Ask the Author: Beth Thomas
[Roxane Gay / October 11th, 2009 / Interviews ]Beth Thomas talks about writing and, like the name of her story in the September issue, hard to reach places.
1. Your story, Hard to Reach Places is very imaginative. How did this story come about?
Thank you. I wrote this story to a prompt* — “a major character becomes somebody new by undergoing a physical change. How does that transform them inside? What does it do to their lives, their relationships?”Â
I wanted to write about a wholly bizarre, unbelievable type of physical transformation, but told in a way that made it seem commonplace & kind of unremarkable.
(*provided in the Zoetrope Flash Factory office)
2. What would you do if you awoke to discover you were missing several teeth or had grown a few extra fingers?
Extra fingers might make me a better piano player. And as for the teeth– I really like soup, so that might be ok.
3. What do you enjoy most about writing short short fiction? What is the most challenging?
What I love the most is how accessible it is– how shareable. Anyone will take 2 minutes to read a short-short story, whereas not everyone will take time to read a 6,000 word story, or even a 2,000 word story. The biggest challenge is coming up with something fresh.
4. What is your writing process?
It’s more like a non-process. I wait for the moment when I have something to write about, the desire to write, and the time to write. Like the perfect storm, they all have to come together. Then I write as quickly as possible before something changes.
5. Where exactly is that hard to reach place?
Everything is a hard-to-reach place if you’ve got the right person helping you search, I think.