Published September 25, 2024
In this week’s author interview, NOWW Creative Director Allison Alsup and Author T Clark discuss “the playground phase” of starting a new project and T’s take on the importance of craft fundamentals. Their class “Building the Short Story” starts Wednesday, September 25, 2024 6-8 PM at the NOCCA Foundation.
“Stories don’t have to be done right to be done well…” – T Clark
Allison: What are you currently working on? Is there anything about your latest project that feels like a departure from earlier work? Or: what most excites you about your latest project?
T: I’m currently working on a novel that’s loosely about houses and housing, and how living arrangements affect power dynamics and interpersonal relationships. I’m much more comfortable in the world of the short story, so I’m enjoying how this novel project is making me stretch, both on the page and in my brain. It’s the playground phase, so it’s been fun putting these characters up against obstacles to see how they fare. It’s one of my favorite parts of the process, discovering what everyone wants from each other and what they’re willing to sacrifice.
Allison: In terms of craft fundamentals, what feels really important to what you’re working on now—and why?
T: As I wrote my answer to your first question, it occurred to me that I might benefit from paying more attention to setting. I’m extremely character-first as a writer, and with that, dialogue and plot come pretty naturally. That’s why I often teach classes on setting; teaching craft elements forces me to think deeply about how they’re functioning in my own work. If this novel is about houses and housing, I’m going to want to spend some time considering dust and chipped paint and weather.
Allison: Our upcoming class emphasizes the fundamentals of craft. Given that you’re a highly experienced teacher and story writer, why do you think it’s important to return to the essentials?
T: Craft builds confidence. So many of us (certainly including myself here) have been indoctrinated to believe we can’t do anything unless we’re taught. While we know there is an abundance of brilliant and successful writers who’ve never attended a workshop, nor touched a craft book, and unwittingly break all the rules, some of us need a little reassurance that we’re doing it right. Stories don’t have to be done right to be done well (and to be clear, I don’t believe there is a right way, rather there are ways that have worked for others that we can discuss and play with). By engaging with the basics of craft, writers can feel empowered and equipped with vocabulary, tools, and an ability to see behind the curtain of the stories that brought them to the blank page in the first place.