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Mark Victor Young

Goodreads Author

Born

Toronto, Canada

Website

http://markvictoryoung.com/

Twitter

markvictoryoung

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels

Influences

John Irving ...more

Member Since

May 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/markvictoryoung

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Husband, father, writer. Happily married since 1992 and a father since 2003, Mark has been a writer for as long as he can remember. Meat-free since 1995. He was born in Toronto and grew up in London, Canada. He was the first winner of the Lillian Kroll Prize for Creative Writing at Western University, where he also completed a degree in English Literature. Mark has published novels, poetry, short fiction, feature articles, comic strips and book reviews in various media.

He lives in London with his wife and daughter, those to whom all his work and play is dedicated.

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Popular Answered Questions

Have you ever worried that your work isn't "literary" or "smart" enough? and/or "Marketable" or "accessible" enough? Are these necessary concerns? Or do you find them stifling? When concepts like these start closing in, do you work *around* or *through* them?

Mark Victor Young Based on my experiences trying to make it in traditional publishing, specifically in Canada, I have concluded that my work isn't literary enough. In s…moreBased on my experiences trying to make it in traditional publishing, specifically in Canada, I have concluded that my work isn't literary enough. In saying that, I'll admit that I don't truly know what I mean by it, I only have a sense that there is something about literary publishing in Canada that my work doesn't share. On the flip side (or is it some alternate section of the same side?), I think my work is accessible and marketable. I once had an agent turn down one of my novels after saying he had enjoyed it and my submission was very professional, but couldn't take it on because it was too commercial. (Isn't that a good thing for a commercial enterprise? Does he only work with non-profits?) As you can see, I'm not bitter about this at all. :)

I don't allow these concepts to close in because I made my peace with them long ago. I write what I write partly because it is what I'd want to read, I guess. And I never worry that something I'm ready is too "this" or too "that." I just know whether or not I'm enjoying it.

Thanks for another great question!(less)

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As writers, we deal in conflict. And where there's conflict there is bound to be anger. Can you share one of the bigger anger vectors in your life? Whether it's to do with a personal concern, a worldview-related concern, or something to do with the writing world. Does this anger ever make its way into your work? If so, how? How might a writer make use of his or her anger so as to keep from becoming bitter?

Mark Victor Young Great question! It's not just a question, it's like a literary thesis all on its own. :) My instinctual response to this is that when a writer's perso…moreGreat question! It's not just a question, it's like a literary thesis all on its own. :) My instinctual response to this is that when a writer's personal anger makes its way into his or her writing, it can be a recipe for bad writing. We've all read work that reads like a rant and makes us feel we have left the POV of the character and entered the mind of the author. The term "axe to grind" comes to mind. The great writers can use anger to fuel their characters' own world view and add sparks to their prose, but avoiding the sin of authorial intrusion is a delicate balance. I would say Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom" is a great example of a character infused with anger that was entirely authentic and definitive.

In my own work, I can think of some cases of things which are my own "anger vectors" which seeped into my writing, but in general I try to stay true to the character and steer clear of the many rants I am tempted to include. I can't decide if Pete's rant at the end of "Once Were Friends" is an example of my success or failure at this. :)

To your last point, I don't think making use of anger in our writing will do anything to help us avoid the inevitable slide into bitterness. Maybe meditation and buy a puppy? Hope that helps, Jason, and thanks for the question!(less)

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Mark Victor Young’s books

Average rating: 4.11 · 18 ratings · 9 reviews · 5 distinct works

	Once Were Friends 4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Risk 3.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Awkward Stages: A Book of Short Stories 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Launch it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Couple Goals: The Collected Comics of Tim Levins and Mark Young 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Mark Victor Young's Blog

2016 – My Year in Books

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Every year on Goodreads, I take part in the Reading Challenge. I achieved 50 books in 2015 and 60 in 2016. They also helpfully provided a pictograph of everything I read this year (so far), which was an interesting retrospective. An eclectic mix of titles, many of them graphic novels. Also some interesting data I didn’t expect. Click here if you’d like to take a look and

Mark is Currently Reading

Mark Young is currently reading

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

by Roger Fisher

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Feb 24, 2018 04:03AM

Mark Young is currently reading

Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002

by David Sedaris

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Jan 06, 2018 03:51PM

Mark Young is currently reading

Ulysses

by James Joyce

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May 23, 2009 07:17PM

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Happily Ever Afte...: Jonel's Master Log of all things Book-ish	35	108	Apr 01, 2015 05:46AM
Happily Ever Afte...: Where to Next? Finish Where You Started, Go On, or Go Back? (An A-Z Spell-It-Out Challenge)	117	174	Apr 01, 2015 08:47PM

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Mark’s Quotes

“Life is a disease: sexually transmitted, and invariably fatal.”
― Neil Gaiman

6458 likes

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
― Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

tags: inspirational, optimism, perception, pessimism

46488 likes

“Everyone has to scratch on walls somewhere or they go crazy”
― Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion

63 likes

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

tags: action, change, inspirational, misattributed-to-gandhi, philosophy, wish

114362 likes

“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire that no public monument or work of art or inscription or sermon or ritual service commemorating me shall suggest that I accepted the tenets peculiar to any established church or denomination nor take the form of a cross or any other instrument of torture or symbol of blood sacrifice.

[From the will of GBS]”
― George Bernard Shaw

tags: blood-sacrifice, commemoration, cross, denomination, evolution, monument, religious-convictions, ritual, science, scientific, sermon, service, tenets, torture, views

344 likes

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Mark’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-6) post a comment »

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message 6: by Mark

May 14, 2014 03:10PM

Jill wrote: "Thanks for your friendship here on Goodreads, Mark. I once lived in London, Ontario, near Springbank Park. Lovely city."

Same to you, Jill. Small world.

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message 5: by Jill

May 14, 2014 03:09PM

Thanks for your friendship here on Goodreads, Mark. I once lived in London, Ontario, near Springbank Park. Lovely city.

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message 4: by Mark

Apr 03, 2014 02:10PM

Megan wrote: "Always nice to find someone from the same city. Thanks for the friending!"

Seems like lots of Londoners on Goodreads! Thanks for connecting.

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message 3: by Megan

Apr 03, 2014 06:27AM

Always nice to find someone from the same city. Thanks for the friending!

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message 2: by Mark

Mar 05, 2013 04:14AM

James wrote: "Haha, I've been found by a fellow Londoner! Nice to meet ya."

Yes, I noticed your name in the "People currently online" section. Good to meet you, too.

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message 1: by Melissa

Sep 18, 2011 03:39AM

Wow, that is an uncanny amount of similarity. Nabokov is best known for "Lolita," which some people hate for its assumed perversion. If you read the book though, you'll see how beautiful it is and how much it makes you think.

If you ever have any recommendations for me fire 'em my way via a comment :-)

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