What
attracted you to write flash fiction in the first place?
I
think it was probably when I was living in Japan and reading a lot of Japanese
literature, which is often very pared back. The enigma and economy of the zen
koans particularly intrigued. Subsequently I enjoyed the short works of Franz
Kafka and Richard Brautigan’s The Revenge of the Lawn. I’m drawn to the
no-nonsense approach of flash fiction, the need to cut out any extraneous
information, to get in, give the most important information, and then get out.
It doesn’t waste the reader’s time but it makes them have to work. I was writing
flash fiction before I’d heard of the term.
How
did you go about putting this collection together?
I
started writing autobiographical pieces – memories in flash – in a file that I
titled ‘My Humiliations’ – this was before Knausgard published ‘My
Struggle’. I was also writing stories which had nothing in common, other
than their brevity. Due to reasons of probity, taste and quality – concepts
usually alien to me - I realised that many of the stories were best left
unpublished, and this left me with two truncated collections, and so I decided
to bring them together. However, without any unifying theme it was a bit of a
dog’s breakfast… Then I landed on an ingenious marketing concept, which was to
create a library of flash fiction. This would allow the different stories to sit
alongside one another as though on the shelves of a public library, each in
their own section. In a time when physical libraries are being closed, I thought
it no bad thing to introduce a new one. I dare say it will be similarly
neglected!
Do
you have any particular favourites?
I’m
a poor judge of my own writing. Stories that have failed to find a publisher are
often my favourites, and ones that get the best reaction are often ones I think
less of. Within this collection I have particular soft spots for:
Glospak, The Quarry, The Wringer, and Light From
Above
What
else do you write?
I
write longer short stories and novels. I’ve self-published a couple of YA novels
– Into the Water, Into the Flame, and Other Voices which can be
found on Amazon. I used to write poetry but that seems to have dried up. I am
also the sometime lyricist of rock group Schnauser, whose tunes can be found on
Spotify and Bandcamp.
Do
you have a writing routine?
I
write as much as possible. The more I write the better I feel, which is the
inverse of what my reader experiences, hence the flash fiction. The drafting
process, which takes at least 5 times as long as the writing, is the real drag
of it. I am in a drafting cycle at present and not having much fun. I find that
when I write it is an unstoppable urge, like a coil or a spring - having been
wound and tightened - being released. I am still tightening at present.
Can
you recommend any other writers of flash fiction?
I
can’t think of any. Stories have an impact on me, rather than authors. The ‘big
names’ in flash fiction that I’ve read have left me rather cold. As I often find
with feted novels, I can’t see what the fuss is about. Maybe I’m missing
something.
Are
you working on any more projects at the moment?
I
have another collection of flash fictions that is nearing completion – one that
has a very definite unifying theme, unlike Shhh. I also have another
collection based on my experiences in the Czech Republic, but that is a long way
off completion. I am also redrafting a novel - Always Burning, Always True
– which deals with the aftermath of a young man’s psychological breakdown
and his father’s attempts to help. I tried to write it as a comedy, but no one
found it funny.
Do
you have any events planned?
I
will probably organise a book launch, though the thought of being the centre of
attention, even if it is for a very small group of people, is a source of grave
discomfort.
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