12 or 20 (second series) questions with Brandon Reid

Brandon Reid [photo credit: Kevin Cruz] holds a B.Ed. fromUBC, with a specialization in Indigenous education, and a journalism diplomafrom Langara College. His work has been published in the Barely South Review,The Richmond Review and The Province. He is a member of theHeiltsuk First Nation, with a mix of Indigenous and English ancestry. Heresides in Richmond, BC, where he works as a TTOC. In his spare time, he enjoyscooking, playing music and listening to comedy podcasts.

1 - How did your first book change your life? How does yourmost recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?

Istopped worrying about what happened to me, as I no longer had to protectmyself to finish the book; I don’t sleep as much, now. I still take care ofmyself, of course (from time to time), but I no longer feel I have a duty tofulfill. The book also gave me confidence I didn’t have before. I would behesitant to call myself a writer, but now I’m proud to do so. I have apublished book out, that’s quite the accomplishment.

Beautiful Beautiful is my debut novel, althoughI self-published a book called Angel Hair Pasta on Amazon before. It wasabout a female chef working in LA and Seattle. It almost made me a toonie. Istill enjoy that book—it has satisfying sections of modernist first-personwriting—but Beautiful Beautiful is a much more thorough, meaningfulwork.

2 - How did you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say,poetry or non-fiction?

WhenI was six or so, my friend and I had a competition who could make the bettercharacter/fighter. I came up with a multi-headed dragon that could only bestaggered by firing a fireball from the sun into its chest—wasn’t clear how itcould ever be defeated. We drew our characters, and then created backstoriesfor them. I continued creating characters, and I’d usually act out their storiesby myself in the park or living room. Then one day, a relative bought me ajournal, so I tried writing down these oral stories I was telling myself. They hardlywent anywhere, but that was the genesis. I drew and wrote a lot in school, too,during lessons, to keep myself occupied. I’d burn through several drawing booksa year, as most teachers were kind and encouraging enough to bestow as many asI requested.

3 - How long does it take to start any particular writingproject? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Dofirst drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work comeout of copious notes?

Itreally depends. Generally, I try and let ideas blossom for a few weeks beforestarting, even if I’m eager to use new premises. Words flow easily while I’minspired, and incubation can generate inspiration. It’s not like an ice-creamcone, where you have to lick it all at once. I force myself to meet a word count,once I’ve begun writing a manuscript. I write at least 2,000 words a day, whichtakes approximately 2 to 3 hours. Some manuscripts require more research orthought, like I wrote a lot of sci-fi, which involved constant googling andconversing with ChatGPT about existentialism, aliens or space technology. Sci-firequires lots of details.

            My first drafts are usually completelydifferent than the finished works. My words aren’t precious to me, so I likesacrificing them for something better. To be honest, I don’t think themanuscripts always get better; the first drafts are like sketches, which havetheir appeal, opposed to the meticulous final-drafts. It’s like Bob Dylanversus the Beatles: the former preferred minimal takes, usually, while thelatter would sometimes perform dozens of takes, especially in the later years. BeautifulBeautiful was linear in the beginning, then I utilized in medias res later,shifting parts around. Stephen King said try and write the first draft in threemonths, so I aim for that, then lend myself as much time required in theediting process.

4 - Where does a work of prose usually begin for you? Are youan author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or areyou working on a "book" from the very beginning?

I’monly concerned with writing books at this point, so that’s my initialintention. I think of certain scenes, like a storyboard, and then I work fromthe beginning until the end in one constant flow. I don’t plan a lot of it, Ijust add scenes that make sense—one after the other, shifting from positive tonegative—progressing until the end. I may have a clear idea of where I’d liketo end up, but I usually can’t predict the result. It’s like decoding a moviein my head: I’ll write a scene, then the fog will clear, and the best wayforward is revealed.

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creativeprocess? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

Ithink they aid the creative process in the same way teaching does, in that Igauge the reactions of the audience, and realize what works and what doesn’t.That being said, I recognize reading aloud is different than reading quietly. Ienjoy sharing pieces intentionally crafted to be spoken, but I don’tnecessarily desire to read my books to people—it’s a different experience, auditoryinstead of visual, that sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing?What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do youeven think the current questions are?

Wow,those are great questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. I would say I’m equallyconcerned with the theoretical as I am the plot. This is evidenced by the titleBeautiful Beautiful itself, as I strive to uncover the aesthetics ofwords and literature. I’m constantly thinking about why I write, the highermeaning. To me, Redbird is a songbird, singing the words. You can read into thedifferences between Indigenous and Western storytelling with BeautifulBeautiful. You may also apply a feminist reading using the internal logicof the tarot, that water and earth represent femininity. Or perhaps one may enjoyreading Raven as the archetypal raven. There were many lenses I applied to thebook. Of course, there’s plenty of cheese, as well.

            There are so many questions I tryanswering through writing: what’s the difference between depicting dialogue andcommuning with spirits? How can I better articulate the thought chains of mymind? Does this work better to reach into the reader? Stuff like that. Mywriting is me capturing epiphanies I have along the way—about myself, aboutothers, about life. I hope that makes it exciting for the reader.

            One current question I’m fascinatedwith, is what can a human do that an AI won’t be able to? I heard AI will developto the point it will be able to produce literature of any kind upon request. “Iwant a sequel to The Return of the King,” you’ll say, and your wish will begranted. What, then, will set humans apart from AI? It’s something I’mconstantly thinking about, how to stay ahead of the robot, basically.

