Blog: James Joyce and a Decade of Experience

Once one of my college writing professors told me that my writing style was a lot like James Joyce. That's funny because what I really wanted to do was write a fantasy or science fiction story. Our assignment was to write a (realistic) story about a child.

I wrote a story about one of the characters in the Captain Codfish stories I wrote in high school. The girl wanted people to remember her birthday, but no one ever did. So one year she made a big deal about telling people her birthday was approaching. When her birthday arrived, someone she cared about got her a birthday present. But the protagonist wasn't happy. She was sad because the only reason she got the present was because she had indirectly asked for one. Had she not mentioned her birthday to everyone, no one would have remembered her. She didn't want to be the person who had to beg for presents. She wanted to be the person who others chose to give a birthday present to because they wanted to - because they thought she was special.

Earlier in college, I had a unit on James Joyce. I wasn't particularly fond of his work, but two of his stories stuck with me, "Araby" and "The Dead". So when my creative writing professor said my writing reminder her of James Joyce, I was familiar with the story she was referring to: Araby. Like in "Araby" my short story was more about the emotional journey than the actual journey. I didn't really understand "Araby" until then. It took me even longer to understand, "The Dead".

The irony a decade of experience can have.

I don't consider my writing anything like James Joyce. Perhaps I emphasize the emotional elements like James Joyce, but that is where the similarities end. After all, most of my writing is in the fantasy or science fiction genres. It's about adventures and hope and wonder (hopefully). I want it to entertain and have meaning. I am no James Joyce, but someday, I hope my writing matters.

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P.S. – Stop by my blog next week for a special Labor Day treat: an interview with one of the characters in my current novel, Kaylee Nevins and the Dragon Ring!