Mayra Calvani's Blog - Posts Tagged "literary"

A native of Southern Colorado, John Paul Jaramillo now lives, writes and teaches in Springfield, Illinois. He has an MFA in creative writing from Oregon State University, and presently holds the position of Associate Professor of English at Lincoln Land Community College.

His writing has been featured in Acentos Review, Copper Nickel Review, Antique Children Arts Journal, Fogged Clarity Arts Journal, Digest Magazine, Verdad Magazine, Polyphony Online, Paraphilia Magazine, Sleet Magazine and forthcoming in Palabra Magazine of Chicano and Latino Literary Art. 

He's the author of the short story collection,The House of Order, published by Anaphora Literary Press.

About the cover...

"The artwork is from an amazing Illinois artist named Felicia Olin. Her work inspires me and this particular piece titled 'Breathe Out' caught my eye at an art showing at the University of Illinois Springfield. I’ve been told these stories are very raw and I hoped the artwork matched. I also liked the way composite stories could break down a family and also a man so that we might see a fuller understanding. A fuller dimension in the layers of storytelling and narration. I like the idea that narration of a story can give us the inside and outside view of something. As in Olin’s work I guess things aren’t as pretty on the inside of folks or in the inner-workings of the world. I’m all for more complication in fiction to match the complication that exists in what Amy Hempel calls 'the problem of being alive.' Hopefully when one reads the book they might see a fuller view of a man or character, or situation for that matter, they might otherwise ignore or become offended with."

About his writing style...

"I’ve always been more interested in the form of books rather than the meaning. Expressing rather than communicating. I try to teach that to my students. Content only matters as much as it is organized and structured on the page and I have studied literary minimalism so closely. Obsessed with it really. I’m attracted to the idea of doing more with less. That’s the failed poet in my I guess. I’ve always been inspired with the minimalism of Amy Hempel and Denis Johnson. The minimal form works best with stories about such weighted subject matter such as abusive fathers or delinquent parents. I’ve tried to steal an elliptical and bare bones style to match the laconic male family members."

About what makes a good story...

"I think I’m particularly interested in trouble. Folks getting in and out of trouble. The thing within folks that creates that trouble around them. Expecially Latino males. Tom Spanbauer describes his style as dangerous writing. And I’ve tried to steal that for my stories. I think finding the trouble and putting the reader in an uncomfortable position along with the characters creates the most interest for the reader. So that’s one. I also think the language needs to mean more to the writer than the reader. That comes from my study of poetry. Tracy Daugherty told his workshop members that language is a character’s skin. I like that idea. We have to get inside of our character utilizing more and more intimate language. I guess that’s when I started using more and more mixing and switching of English and Spanish in my stories. To match the intimate language of the old folks from Colorado that influenced me and that best represent me. So that’s trouble and language. I guess the story must also be affecting. And I guess I mean that stories need to be less plot-driven and more driven by emotion. The best stories that I return to again and again are stories that give less plot and storyline but through the deep use of language and care for the main character makes me feel the most. The work has to be character driven and affecting to create a true immersible experience to compete with films and television and more visual mediums."

What's next for John Paul Jaramillo...

"I’m working on a follow up to my first collection of stories. I’m tentatively calling the book Huérfanos named after the nearby county I grew up around and it is more of a traditional novel rather than literary minimalism styled collection of short stories. The criticisms of my shorter stories have been a complaint on the length of the stories. We don’t spend much time with characters and within a novel I can spend that time. I can give a fuller trajectory for the characters. I jump from generation to generation in the short work but I like the idea of adding even more dimension of time within a novel. I also like the idea of following more characters. I’m also interested in creative nonfiction essays about the steel mills and steel unions of Southern Colorado. I’m also interested in turning blog posts from my writing and teaching weblog I keep into fuller essays on the subject of so-called “Spanglish” and the use of intimate language within my written work. I’m interested in writing on the representation of Latinos in popular culture and in films as well as in literature."

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The House of Order, the first collection of composite stories by John Paul Jaramillo, presents a stark vision of American childhood and family, set in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Manito Ortiz sorts family truth from legend as broken as the steel industry and the rusting vehicles that line Spruce Street. The only access to his lost family’s story is his uncle, the unreliable Neto Ortiz.

Joan Schweighardt is a former indie publisher who now works as a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor. The Accidental Art Thief is her fifth novel.

Q: What’s inside the mind of a fiction author?