7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being inlarger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writershould be?

Tobring book clubs together. I think most popular books help establish acommunity or tackle pressing issues. I don’t read many contemporary books. They’reoften too focused on plot for my liking. I enjoy reading books I either hardly comprehendor that are inventive with language. It’s a viable function, for a writer toappeal to the masses, but I realize most of my literary influences diedpenniless or lacked popularity in their times.

            I think it’s fair some writers excelat marketing and business, but I’m interested in writers who convey a mind-setnot yet found in literature, above all else. The writer is one who documentstheir experience reaching into the realm of spirit so all may behold a glimpse,because even that is insufficient to describe the vision I have of what writingis. Sometimes it’s easy to explain what is seen, other times, simplicity onlymars the glory of that sight unfolding. Writers fall somewhere along thatgradient, and they’re all equally writers.

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editordifficult or essential (or both)?

It’sa difficult question. As I said earlier, some of my first drafts areinteresting and enjoyable. The editor is someone who hones the work so it’saccessible for readers. In that sense, they’re essential; I wouldn’t expect AngelHair Pasta to be found on bookshelves. I view working with an editor as acollaboration, and I really enjoy that element of the process. If it’sdifficult, it’s only difficult because we both set a standard that I ultimatelyhave to reach, so I have to push myself which I wouldn’t say is easy or lovely,it’s hard work that requires dedication and focus. I feel all the better forit, however.

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (notnecessarily given to you directly)?

Ateacher gave me an appropriate grade for a mediocre piece of writing Isubmitted, then at the end of their comments, they wrote, “Keep writing!”That’s all it took to encourage me to keep at it.

10 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres(fiction to journalism)? What do you see as the appeal?

Writingfor journalism was easy, it was interviewing people while seeming credible thatwas difficult. Journalism is a fantastic foundation for writers, as it teachesyou to make a word count, respect deadlines, write concisely, edit thoroughly, handleinformation accurately, format well, and accurately record dialogue. There’s arich tradition of journalists who learned the essentials then branched outcreatively. Hunter S. Thompson is a classic example; he really blurred the linebetween each. The appeal for me is, there’s only so many ways I can objectivelywrite about a situation before getting bored and seeking the alternative meansof expression fiction offers.

11 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or doyou even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?

Iwake up, put on headphones, listen to Spotify for an hour or two, get up, makemy bed, adore the sun, brush my teeth, get an espresso, check the web, pray,meditate, exercise, stretch, adore the sun for noon, make myself a cappuccino, hopefullysit down to some fresh fruit and madeleines supplemented with vitamins, then,generally speaking, I’m in peak writing-form. That all goes out the window if Imust head out to work.

12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn orreturn for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?

Usually,music or reading other books. Inspiration can come from anywhere, though. Couldbe something I read online, something someone said to me—usually comes out of thinair. I force myself to meet my word-count, regardless, otherwise I don’tbother. Sometimes it’s good to sit around, waiting for inspiration, but if I’mimmersed in writing, I trudge on, even while uninspired by what I’m writing, asI know I can improve it in the edit. Craft endures while inspiration falters.

13 - What fragrance reminds you of home?

Smolderingsage smoke.

14 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books,but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music,science or visual art?

Asa polymath, I’m a strong believer all my experiences affect my writing. Cookingallows me to better capture the senses affected while cooking, which helps metranslate them to the page. It’s true, reading books helps writers learn thecraft, but you get to a certain point—where you develop your voice, yourability and your style—that you don’t necessarily need to be an avid reader. John Lennon said something similar, in that he didn’t listen to popular music, as itwas all variations of music he heard growing up.

15 - What other writers or writings are important for yourwork, or simply your life outside of your work?

Idon’t know if I’d consider them important to me, more so integrated into myconsciousness—probably the same thing. You know, James Joyce is my biggestinfluence. Aleister Crowley restored my faith. Moby Dick was a profoundnovel for me. Most writers that influenced me have passed.

16 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?

I’dlike to travel across Canada, perhaps by train. I feel that’s a true Canadianexperience.  

17 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, whatwould it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doinghad you not been a writer?

I’dtry being a musician. I’ve played various instruments throughout my life:guitar, piano, drums, saxophone. I wrote many songs in my 20s, and performedthem with a friend, but I didn’t really desire to play for anyone but us.

I promised myself, inhigh school, that if I was still single and had nothing going on by 23, I’ddrop everything and join the army. I wound up quitting my job, at 23, to write over3,000 words a day by hand, every day, for a year. I suppose I fatigued myselfmanifesting various partners through writing, instead.

18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

Ijust found myself alone, a lot, so I manifested my own worlds of companions. Writingis the ultimate solitary act, after all. Perhaps I made a shell of sorts.Writing got me through many troubling times, as did playing music. Writing satisfiesme more than anything else, so I keep doing it. It sort of avoids definitionbeyond that.  

19 - What was the last great book you read? What was the lastgreat film?

Irecently finished Dante’s Paradiso, of all things. It was fun, followingthe rhythm, but it was an archaic version that was difficult to comprehend,which I state too often I enjoy.

I don’t watch many films. I used to. I watchedTitanic a few months back. Go ahead and laugh if you want. I’m prettysappy.

20 - What are you currently working on?

I’mcurrently working on a novel about Raven, from Beautiful Beautiful, utilizingmy experience in the culinary industry.

12 or 20 (second series) questions;