Remember that Al will be reading / answering questions in the Surfboard Room of the Payson Library at 12pm, instead of meeting in our classroom. Please remember to bring your books to be signed (and bring your friends!)
Also, please prepare one question to ask Al during the event, either about VOLT or about his career in general. Leave your question in the comments section below. (This is mandatory. :))
See you Tuesday!
C
Is there a larger narrative tying all your stories in Volt together, since there are reoccurring characters and it all seems to be taking place in the same location?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you hope modern, urban Americans discover about life through the bucolic lens of your stories? Why did you choose an agrarian setting to transmit your ideas/messages?
ReplyDeleteWhat would be the biggest piece of advice you would have given to yourself when you were making your first steps as a writer?
ReplyDeleteWhat was the first short story you wrote about, and, looking back, what did you learn to do or not to do through it?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the single best piece of advice someone ever gave you on writing?
ReplyDeleteWhat about this sort of mccarthian storytelling appeals to you? is it just aesthetics, or do you feel this old-testament-southern-gothic style austerity moves more readily towards 'the heart of the matter'?
ReplyDeleteWhat inspires you to write? What do you consider to be your greatest influence on your writing style/themes, etc.?
ReplyDeleteHow important are religious and spiritual themes to you in your conception and development of a story? Several of Volt's stories—The Staying Freight, Smoke, and Volt—seem to suggest towards the spiritual in subtle ways. Was this something you had in mind and were deliberate in bringing about, or was it merely a side-effect of other elements of the story's composition?
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion, what does your writing bring uniquely to the table or provide a unique perspective on that draws readers to your stories?
I've noticed the world's of your stories connecting- when you began this collection, did the stories come first and then the world, or did the geography of the world in your mind create the stories?
ReplyDeleteThe environment in which Volt's narratives are set in is rural, stark and agricultural. What guided you to selecting this specific setting for your stories? Throughout your writing process, how crucial was the setting to character development?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the greatest struggle you face as you prepare to write and how do you overcome it as you engage in the process?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever thought about writing a novel? Why did you choose the short story form as your venue? How important is getting published to you and why?
ReplyDelete