A: I think we all get obsessed with certain ideas, things we hear about or read. When that happens to me, I spin the idea around for a while and sometimes it becomes fodder for fiction. With The Accidental Art Thief, I was thinking about, among other things, money. I had been to a conference for fundraisers with the amazing Lynne Twist. I am not a fundraiser and probably didn’t belong at the conference, but Lynne Twist is also the co founder of an organization that advocates for indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest. I knew her work, had been to the Amazon, and wanted to meet her. So I went to a fundraising conference at a Buddhist Zen centre and listened to Lynne and others talk about money for three days. It was fun and I learned a lot and I added much of what I learned into the book.

While there are other more prominent themes in my book, it was money that got the book going. One of the characters pretty much ruins her life because she is blinded by anger having to do with money that had been withheld from her. She’s not the main character, but her anger ignites the plot.

Q: Tell us why readers should buy The Accidental Art Thief.

A:The Accidental Art Thief is fun, sometimes zany, and thought-provoking. I would never in a million years compare any aspect of my writing to Shakespeare, but I have to say that The Accidental Art Thief has some of the features that you might find in a Shakespearean comedy. First of all, there’s a thread of tragedy that runs through the backstory. Next, the lovers in the story express themselves through a lot of (contemporary-style) word play as they attempt to reveal their affection while simultaneously concealing their secrets. Also, there is definitely a theme of mistaken identities going on. And like a lot of Shakespearean comedies, all the issues of concern get cleared up at a grand event at the end of the book. I didn’t set out to emulate Shakespeare, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were some structural similarities. The bottom line is that the book is fun and, with its element of magical realism, I think it should appeal to people who like Alice Hoffman and Sue Monk Kidd and Gabrielle Zevin and other authors who mix a little magic (and, in the case of Zevin, humor) into their plots.

Q: What makes a good novel?

A: That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Of course a good novel has to be well structured and well written, but there’s always something else too, some je ne sais quoi that makes the story sing. It might be a fabulously-drawn character, like the husband in Carolyn Parkhurst’s Dogs of Babel. Or it could be a really clever plot, like in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Or great dialogue, like just about everything by Tana French, especially her first novel, In The Woods. I could have listened to her characters talk forever, even if the book had no plot, which of course it did.

Q: What is a regular writing day like for you?

A: I am a pen for hire and I write and edit for a living, for various clients. Sometimes months go by and I don’t have a minute to work on my own stuff. Other times the freelance famine sets in and I have lots of time. Either way, whether I am writing for clients or writing for myself, I write five days a week, for at least a few hours a day.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about being an author?

A: The process is its own reward. I never feel more myself than when I become passionate about a project I’m working on. You have to be pretty lucky to make a fortune writing fiction in these times, so it’s a good thing that writing has other merits.

Please give a warm welcome to debut novelist Linda Lucretia Shuler. Linda wrote her first story when she was six, Koko the Monkey, which she still has tucked into a drawer. Since then her stories and poems have appeared in anthologies and literary journals, and a handful of her plays have been produced in schools and community theatres.

Linda received a BFA in theatre from the University of Texas, and an MA in theatre from Trinity University while in residence at the Dallas Theatre Center. She taught theatre arts in college and high school for three decades, loving every moment and directing nearly a hundred plays in the process. She also wrote theatre arts curriculum K-12 for Houston ISD, conducted numerous workshops, and performed in community theatres.

Hidden Shadows , Linda’s debut novel, takes place in Willow City, a ruggedly beautiful section of the Texas Hill Country less than three hours from her home in San Antonio. Several other manuscripts are in the works, reaching across the genres. These include a prequel to Hidden Shadows, plays, and a collection of poems and a half-dozen different story ideas demanding attention.

Linda enjoys participating in Toastmasters, writer organizations, critique groups, and book clubs. She continues her love of theatre, delights in watching the birds flocking outside her office window, and is an enthusiastic fan of San Antonio’s championship basketball team, the Spurs.

Q: Congratulations on the release of your first novel, Hidden Shadows. To begin with, can you gives us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?

A: The story revolves around Cassie Brighton, a woman overwhelmed by loss. Devastated by the accidental death of her husband, she flees to a remote homestead deep in the rugged Texas Hill Country. Alone in a ramshackle farmhouse steeped in family secrets, Cassie wages a battle of mind and heart as she struggles to overcome the sorrows of her past, begin anew, and confront the possibility of finding love again.

