TsuTse!: I guess the best way to start is to just start (or I'll be pushing this off to another, more convenient time like I do with my cleaning). So, who the hell are ya and why do you write?Ariel: Hah! I'm Ariel. I write mostly because I have to. It seems like I've always been writing or telling stories or something. Mom's got this story about when I was three or four. We got in the car for a trip that was an hour and forty-five minutes long (we measure distance in time around here). Well, I asked my parents if I could tell a story and they said sure. Mom says they thought I'd quit in five or ten minutes but no, I told a story that lasted from the time we pulled out of our driveway to the time we got to where we were going. So I've always been "writing" in one way or another.
What makes you write? Who are you? Are you making that ticking noise?
T: (By the way, did you know our initials are T&A? I find that very amusing.) .
Hmm, I'm a confused 30-ish woman who has a creative spirit, but hasn't fully settled on a medium yet. I've painted, and written and drawn all my life, just not with any serious intent. I'm a know-it-all who feels a driving need to share what I've learned, my thoughts and explorations and my understanding of the world around me. I suppose all artistic endeavours are a means for me to communicate with others without running the risk of being interrupted and losing my train of thought (it happens a lot. A lot, a lot.)
Eh? Ticking noise? Nah, I'm singing the tune from Jeopardy. I'll take "Who are your major influences" for $1,000 Ariel. Remember to phrase your answer like a question.
A: Who are the automatic cliched responses of Poe, Shakespeare and e. e. cummings? No, seriously though I think everything I've ever read has contributed to the kinds of things I write. I've always had a soft spot for folk tales, fairy tales and mythology so that has something to do with it. I find the whole "major influences" question overdone sometimes. I've always thought that literature and writing is a kind of call and response kind of thing, you know.
Oh and as to who I am, I never really answered that did I? I think we were both kind of confused and surprised by the whole "cowtown" thing when we first started talking right? Well, I'm from Kansas City, Missouri; I'm 23, and single.But this isn't a dating column so that last part is irrelevant.
So to return to cliches, what are your major influences? What kind of things keep you ticking (I know that noise is being made by you--you can't fool me!)? What song is stuck in your head right now and did you know that songs being stuck in your head are the equivalent of a brain itch?
T: In German, songs stuck in your head are called earworms. That expression always conjures the image Khan sticking that icky bug in Chekov's ear. I have a particular earworm burrowing itself into my head right now called Ruby, where the refrain repeats, "Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby/Do ya, do ya, do ya, do ya." This is played all the time on the new indy station here in my Cowtown (Calgary). Honestly, with lyrics like those, indy rockers and fans have no right to be such music snobs.
OK, I'm the ticker. It's my biological clock telling me to go out and meet somebody and make babies. The problem is I keep hitting the snooze. How'd Sleeping Beauty do it?
See, we don't just have cowtown in common; we're also both folk and fairy tale fans. When I was younger, I had the original story of Snow White, where the evil stepmother was made to dance in iron shoes heated in the fire until white hot until she dropped dead. For some reason, I didn't find this shocking, but that might be because people were hacked into ground beef in the Russian fairy tales I devoured as well (you like that -- the play on words with ground beef and devour? See? I'm a literary genius). I'm pretty much like you, in that I can't name any/every major literary influences. Everything I read, good, bad, cliched, gets absorbed into my brain. I have to admit, though, that I have an unhealthy obsession with mythology of all sort: ancient, modern, religious, civic. I'm fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves in order to make us feel special and safe.
Oh, and that cliched question -- I was being POMO, post-co, deconstructivist post-ironic; it just seems cliche to the uninitiated. But isn't this what ping-pong's all about? Get to know your resident writers and their literary leanings( not that I've posted anything here yet – edit: now I have –)? What's your take on this ping-pong thing (thong)? Have you read them all? Have they been illuminating?A: Unfortunately I haven't read all of all of them. I've read most of most of them, if that makes any sense whatsoever. I think this whole ping-pong thing is fun. And yes, they are quite illuminating. Explains a lot about people and makes me feel like the giddy little voyeur that I am.
Well, I've always been known in my family for my more morbid leanings. I started reading Poe for bedtime stories when I was eight. I remember I asked for a copy of "The Arabian Nights" one year and got a kids version from my grandma. It's beautifully bound but I remember being really disappointed because I knew the adults' version was much more gory and gruesome. I still haven't gotten hold of an "adult's" version.
I think Sleeping Beauty didn't have a choice. Ugh, can you imagine going 100 years still a virgin? I mean that's some seriously screwed up double standard right there. (I remember there were versions where the prince never kissed her just had his fun and knocked her up--I mean seriously--she was comatose)!
I know you worked as a journalist for a while, did you learn anything important to writing creatively in that time? What from your life inspires your writing? Do you speak German?
