFeed Books, I assembled 18 amazing short story writers to talk about their decisions to tackle the long story. I really had fun talking to everyone. Some folks I already knew, and others I’ve admired from afar for quite some time.
Take a peek at what everyone said right here.
A month or two ago, I talked with Courtney Maum for PW. Maum’s debut novel, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, is pretty amazing. Make it one of your summer reads.
Our phone conversation lasted a good half hour, so the finished piece is only a fraction of what we talked about. Really great stuff got chopped, but what remains provides some insight as to Maum’s inspiration and sensibilities.
Bonus! Here’s a question that got cut from the final draft:
Do you think the characters of Anne, Richard’s wife, and Lisa, Richard’s lover, share similar outlooks on happiness?
Anne is French, so they can never share the same idea of happiness (laughs). It’s a very American thing, this idea of happiness as achievable and tangible. I think their answers to this question would be completely different. Lisa would see happiness as a state of mind that can be accessed by doing certain things, whereas Anne would be more pragmatic. She would scoff at the idea of “happiness” as something you could check off on a list.
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Thankfully, the semester is almost over. I can almost breathe again.
Over at Numéro Cinq, I have a brief but lovely interview with the amazing Lydia Davis.
And the latest online edition of Rain Taxi contains my take on the short novel Sleeping with Gypsies.
Lastly, I hosted a short story Skype roundtable on Monday, featuring Laura van den Berg, Ethan Rutherford, and Jessica Hollander. You can watch video from the event below:
Recently, I talked with Stacey D’Erasmo about her superb new book, Wonderland, for Publishers Weekly. The transcript is now up on the PW website (though you need to be a subscriber to read the piece). I believe the interview will also appear in an upcoming print edition. (UPDATE: It is in the 3/17/14 issue)
D’Erasmo’s book, about a rock musician attempting a comeback, is full of fantastic, lyrical prose, and in our chat, we discussed just how she captured that “on the road” life. Turns out she actually went on tour with Scissor Sisters.
We talked long enough for multiple interviews, and I ended up cutting out more than I wanted. But the end piece represents the general flavor of our chat.
Here’s a link to the interview. I’m sure it’ll eventually pop up for free.
Benjamin Woodard 