What people are saying:

“Hidden Shadows is a wonderful novel of a women’s journey of self-discovery and search for purpose. The characters will win your heart (and sometimes break it) in this beautifully written and satisfying story of loss and renewal.”

Sandra Worth,

Award-winning author of The King’s Daughter: A Novel of the First Tudor Queen. 

My inspiration came, in part, from the remarkable women I’ve met who suffered incalculable loss, and yet somehow survived and lived each day with joy. I marveled at them, at their courage, their spirit. And I asked myself, “How?” What did they endure in private, what interior battles did they wage? What dwelled in their spirit that made them victorious over such sorrow? And I’ve met those who did not endure, those who forever walked in the shadows of grief. And I asked myself, “Why?” Why do some souls shatter under the weight of it, while others survive? Because I’ve experienced grief myself – who hasn’t as the years collect? It’s part and parcel of life – the need to write about it must have been there, lurking inside me, silent.

But the lure of landscape led me, too. I traveled through the thirteen-mile stretch of an isolated, rugged, glorious stretch of Texas Hill Country called Willow City Loop. And I fell in love with the place, with its craggy, impossible hills and winding country roads. And I fell in love with old houses, too – the sort that are scattered throughout the small towns of Texas, sporting wrap-around porches with swings or rocking chairs, and a weathered “come on in” look.

These elements were, in a small way, inspiration for Hidden Shadows. But there’s more, so much more. I could write pages. Some of it is unknown to me, odd as that may sound. That secret part of ourselves that reveals itself as we write.

Q: What do you think makes a good literary novel? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?

A: Literary genre is character-driven – which means that the truer your character, the truer the story itself. To write effectively about a character, you must know her (or him), know everything about her inside and out – especially things she doesn’t know about herself.  What motivates her? What are her dreams, her fears? What drives her nuts, or brings her joy? What life experiences has she had up to the moment the story begins, and how did they affect her? Know her physical self, too –  every element of her face, the way she moves, the sound of her voice, her unconscious gestures, and so on. Then you must listen to her, and allow her to guide you.

Literary genre is a style that’s dependent upon character. But all other elements that form a fascinating, well-structured story are necessary, too: plot, action, theme, language, etc. It’s all a grand mix. Sometimes trying to apply a single genre to a work is like trying to force a round shape into a square hole. How does one decide? For example, Hidden Shadows also includes romance, mystery, and a touch of magical realism.

Perhaps it’s the style in which a book is written that helps determine a genre. If that’s so, then one would assume language would be a huge factor. But I’ve read “literary” works written in styles far different from mine, so who knows?

Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?

A: Because I let the characters lead the way, like an over-permissive mother, they had a tendency to wander, to explore this pathway or that, or just sit in a corner and pout. I had to ask myself many a time, especially in the beginning, “Where the heck is this story going?” I veered into side paths and bumped into dead ends before finally, at long last, settling us all on the right path.

I didn’t pre-plan; the plot was a vague, misty map in my mind. I knew the destination, but wasn’t exactly sure how to get there. As a result, I ended up tossing a lot into the trashcan, words upon words, page after page, bye-bye. The map finally came into focus, the direction clear, the steps taken. But I swear, cross my heart, that the next book (a prequel to Hidden Shadows) will be more carefully mapped before I begin the journey.

Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?

A: I saw Cassie clearly in my mind, as if I had glimpsed her in passing, or in a dream, or a photograph somewhere. I began by writing reams about her, developing a character study, exploring her past, asking her questions, discovering her inner life. Then I talked aloud to her, as I did to others in Hidden Shadows:

I visualized her sitting in the chair opposite me  – green velvet, an armless antique I inherited  – and asked questions about her feelings or actions, her fears and dreams. Sometimes I railed at her for being obtuse, or making bad decisions, or keeping her thoughts hidden. Or I just looked at her, at how she was sitting, or what she was wearing, the expression on her face. Once I changed places. I sat in that green chair and became Cassie for a short time, speaking as she would, responding to the questions. I had to laugh at myself, thinking if anyone were to suddenly appear and witness what I was doing, they’d swear I was crazy.

Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?

A: Guy Wilkins, a wild mix of good and bad, is a wounded soul I ended up loving. Sometimes I hated him, too. I felt for him, cried for him, dreaded what he became. But aren’t we all a mix of good and bad and everything in between?