T: I'm going to burst people's bubbles about journalism -- reporting has nothing to with creative writing. Nothing. Nada. Nichts. Some of the best reporters I know couldn't identify a metaphor, assonance, hell, they can't even identify active sentences. Journalism is formula writing, and, like with essays, you don't have to be creative in order to write an effective piece. It's just coincidence that some reporters out there are actually good writers too, just like it's coincidence that the Doctor who won this year's Giller Prize was also a good writer. That being said -- I have discovered (through the reporting of colleagues) that odd details, like a chartreuse tie, or a statement which contradicts recorded events, add depth and entertainment value to stories.
People are my inspiration. Perhaps that's another thing journalism taught me -- the news is not about the news, it's about people. People (what they do, how they think) are the most interesting stories, which is why journos often gloss over, or eliminate facts and report on people's impressions of events instead.
Yes, I do speak, read and write German. I enjoy using English translations of German idioms, or actual German words in my writing. One of my favourite idioms is "Ich verstehe Bahnhof" which translates roughly as "I understood (train)station." It's for when you're somewhere noisy and can't hear what someone is saying: the experience is like being on a train and all you can glean from the announcement is the word station.
What about you? I know you write poetry and short stories -- where does your inspiration come from? Is it different for your prose than your poetry? What kind of writing do you prefer to do, and why?
A: That whole journalism spiel brings back something my high school journalism teacher told me. He said, "Don't go into journalism. You're too creative for it." I took his advice and a lot of hell from my family and friends for doing so.
Well, people are a big inspiration. Things I see, do, watch, and hear also inspire me. It can be something as small as a line in a song.
The difference for me is how big the idea is in my head. If it comes to me as poetry and refuses to budge itself it never translates into prose. If it comes to me as prose it won't budge into poetry. The two don't like to meet in my head and that is sometimes a big problem.
I'd say I first got serious about writing when I was fifteen and my brother died. I wrote his eulogy as a poem (that piece has never been revised) the same day that he died. Writing ended up being the only thing that helped and I just grew more passionate and in love with it as I went (I even like revising but don't tell anyone I told you so).
As for which I prefer I keep telling everyone that it's prose but really it doesn't matter. I love the passion of poetry but the ability to meander in prose. I definitely prefer the two over scriptwriting. I just don't get scriptwriting.
So which form of writing do you prefer? Are the things that inspire you to write different for different pieces? Ever wish the voices would just go away?
T: I only wish eternal damnation on the voices when they keep me up at night. I always seem to get the best ideas right before I'm supposed to sleep. Why? Whywhywhy?
I got into poetry fairly recently, when I went to a Slam poetry show and was lucky enough to watch Shane Koyczan perform. My poetry tends toward more of a story-telling style, but it's inspired by experiences in my life. I'm currently working on one about a cowichan sweater. My prose tends to be more about others. Each style has its place and purpose and I go through phases where I prefer one over the other, but I always find reasons to go back.
How would you describe your voice in your writing, or do you have many?A: I'm not sure I have a voice in my writing. Either that or it changes with each piece. So I'm not sure really. I like to try and experiment though I save that mostly for my prose pieces.
I haven't read much of your work, you keep it all hidden away from us--what kind of voice do you use in your writing?
T: It depends on my subject. Everything from snarky Dorothy Parker-esque social observations, to a more mystical folklorish tone. For some reason though, I find my writing is always recognizable in some way. I think it's because I have a small obsession with extended metaphors. I suppose they call it a conceit with reason.
What's your favourite kind of symbolism?A: My favorite kind of symbolism? Hmm. Possibly the kind that's completely unintentional. I don't often look for a symbol to embed in my writing; they just show up. Often those kinds of symbols are dependent upon the reader to interpret. I also think it becomes ridiculous to search for symbolism in everything--not everything needs to be analyzed sometimes a rose really is just a rose and a sunset just a sunset. I think that's something we forget as readers and as writers.
Maybe we should have had drinks before we did this? Speaking of, what's your favorite drink and do you drink when you write?
I usually don't and my favorite drink is Kahlua with cream. What's your favorite fairy tale?
T: Oooh, I'm going to get me a glass of wine. I never drink when I write, but I often get my ideas when I have been drinking. My favourite drink... lately it's be vodka, cranberry juice and soda -- it gives me creative energy without making me hungover the next day.
My favourite fairy tale? I don't really have a specific favourite, but my favourite fairy tale character is baba yaga -- the sometimes helpful, sometime dastardly crone of the woods whose hut is always turning, turning, turning on chicken feet. She sounds pretty cool.
What about you? Do you drink and compose? Do you drink while reading fairytales? Do fairytales make you drink? Which one's your favourite?
A:I rarely drink when I'm writing though it really puts me in the mood to write. I keep wanting to take your "u's" out of all those words. Perhaps a cultural difference between the States and Canada?
My favorite fairytale? I'm not really sure. Though I've always kind of loved Rumplestiltskin. Honestly, I think just about anything will make me want to drink anymore. Just talking about it makes me want to.
