Paddy Scott is the author of The Union of Smokers (Invisible Publishing) and Fatal Errors (Devilhouse Press).
His shorter fiction and poetry has been published in Broken Pencil, Grain,
Feathertale Review, untethered, FreeFall and other equally fine places. As
well, he has been a nominee/finalist for the Canadian Magazine Awards and the
Alberta Magazine Awards, and been longlisted three times for various CBC awards
He lives in Trenton, Ontario.
1 - How did your first book or
chapbook change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your
previous? How does it feel different?
My
first “book” was the chapbook Fatal Error, published via the incredible
kindness of Amanda Earl and Devilhouse Press. It arrived about two years before
my novel, The Union of Smokers (Invisible Publishing), although the novel was
written first. The chapbook was a much more relaxed affair, a kind of
introduction to the big bad world of timelines and edits, which is not to say
that working with Invisible wasn’t the great joy that it was, thanks to Leigh Nash. As far as life changing goes, there hasn’t been much of that. Even with
the lockdown I leave the house about the same amount (only when necessary) and
none of it having to do with books.
2 - How did you come to fiction
first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?
I
can’t definitely say that fiction did come first. I seem to recall splitting my
time equally between fiction and poetry, although much of my poetry crap was
long form, possibly fiction disguised with extra line breaks.
3 - How long does it take to start
any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is
it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape,
or does your work come out of copious notes?
One
thing I can say without hesitation is that I’ve never had to ask myself what or
how ahead of the next thing. Even if I have no idea what is going to happen or
who it’s going to happen to, I can sit down and start. It might take me a month
or two to realize that what I have been writing is garbage, at which time I
abandon it, yet I never consider it time lost or wasted. Chances are I have
probably already started on something else anyway. Consequently, I’m not a big
note taker in advance of the writing, being more of a W.O. Mitchell freefall
guy, I think.
4 - Where does a work of fiction
usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining
into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very
beginning?
Every
book I’ve written (I’m counting all the unpublished ones too) began with novel
as the goal. Even the collection of short stories in Fatal Errors are taken
from a larger linked series. I think a writer will have a sense of the kind of
legs their idea has, and I’m including poetry here. Sometimes an idea works
best shortest.
5 - Are public readings part of or
counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing
readings?
I’ve
only read a couple of times, and nothing in support of Fatal Errors or The
Union of Smokers, so I’ll have to get back to you on that one, rob. Best guess,
and from the little I recall? I can’t think of anything less useful to the
creative process. Readings are all about the past, the writing already written.
6 - Do you have any theoretical
concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer
with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?
This
is a series of odd questions to answer, because each assumes I’ve begun
something with some sort of preconceived intention. While I do enjoy fables,
parables etc, if I have a larger point to make beyond what my little characters
are doing, it won’t be because I’ve pushed them toward that point. Organically,
a lot does come from my past, how I’ve been affected, how I wish I had not been
affected, what could I have done or had done to me differently, but these
aren’t questions as much as they are wishful thinking rearranged to suit a
fictional aesthetic, whatever that is going to look like. People can get out of
it whatever answers they want, just as long as they’ve brought their own
questions with them. Or they can just enjoy the walk.
7 – What do you see the current role
of the writer being in larger culture? Does s/he even have one? What do you
think the role of the writer should be?
Let’s
put it this way. I live in a city that doesn’t have a bookstore and whose
library doesn’t even carry my book. I think the larger “culture” should be
spared my thoughts on the matter of my role in it when my smaller one won’t
even acknowledge me. lol
8 - Do you find the process of
working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
One
of my regrets is having not solicited the guidance and opinions of others sooner.
It’s no coincidence that my successes didn’t come until after I purchased the
available brain power of people like Ruth Zuchter, Bethany Gibson of Narrative Agency, and Kathryn Mockler’s writing group. Even if those projects weren’t
these projects, everything I learned from them, even generally, did find a
specific application later. I’m leaving Leigh off this list because I’d never
consider her “outside”, although I know what you mean. She arrived on the scene
already fully invested in The Union of Smokers and how to make it better. I had
no problem with that.
9 - What is the best piece of advice
you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Writing
advice? Don’t create more questions than you have answered for a reader.
10 - What kind of writing routine do
you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you)
begin?
My
writing day begins EARLY. Around 3, 3:30 am. I coffee up and catch up, then get
going on whatever I’m working on. I can get in a pretty good six hours before
puttering takes over, but I leave the work on the screen and go back to it on
and off for the rest of the day.
11 - When your writing gets stalled,
where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
I
sort of answered this in question 3. I can’t recall ever being “stalled.” That
being said, I’ll keep a copy of something by James Joyce within reach, and Moby Dick. (See “puttering” above.)
12 - What fragrance reminds you of
home?
Lately…
last night’s spilled wine and pot.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that
books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work,
whether nature, music, science or visual art?
I
have a couple of painter friends who I talk with via internet quite frequently.
Both are also big freaks of nature (I mean nature freaks), so our convos can
branch every which way. They aren’t influences as much as they are creative
people who have interesting things to say on topics unrelated to writing.
That’s a kind of influence.
14 - What other writers or writings
are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
Aesop’s Fables, hands down.
15 - What would you like to do that
you haven't yet done?
Travel
to Romania. My grandparents came from there.
16 - If you could pick any other
occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you
would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
Well,
since I have already done the thing I would end up doing (carpenter) if I
hadn’t been a writer, all I have left to do is write.
17 - What made you write, as opposed
to doing something else?
Boredom,
probably. It was a long time ago, but I seem to remember a lot of free time
alone.
18 - What was the last great book you
read? What was the last great film?
Because
I’d just had a conversation about the film, I’m going to say Immortal Beloved.
The soundtrack was pretty good too. Angie Abdou’s Bone Cage introduced me to
Angie, so that was unexpectedly great.
19 - What are you currently working
on?
A
memoir based on the year I spent living and working at the Hotel Quinte in
Belleville, to earn enough money to move to England where I would write my
first novel. It comes with a lot of good advice on what not to do.
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