I found a photo of him in a magazine somewhere. I knew it was Guy the moment I saw it: the dark gaze, the creased face, the lean-muscled stance. I kept that photo in front of me while I wrote, a constant reminder, as if he were truly there.

Guy was real to me from the very beginning. He still lives in my thoughts. I can see him, hear his voice, feel compassion for his troubled soul. If a character is real in the heart of a writer, surely it must be so for the reader, too.

Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?

A: If I’m excited about what I’m writing, the narrative is usually exciting. If I’m bored, uncertain, stressed, or otherwise in a rut, the narrative reflects that, too.

Each one of us must find the approach that works best for our nature and genre. For me, I try to immerse myself in the moment, to put myself into the scene – to experience sight, sound, smell, touch as if I were truly there, right there, that very second. Sometimes I view scenes behind my eyes as if I were watching a film, with my characters the actors (including close-ups) speaking and moving within a particular setting. I want to meld with these characters, to see through their eyes, to think and feel through the filter of their minds and hearts.

Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?

A: I visited the surroundings, snapped photographs, studied dozens of other photographs and paintings of the Texas Hill Country landscape. I did the same with rambling, old country houses – the sort with wrap-around porches and a weathered, welcoming feel. I strolled through surrounding towns like Fredericksburg and Bourne, and meandered among the limestone walls of a century-old German homestead. Eventually everything became a part of me.

I try to sink myself into the setting as I write, really see it in my mind, hear the sounds all about, sense the air and sun and wind and so on, hoping to bring each moment to life for the reader.

Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?

A: I hadn’t consciously thought about themes, to be honest. It was more of an inner feeling, a silent voice that propelled me onward. I vaguely knew it would include dealing with a sense of loss, of loneliness and sorrow, and finding a way through it all, renewed. What I hadn’t realized was that almost every single character would end up experiencing grief, and facing it in different ways.

Nor had I planned the other themes resonating in Hidden Shadows, themes of healing and connection to the land, to our ancestors, to others, to ourselves – and to the redemptive power of love. These came unbidden, unfolding as I wrote. Sometimes I felt as though another hand, another heart, somehow spoke through mine. It all came as a surprise to me after the first draft, as if I had discovered hidden parts of myself.

Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?

A: How are we to untangle the two? Craft and art are like conjoined twins, inseparable. Each may have a different function, but neither can exist without the other. For example, assume a writer is eloquent with words; they spill from his pen like pearls, shiny and beautiful. But unless he knows how to use them effectively, what good are they?  Or what about the writer who thinks of a fascinating character or an action-filled plot and so on – but doesn’t have the skill to form them into shape?

Art and craft work together as a team. There may be times when one is dominate, but the other is always there. For example, many writers (such as myself) like to begin a chapter by writing writing writing without pausing for breath. For me, that’s the fun “art” part. Then I must go back and edit like crazy – the necessary “craft” part – for the work to be whole. Art and craft, craft and art – different functions, perhaps, but forever holding hands.

Can editing destroy the initial creative thrust? Sometimes, yes, if we’re over-enthusiastic. I’ve deleted many a thing, only to realize I killed something essential, and so put it back in again. But the reverse is true as well: I’ve left “as is,” like a mother refusing to toss out her baby, but in the end realized I had to edit. It’s akin to pruning a tree, cutting off the odd branches to help it thrive.

Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?

A: *Persistence, patience, perseverance – and determination, too. Writing a novel is a long, often demanding process.

*The ability to visualize the work as a unified whole – not as a series of slung-together segments – from beginning to end.

*Belief in oneself. (This isn’t as simple as it sounds, but it’s essential.)

Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. What do you think about that?

A: In a way this is true. No matter how enjoyable writing may be, it requires discipline, sticking to a schedule, plunking yourself down in the chair and getting to work. An aching tummy, a headache, not enough sleep? Too bad, gotta sit down and write. Want to browse the internet, pull up Facebook, watch that TV show, yack on the phone? Nope, not `til later.

Yet when all is said and done, if writing isn’t a joy in spite of the homework ills, then why do it? Life is too short, the years pass in the blink of an eye. I write because I want to write, for whatever reason. It makes me happy. It also drives me nuts, but that’s part of parcel of creativity.

The yin and yang.

Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?

A: There are several terrific magazines for writers –such as “Writer’s Digest,” “ Writer’s Market,” and “Poets and Writers” – that I’ve found to be helpful.  As for books on how to write, I’ve bought a bunch – but after a chapter or two usually put them down, never to return.

