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Four Authors, Five Questions
Aaron H. Arm, Jennifer Kavanagh, Seb Duncan, and Suzy Jackson talk writing, literary heroes, and what books made them cry
Four writers, four genres, five questions, wonderful answers.
Conversing with writers about how they see their craft, their work, how literature and storytelling have framed their lives, and how the acts of story and writing are unsolvable mysteries, is always a delight. So, The Writer Shed is delving into the process again with four diverse and talented authors: Aaron H. Arm, Jennifer Kavanagh, Seb Duncan, and Suzy Jackson, each with new works to share.
The Artifice of Eternity, Aaron H. Arm
Thread of Life: My Russian legacy, Jennifer Kavanagh
The Book of Thunder and Lightning, Seb Duncan
Chulie the Vampdog, Suzy Jackson
1. What do you think makes a great story?
Aaron H. Arm: Stories can be so varied in tone, style, and structure, let alone genre. However, I believe most great stories sustain some tension that keeps readers asking what will come next. They resonate on some level of the human experience, even if the characters aren’t human, and are written well for their audience. “For their audience” is really the operative phrase there because we could argue all day about which writing styles are effective, but ultimately, they need to be effective for their intended readership.
Jennifer Kavanagh: Drama, surprise, substantial credible characters, not necessarily likable. Page-turning storytelling. A profound moral underpinning. “Novel” means “something new”, so ideally a unique slant on the world, a revelation for the reader.
Seb Duncan: Great characters who are three dimensional and therefore believable. Either someone you love or really, really hate, maybe both. All good stories stem from this. For me an intriguing setting is always a bonus, something that reaches into the past but has relevance to the present day.
Suzy Jackson: Conflict equals story, and I believe that is so. But for me a great story also has a protagonist who I care about enough to root for them to succeed. It also needs enough action or things happening to propel the story forward. A big plus if it also transports me somewhere interesting. Agency over the subject matter and writing craft is essential, but for me it can be conversational not fancy. Clarity over cleverness. Above all, it evokes empathy especially for an unlikely hero, and takes us beyond the pettiness of our everyday lives.
2. What has been the most surprising thing you’ve learned about writing or yourself through your work?
Aaron: I came to learn just how personal writing styles are and readers’ preferences for them. I used to believe that good writing was some objective standard that all writers should strive to achieve. So, I figured that my book would either be written well, or it wouldn’t, and people’s reception of it would reflect that. Not every book is for everyone, and two science fiction readers who might have similar tastes on paper might equally love or hate my own style. The trick is to be at peace with your own writing voice and to commit to it.
Jennifer: That I was able to face and write about painful things that I have avoided all my life. That I need to be open to the possibilities of different versions of “the truth” and the vagaries of memory.
Seb: For my last two novels, the idea that historical research and real events can unearth interesting new stories and characters, almost by accident. The stories locked within the past seem to have a life of their own. It’s rather creepy, actually.
Suzy: Of all the novels I’ve started, Chulie the Vampdog was not the one I thought I would finish. But then it was. The real surprise for me was going the self-publishing route. I truly never imagined it that way. But it took me three years to write and edit and then as I set about querying agents and publishers, it felt like it would take another three years. I’m impatient. I have a relative who had great success self-publishing and it wasn’t as expensive as I thought it would be. So, I leapt.
The most surprising thing though happened when it was “done.” It was the way I felt when it was published. I thought I’d be elated, but I was anxious. It felt scary — like not being able to un-ring a bell. But the response I’ve had so far has been wonderful and now I’m glad I did it. It’s an amazing feeling to have people say they’ve finished your book and enjoyed it. That’s gotten me past the angst.
3. Describe your writing process: Where, how, long-hand, typewriter, outlines?
Aaron: It depends. For longer stories, I might have some semblance of an outline. Shorter stories might be written more dynamically or even altogether on the fly. They might undergo multiple drafts. They might be rewritten completely. It’s almost always typed in some fashion, though the device can vary. I have an office at home where I tend to do my writing, but it’s also nice to go to a café and just get in the zone.
Jennifer: For fiction, I learned years ago not to conform to the practice of sitting down at a set time to write a certain number of words. I know I must let go of discipline and let the creative spirit move. I have to let the book find its way, let the characters take charge. I scribble in pen or pencil, in the middle of the night, or walking in the park. I always have a notebook with me. I don’t write sequentially, just bits, as they arise. So, often longhand to begin with, then on to the computer to put it all together. And I edit, edit, edit as I go along.
Seb: Up to now, I have used a lot of historical research to inspire me. That, and getting lost in unfamiliar neighborhoods in my hometown of London. I am a strong believer in Psychographic walks. There’s stories in them hills (or streets), I tell you! Sometimes I can be walking along and see a house, building or street and I get a strange feeling ‘in me waters’. I then rush home to do online research about it and BOOM! My new story slowly begins to strangle me from my brain downwards, until the end. The Book of Thunder and Lightning takes place in what used to be one of London’s worst Victorian slums. A smart Edwardian estate was built on top of it, as if to erase the past. But the past can never be truly buried. Ask Vincent Price.