T: Yeah. Canucky spelling is a cross between British and American. Like Tire Centre -- it's half Tyre Centre (British) and Tire Center (American). It's part of our desperate struggle to appear like we have a unique culture.
Drinking is good. Maybe we ought to drink and then continue? I'm definitely getting myself a glass of wine.
Hmm. Do you think we should talk more about us as people, rather than writers? I dunno. I never read the ping pongs. I always kind of like discovering things about people as I go along.
A: Can you really separate the writer from the person? I don't know. Do you want to talk about us as people?
T: I dunno. A: All right we've been putting this off for two days and I confess I'd really like to just get this over with so everyone can laugh at me (us?).
So, Tsu--do you use a nom de plume? I don't really get the idea of one myself considering that the reason I'd want to be published is to see my name on the covers of books (or in the byline--whichever). Have you ever thought of using a nom de plume?
T: Nom de plume? Hells yeah! After having numerous article published, I'm pretty much over seeing my name in print. I've thought a lot about writing under a pseudonym. My name is very unusual (both first and last), so if any of my writing were ever to become semi-demi known, I'd want to have some measure of privacy. As it is, the articles I've had published have been spotted by people who are friends of friends of my parents. I still hear about that one time I used a curse word in an editorial about how tuition was going up again, and I barely know the people who keep reminding me.
Who do you write for? Is it for your own satisfaction or to amuse other people? Or both maybe?
A: See I have some problems with who I write for. I certainly write for myself but with the hopes that someone else will read it. So I suppose I could say that I write for both myself and an audience. What about you? Is your writing for your own satisfaction? And tell me, what is your Cowtown like?
I know mine has a giant bull on top of one of our skyscrapers (not that anything in this city is built over 50 stories tall).
T: I write to amuse myself, but I have this undying need to know if it amuses others as well. I wonder if that's a hallmark of a writer -- this need to be heard and understood?
At the moment the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede (ie. big fair with rodeo) is on, so our population has swelled with visiting urban cowboys. Normally I hate the suburbs here, but it seems to be the only place right now where you can escape cowboy hats and howdy pardners. It's the last weekend, and I'm looking forward to my friend's "Stampede's over, Stampede's over, thank gawd almighty, Stampede's over" party tomorrow night.
A: We don't have a Stampede but the "American Royal." It's kind of cool because the town doesn't get noticeably flooded with the cowboy types. Actually KC is relatively urban with a lot of cultures evident but in a weird tree-sy kind of way. That and fountains. We've got a lot of fountains.
Do you think the town you live in effects your writing? Do you think it effects you as a person?
T: This city definitely influences my writing. In my head, most of my stories are set here. My poems are based on things I experienced here, and I'm starting to get that whole "Torontonians are snobby asshats" attitude that's so prevalent. It's hard not to, when 4 out of 5 Torontonians insist on telling you how much better Toronto is, you start to get... annoyed. I know we're not as socially advance as Toronto, but we're not a complete backwater either, AND the people are friendly here.
How does KC affect your writing?A: KC affects everything! I tend to think of smaller cities as boring and larger ones as too busy. I remember when I visited New York someone I met there pointed towards a streetlight and asked me if I knew what it was. It's offensive sometimes because people believe I live in a complete backwater.
I think living here has affected even the language I use. It's kind of one of those places where slang from all over the country is prevalent so it's not uncommon to hear someone use different words for the same thing. Like the whole soda/pop/coke thing--I've used all three to ask for a drink. It's not too uncommon around here. So I think that sometimes there's a bit of inconsistency in my writing in terms of language that is completely unintentional.
Speaking of direct influences, what about your current job(s)? Does the work your doing influence the things you write and the ways you write? Does anything you work with inspire you?
T: Work does occasionally inspire me -- I deliver organic groceries as one of my jobs, and it's inspired the beginnings of a poem about road rage (not that I'm much of a road-rager. I'm fairly relaxed, but I do have a tendency to maintain a running commentary about other drivers). When I was working in an office for 40 hours a week, I wrote more about my personal life. Now that I'm back at the blue collar stuff or a while, my work inspires more of my writing, probably because I have much more actual contact with people in these positions, and people are interesting.
How has your work inspired your writing?
A: The people I've met at my work have inspired a lot of strange things. For instance I wrote a story about a stalker that was inspired completely by a customer of mine. I seriously thought something was wrong with the guy. He ended up dating one of my co-workers and she says he wouldn't leave her alone after they broke up; that he followed her places and called her to breathe into the phone. I guess I was pretty close.
T: Ok, ummmm... what's your favourite genre?
A: To read or to write? I prefer to write whatever pops into my head but to read I tend to go for sci-fi/fantasy. They're entertaining and a bit like fairy tales. I haven't really changed all that much from when I was a kid.
What about you? Any particular genre?
T: I read just about every genre.(
Does anyone else think that's a strange, abrupt ending? -v.)
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