What has proven to be the most beneficial to me, and the most enjoyable, is reading the works of other writers. All genres, all styles. If I like a particular novel, I ask myself, What did the author do to make this story fascinating, or effective, or not-put-downable?  How did she/he rev up the suspense? Develop the plot and characters? Employ dialogue, setting, the senses? And so on. If, on the other hand, I don’t respond to the book and find it a chore to finish, I once again ask why. What is it that didn’t work for me?

As for workshops, I’ve enjoyed professional writer organizations and conferences. I’ve found kindred souls as well as inspiration and information about the writing life. Networking is half the battle, so I’m told. I’ve met agents, editors, publishers, gifted writers via conferences.

Writer critique groups can be wonderful. I’m fortune to have found a terrific critique group. I can’t imagine a writing life without having these gifted people by my side. They were with me at the genesis of Hidden Shadows; their insightful comments helped me develop the story into what it is today. I’m happy to know they will continue to be with me as I begin the next project, a prequel.

I’ve also enjoyed book clubs. Not only have I ended up reading delightful works I may not have otherwise considered, I’ve learned a great deal about what readers respond to well, and what they don’t.

Q:  Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?

A: Shakespeare said it best: To thine own self be true. We should strive to write from our own unique mind and heart and muse, to find our own voice and trust it. If we write from an inner truth, it will be true to the reader, and so believable – no matter the genre, no matter the style.

A writer for over three decades, Rocco Lo Bosco has published poetry, short stories and two novels. His first novel, Buddha Wept (Greycore Press, 2003), about a spiritually gifted matriarch’s experience of the Cambodian genocide, received good reviews (e.g., Publishers Weekly) and much praise from readers, many of whom called it “life changing.”  His current novel, Ninety Nine, is published by LettersAt3amPress. Lo Bosco also has a nonfiction book in press with Routledge (2016), co-authored with Dr. Danielle Knafo, a practicing psychoanalyst, entitled Love Machines: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on the Age of Techno-perversion. He is currently working on his third novel, Midnight at the Red Flamingo. Additionally, he has edited papers in the fields of psychoanalysis and the philosophy of science and has also worked as a ghost writer.

Connect with Rocco on the Web:

www.roclobsoco.com / www.twitter.com/roclobosco / www.facebook.com/roclobosco

Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Ninety Nine. To begin with, can you give us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?  

A: Thank you. My book is about a poor and mixed––mine, yours and ours–– Italian-American family fighting desperately to survive in Brooklyn in the early 1960s. The story centers on the two (step) brothers living in a family threatened by psychological fragmentation from within, dangerous levels of poverty and two vicious loan sharks who will have no trouble killing the father if he doesn’t find a way to pay their boss. Meanwhile the two boys run with a small gang, The Decatur Street Angels, led by one of the brother’s cousins, a dark-minded genius who invents wild and daring exploits for the group that become progressively more dangerous during the summer of 1963. One of the brothers is involved in his first (and secret) love affair with an older woman while the other is losing his mind over the abandonment of his mother. The event streams of the book culminate at the novel’s end in a stunning and unexpected climax.

Michael Ventura, novelist, essayist and cultural critic said, “In Lo Bosco’s Ninety Nine you experience the vitality, brutality, faith, doom and grace of people whose only choice is to figure out how to take it. They endure situations from which there is no escape, surrounded by beliefs and attitudes from which there is no escape, and their nobility is that, in the midst of such a Brooklyn, they nevertheless know and value beauty and are exalted by wonder.” I think this properly captures the spirit of my book, and what I secretly intended in writing it.

The novel creatively draws on my early years growing up in Brooklyn, but its inspiration emerged from two very specific things: a dream and a book.  When I was five years old I had a dream that has stayed with me my entire life, a dream that in essence predicted the character and quest of my life.  The dream appears in the book, and it will become clear to the reader why that very dream inspired the novel.  The second inspirational element came from finding a book I was never supposed to see. When I was fourteen I found it in the bottom of a box that held my father’s war memorabilia—a large, government-issued volume about the Second World War. It contained far more pictures than text. I returned to this forbidden book repeatedly and viewed images that literally altered the trajectory of my life and shaped my particular interests in human endeavor. I knew I could not remain silent. Though I did not yet know that I would write, I knew that I would not want to pass through this life quietly, hunkered down in some existential bunker until the danger passed.  At fourteen I already knew the danger never passes. That forbidden book appears in Ninety Nine, but it was also part of the inspiration for Buddha Wept.