Suzy: When I have ideas, I write notes everywhere. Post-its, notes app on my phone, Word docs. When I set out to actually write, I’m now 100% on the computer. I’ll do a very loose outline that changes over and over, but it’s more of a series of scenes. I spend a lot of time on the first couple of chapters to make sure I’ve got the hook and everything the reader needs to know but not too much. I have cheat sheets on the side to remember character details. Sometimes I have to do a timeline, too, to make sure I’m being accurate. As I write, if I think of something I want to add, I have a sort of parking lot at the end of the document, a page where I can throw everything to make sure I don’t forget it. I’ve tried novel writing software like Scrivener but I get a little hung up in the form rather than just letting it flow so I’ve gone back to this low-tech way of doing things. I usually write at the computer on the back porch. Every file and every project on my desktop are like a friend I’m excited to visit.
4. Name at least one of your literary heroes.
Aaron: Vonnegut is one of the main reasons I fell in love with science fiction, and his unique blend of humor, sardonicism, and absurdism really speaks to me. He’s probably informed my own style as much as anyone. On a personal level, I also admire his persistence in writing and life in general. I just think he was a cool dude.
Jennifer: Surprising for someone who studied literature. Dick Francis, for his unbeatable storytelling power. When I worked as fiction editor for a mass-market magazine, I learned not to be snobbish about storytellers. But, then again, the Celtic writer John O’Donohue for the beauty of his poetic prose, and the depth of his spirit. George Eliot for the quality of her writing and powerful characterization, especially women; her willingness to write about unfashionable subjects. Hers are important substantial books in every way.
Seb: That question is mean. OK I’ll try. I recently read Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy. Although I didn’t like it all, the first story called “City of Glass” has had a profound effect on me. It’s incredibly strange; a bit like David Lynch meets Raymond Chandler. Charles Dickens has to get a look. His Tale of Two Cities is magic, and I love some of his short stories about walking at night in London. The third is either Stephen King or John Steinbeck. I know that’s four, but rules are made for breaking, right?
Suzy: Goodness, there are so many. But top of mind right now because of his recent passing is Tom Robbins. Jitterbug Perfume was the first novel of his I read and the first time I fell in love with weird stories and unlikely heroes. It was magical. The language so effusive, the characters so imaginative and even reading it in college, I felt like there was important life and societal messages, about women’s rights, the environment, always something profound. I think I’ve read all of his works. I heard dropping acid was part of his process and I could see that, if it’s true.
5. What was the latest book you’ve read that made you cry, scream, emote, get excited, made you emotional in some visceral way? And why?
Aaron: I’m probably unusual in that I don’t often get too emotionally attached to books. I think I’m more a cerebral reader than a visceral one. I enjoy analyzing a story more than immersing myself in it. But I recently read After World by Debbie Urbanski, and it was a rather somber and sobering experience. It definitely held a vibe, and I appreciate it for that.
Jennifer: To be frank, I read very little these days. Having read for work for all those years, when I left publishing, I didn’t know what to read. And when I began to write fiction, it was even harder. I read spiritual books every morning, but rarely get into a novel. It was when researching for this book that I read Frida Michelson’s I Survived Rumbuli, by a woman who survived the Riga Holocaust in which by my grandmother died. I was shocked at the detail of such horrors and overwhelmed by her courage. I left the British Library and cried.
Seb: It has to be Francis Spufford’s Light Perpetual. It had me do all the above, sometimes all at the same time. It’s a story set in London by a writer of a certain age who has a perspective about the city and his own life within it. Really cinematic and spiritual in a very down to earth British way.
Suzy: I am reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and loving it. It’s written in first-person POV of an octopus in a tank at an aquarium. What’s not to love about that? It alternates with a 3rd person close-in POV of a cleaning lady. Both unlikely friends and unlikelier heroes. The writing is beautiful. The story is touching. Plus, it’s a mystery to find out what happened to the woman’s long missing son. It is all my favorite things. It makes you feel deeply for an octopus.
Bios
Aaron H. Arm is a speculative fiction writer from New York. His novel, The Artifice of Eternity, was published in 2023 by Cosmic Egg Books. In addition to writing, he’s edited a number of novels, memoirs, and anthologies. He holds an MA in adolescent education and a BA in English literature.
Jennifer Kavanagh worked in publishing for nearly thirty years, mainly as a literary agent. Since then, she has worked in the community, in prison, and set up microcredit programs. She has published twelve previous books of non-fiction and three novels. She is an associate tutor at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre in Birmingham, England and a Churchill Fellow.
Seb Duncan holds a PGCert in Teaching Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and a Masters in Creative Writing and Education from Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also an English teacher and musician. He is the author of the novella Headcase and his new full length work The Book of Thunder and Lightning is out in all good bookshops.
Suzy Jackson is a fiction author living in Chicago and paying the bills as a Creative Director. Her fantasy, magical realism and sci-fi short stories have been published in Writer Shed Press, Longshot Island, and Agitator. She has twice been a quarterfinalist in the Screencraft Cinematic Short Story contest as well as a semifinalist in the Tennessee Williams Festival fiction contest. Chulie the Vampdog is the first novel in her Immortails series.
David W. Berner is the author of several award-winning books of memoir and fiction. He has been teaching writing for more than twenty-five years.
