In April 2015, following the publication of his second story collection, Brunch with the Jackals (Thistledown Press), the author had an email exchange with Julie Cheng, editor of the monthly Renfrew-Collingwood Community News. Following is a condensed version of that conversation.
Q: Where did you find the inspiration for these stories?
A: If I knew where the stories came from, I’d go there more often.
Q: Why do you prefer the short story format?
A: The short story has been called ‘the art of the glimpse’ and a foot race compared to the marathon that is the novel, but that doesn’t mean they’re easier to write or a lesser art form. In a short story, readers are dropped into the characters’ lives only briefly, so the writer must use all of his craftsmanship to keep the reader turning pages – quite a challenge in today’s short-attention-span world. For marketing reasons, many novels are padded with details that fatten the product but don’t advance the narrative. Alice Munro, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2013, famously said she’d rarely read a novel that wouldn’t have made a better short story. And let’s not forget that many movies begin as short stories and novels, though it can take years to make the transition. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, screened its first episode in 2017. The book launched in 1985.
Q: How do you turn your ideas into stories? What is your process?
A: Sometimes I see the whole thing before me, and I just copy it down as though I’m chanelling. Story ideas can also swirl around in my head for years before I commit. And then one day – I might be munching on a taco – something clicks. I marry one idea to another, and that’s the piece of the puzzle I need to get started. It’s a mysterious process, and a lot like fishing: One waits patiently for a nibble.
Q: Are some of the stories set in Renfrew-Collingwood?
A: Four of the stories are set here. One is about drug-sick junkies waiting for their pusher to arrive. It starts in an alley near the Collingwood SkyTrain station. A story about a softball game played to settle a labour dispute is based on a strike that happened just east of Gaston Park. Another begins under a school portable at Renfrew Elementary (now the Vancouver Christian School). And finally there’s a tale based on a murder that happened a few blocks from where I grew up.
Q: What is your favourite memory of growing up in this neighbourhood?
A: For me, it was all about the kids. There was as many of us boomers as there are mosquitoes in a swamp. We built tree forts and rafts down at Steel Creek. We pedalled our bikes all over town and made go-carts and played street hockey. First kisses happened here. Hearts were broken. We watched the downtown skyline sprout up and out, just like us. The Sixties really were a magical mystery tour. It seemed like our lives were set to a soundtrack. Renfrew-Collingwood was our headquarters.