Q: What do you think makes a good novel? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?

Well, it is not truly possible to narrow a good novel down to a formula of some kind. If it was possible to do so, a novel would not be . . . well, novel. In that there are certain areas of overlap that good novels share, I can say with some certainty that a good novel has interesting and complex characters facing interesting and difficult situations, and the whole of what they do and what happens makes for a damned good story. Additionally, the characters and their story may imbue the reader’s experiential perspective with renewed radiance and a degree of insight. It does no matter how bright or dark the novel is; a good novel deeply affects the reader in some way.

Now on the other side of the question, because language and human imagination suggest infinite capacity, any attempt to reduce the novel to some theory will ultimately fail. Literary theory is necessarily incomplete because human experience is infinite, as is the human imagination and the capacity of language. There can be great novels that do not meet conventional criteria. Finnegan’s Wake, for example, is considered by many to be a literary masterpiece. Also future technological developments will create new possibilities for stories. I’m thinking here of Charlie Booker’s television series, Black Mirror. I believe that the stories/scripts of these shows, which freely mix science and science fiction, have great literary merit. They’re like a 21st century version of the Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.

Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover the plot as you worked on the book?

I first saw and wrote scenes. Characters and situations based on memory and imagination began popping into my head.  A scene would begin as a kind “of picture poem” –– a snapshot of characters and situations that conveyed an intense emotion or insight. These “picture poems” seemed to constellate around the recollected dream (mentioned above), which provided the gravitas that drew them together.  As I collected more scenes, they began to suggest a linkage and a trajectory. As I sequenced and connected the individual scenes, the story began to form. At this point characters were bouncing around in my mind, telling me what they wanted to do within the story that was forming. I felt I was always a little behind while writing the book, kind of catching up to the story (and its characters) that was telling itself through me.

Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?

Dante is a complicated character. He attempts to manage the chaos and violence of his life by using his intellect. He takes refuge in the laws of nature, trying somehow to reconcile them with his wild family life and his crazy life in the streets of Brooklyn. He wishes he could be brave and fearless like his stepbrother, but he thinks too much. What he doesn’t realize is how much he feels and how what he feels gives him a power of which he is not yet aware.

Dante emerged from the dance between my memory and imagination. It’s not like I developed him. It’s more like he was hidden within me, and I had to find him–– as were the other characters as well. Once I found them, they had a lot to say.

Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?

There’s no one villain in my story. Everyone is a villain in some way, and some may be heroes as well. Memory provided the realism, imagination the radiance, and intellect the insight.

Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?

Okay, keeping in mind that the experience of writing for me is more like a possession than something I plan out carefully from the beginning:

I kept foremost in my mind the art of showing as opposed to the craft of telling. I wanted to create a portal into another world—in this case the world of a family fighting to survive in Brooklyn during the early 1960s. I wanted the reader to experience this world through every sense. I kept my verbs sharp and my descriptions brief but packed with appeal to the five senses.  I read everything I wrote aloud to hear it and see if it transported me, if it felt real and strong, if it made music. I paid close attention to how I paced the story, making sure I always had the reader wondering what would happen next, utilizing scene cuts to gas the story and imbuing scenes with plenty of action and cliffhangers. I wrote the story so the suspense and tension keep building throughout until it all culminated in a denouement with multiple outcomes.

I paid attention to how I stacked long and short sentences. I kept my chapters short. I peppered the narrative with insights and unexpected brief assertions that quickened the pulse. I worked with great care around the dialogue. The dialogue is what brings the characters to life. They have to speak somewhere in between the way people really talk and how they would talk if they always said the brightest, sharpest, wittiest, or most interesting things. They have to speak so that the reader wants them to say even more than they do. They have to say unexpected things at times. Not because it’s cool for them to do that, but because they themselves carry a depth they are not consciously aware of. That depth in which so much is hidden is where they come from and where their story comes from as well.

Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?

I went back to Brooklyn. I took lots of pictures. I walked the streets that I’d known so many years ago. I stopped in a bakery and got a lemon ice. I went home, got drunk and climbed into a hot bath and looked at the pictures until the water got cold. By then, I knew I had the setting.

Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start, or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?

