Quinn Adikes, whose short fiction story “Those Who Wait” appears in Volume 72.1, speaks to the accidental, collage-like nature of his fiction writing process.
My fiction is not autobiographical. In the past, I have tried to write my direct experiences. The writing always came out stilted, overworked, or worse of all: boring. The easiest and most enjoyable way for me to write is by finding an interesting way into a subject. This usually happens by accident.
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Although, it is fun to think that I planned on writing a story about loneliness, longing, and isolation. Or that I hand-picked metaphors, images, and a setting in order to get across a certain message. But the genesis of this story came from two things:
- Months earlier, thinking it would be fun to write a story about a guy stranded on a desert island
- Me, trying to come up with a story for a workshop, and my roommate eating pork fried rice and joking that I should write a story about ordering Chinese food
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I was also going through some stuff. The stuff matters because it planted itself in my brain for months, and no matter what I could not shake it loose.
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Writing with an agenda. Writing when you already know what you are going to say. Writing from the top down. That’s neither fun nor interesting. At least not to me. I discover what I am going to write about by writing. And if I am having fun, or if I am interested in what I am writing, my hope is that the energy will translate into a more entertaining story.
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Every story needs a character. Sometimes you grab for the nearest detail. Sometimes those details come from your own life. Sometimes you try this, and it does not feel right and then you put those details back and instead take details from somewhere else. But other times, your own details are perfect. Your details wind up being exactly what is needed to give the story momentum. Your details, the perfect material from which to sculpt.
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My fiction is not autobiographical.
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You write. Details change. Characters change.
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I have never been stuck on a desert island. I have never built an A-frame house. I have never complained about my Chinese-food order.
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I have performed breathing exercises. I have read Baudelaire. I have drunk kratom.
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I gave my character something to want. Desire is an important and often overlooked aspect of craft. Without desire a story will meander. Sputter out. For some writers, that is fine. For some, that is even desirable. I, however, am not embarrassed to admit that I love a good plot. Even if that plot is a guy fishing on an island until You return.
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Writing an essay in the same form as my story is fun.
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I disagree that this type of writing is trendy. Donald Barthelme, Mary Robison, Renata Adler, and many others used fragmentation decades earlier. When I write in this style, I think of it as collaging. Or maybe it’s highlighting. All you get to read is what matters.
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But I write plenty of stories straight through. However, this story would never have worked that way. You can decide for yourself why that is.
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Try and picture “Those Who Wait” straight through. Would it have worked? Maybe. I suppose there is no correct way to write anything. To me, the idea is to keep the reader entertained. As long as they don’t stop reading, you won.