I think certain themes occur throughout my work, my thought and my life: the tragic nature of human existence, the unending desire to be loved and to love, love’s relationship to death, the limits of human knowledge and the search for certainty, the irrepressible urge for transcendence that wars with human limitation, and the incredible beauty to be found in all of this. I never concern myself with a theme when writing fiction. The “theme” will emerge from the story. I am foremost and obsessively concerned with writing a damned good story.

Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?

I don’t think there is a clear divide between the two or even a truly satisfying definition for either. Both make their presence known in different ways. With the important caveat that they cannot be separated or even cleanly defined, I think we admire craft but are amazed by art. Craft is the technique, art the vision, though one cannot exist without the other. Craft is learned through study, discipline and endless repetition. Art comes onto the scene with defiant wings mounted on the body of craft. Art is the result an upsurge of one’s being that must manifest as a concrete demonstration. Its form is always tied to its culture, but its motive transcends culture.

Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?

The three things that come to mind are: (1) the ability to write a distinctively good story with interesting characters that affects the reader in a meaningful way; (2) the ability to rework the story until it sings; (3) a relentless devotion to both.

Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. What do you think about that?

Who am I to argue with Lawrence Kasdan, whom I have followed since his debut as the writer and director of Body Heat, a neo-noir which I found perfectly diabolical. What a plot and what characters, especially Matty! (“You aren’t too bright. I like that in a man.”) Yet, I would concede to his statement only with the caveat that homework is also defined as something given to oneself rather than only by a teacher. And what is that homework? Read, read, read and write, write, write.

Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?

I’ve relied almost wholly on books because I’m a cranky and stubborn loner. I shall name only a few that proved critical in my development as a writer and novelist.

Early inspiration was Beat Poetry along with other beat writing (e.g., Kerouac’s On The Road).
Writing The Natural Way, by Gabriele Lusser Rico.
Using Both Sides of Your Brain, by Tony Buzan. Get the latest edition.
1984, by George Orwell.
Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov.
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess.
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, by Oscar Hijuelos.
Labyrinths, by Jorge Luis Borges.

A recent set of novels, among the best I’ve read, and that I strongly feel every aspiring writer should not only read—but deeply and repeatedly study—are the four Neapolitan Novels written by the brilliant Elena Ferrante and translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein. These books are treasures of story, insight and writing genius.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?

Learn to tolerate the terror evoked by the blank page, and learn to love enduring bouts of solitude.

 

 

 

 

Philip Cioffari is the author of the novels: DARK ROAD, DEAD END; JESUSVILLE;  CATHOLIC BOYS; and the short story collection, A HISTORY OF THINGS LOST OR BROKEN, which won the Tartt Fiction Prize, and the D. H. Lawrence award for fiction. His short stories have been published widely in commercial and literary magazines and anthologies, including North American Review, Playboy, Michigan Quarterly Review, Northwest Review, Florida Fiction, and Southern Humanities Review. He has written and directed for Off and Off-Off Broadway. His Indie feature film, which he wrote and directed, LOVE IN THE AGE OF DION, has won numerous awards, including Best Feature Film at the Long Island Int’l Film Expo, and Best Director at the NY Independent Film & Video Festival. He is a Professor of English, and director of the Performing and Literary Arts Honors Program, at William Paterson University. www.philipcioffari.com

Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, The Bronx Kill. To begin with, can you gives us a brief summary of what the story is about and what compelled you to write it?

A: My novel, The Bronx Kill, is about a drowning death and the effect it has on those involved in the incident. On a hot August night, five teenage friends challenge each other to swim the East River from the Bronx to Queens. In the attempt, one boy drowns and the body of the only girl among them is never found. The three survivors take a vow never again to speak about the incident. When they reunite five years later, they find themselves at the mercy of the drowned boy’s brother, an NYPD detective, who holds them responsible for his brother’s death and vows to bring them to justice by any means possible. The lead character, Danny Baker, one of the three survivors, must fight not only to preserve his childhood friendships but to save himself and his friends from the detective’s brand of vigilante justice.

I wanted to write about the complexity and durability of friendship. The apparent and not-so-apparent ties that bind us, the debts we owe one another, the divisive factors that can tear a friendship apart, the loyalties that can supersede everything, even ethical and moral principles—these are my concerns here.

In particular, my focus is on friendship that originates in childhood, that continues to hold us together long after childhood ends, friendship that develops and matures over time, that changes as the dynamic of the relationship changes, friendship that allows us at its best to be individuals within the larger framework of the we.

The characters in this novel have been friends since grade school. They have experienced the small triumphs and defeats that occur in playgrounds and alleys, on handball courts and ballfields. They have endured the mean streets of the Bronx, faced hardship, humiliation and loss; but it isn’t until their mid-twenties that they must confront the most severe test of their loyalty to one another. I wrote it as a suspense thriller because I thought that was the most effective way to engage the reader in this story.

Q: What do you think makes a good mystery/thriller? Could you narrow it down to the three most important elements? Is it even possible to narrow it down?

A: Of course there are many elements that go into making a successful story. In my book, I strove 1) for a high level of tension throughout, 2) a strong atmosphere of danger and foreboding, and 3) strong, clearly defined characters. I also try to find something sympathetic in each of my characters, even the seemingly unlikeable ones.

Q: How did you go about plotting your story? Or did you discover it as you worked on the book?

A:  I work out the details of the story as I write. I take notes along the way but mostly the process is intuitive, instinctual as I move for scene to scene. What does my character want? What would be the step or steps he/she would take to get what he/she wants? The way I see it character drives plot.

Q: Tell us something interesting about your protagonist and how you developed him or her. Did you do any character interviews or sketches prior to the actual writing?

A: Characters usually form inside my head. I may jot down a few notes but mostly I get a feel for them, who they are, what they want. Then they become more defined in the writing process. My lead character in The Bronx Kill is Danny Baker, a 24 year old man who returns to his hometown, the Bronx, after a self-imposed exile of five years. He is haunted by a sense of guilt and responsibility for the death of his friend. He wants to find the truth about what happened the night of the drowning, but as important is his search to find out the truth about himself, why he did what he did, why he hadn’t acted differently, what more could he have done to save his friend. I knew Danny well enough that I didn’t really have to go outside myself to develop him.

Q: In the same light, how did you create your antagonist or villain? What steps did you take to make him or her realistic?

A: The obsessed detective who seeks revenge for his brother’s death came to me as I was writing the story of these friends. He assumed a greater role in my mind, and hence in the story, as I got deeper into the book. He wasn’t there at the start. What characterizes him is his unswerving dedication to seeking justice for his dead brother. He’s ruthless and will use any means necessary to enact his vengeance, which adds considerably to sense of imminent danger in the book.

Q: How did you keep your narrative exciting throughout the novel? Could you offer some practical, specific tips?

A: As Elmore Leonard said, cut out the boring parts. I try to make each scene absolutely necessary. Each scene jumps the story forward. I use the mood and atmosphere not only of the physical setting but also the interior landscape of the characters’ minds to keep the tension high and unrelenting.

Q: Setting is also quite important and in many cases it becomes like a character itself. What tools of the trade did you use in your writing to bring the setting to life?

A: I use as much specific, physical detail of the place—whether it be a street, a room, a tavern—to create a visual image for the reader. I always have a particular street or room or bar in mind when I write.  I use the quality of light to highlight atmosphere. I make sure I know my settings well. I’ve been there, lived there. I know the place in all seasons, at different times of the day and night, on holidays and work days. I try to capture the feel of a place, not only its physical details.

Q: Did you know the theme(s) of your novel from the start or is this something you discovered after completing the first draft? Is this theme(s) recurrent in your other work?

A: I never start with theme. Theme is something I discover after I’ve written the final word. I concentrate on telling the truest, most convincing story I can tell. Theme will take care of itself. And, yes, themes recur in my work. That’s probably inevitable.

Q: Where does craft end and art begin? Do you think editing can destroy the initial creative thrust of an author?

A: For me, editing improves my work. Makes it tighter, more focused. I cut out waste, superfluity.

Q: What three things, in your opinion, make a successful novelist?

A: Perseverance. Showing up at your desk everyday. Continually improving your writing style. Keeping an open, curious mind. (Sorry, that’s four)

Q: A famous writer once wrote that being an author is like having to do homework for the rest of your life. What do you think about that?

A: Writing has always brought me pleasure. If it didn’t, I’d stop.

Q: Are there any resources, books, workshops or sites about craft that you’ve found helpful during your writing career?

A: Taking workshops and going to writers’ conferences have helped me immeasurably.

Q:  Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers about the craft of writing?

A: Learning the craft of writing is a life-long endeavor. Enjoy the ride.