Originally appeared in The Toronto Film Scene in 2015; some language has been updated to be correct in 2023 with the exception of direct quotations.
One thing our society is very often guilty of is ignoring the voices of the people whose opinions should matter most. We seem to think that if our intentions were good, it doesn’t matter if people are offended because we didn’t mean for it to happen.
Read Morehe was a writer; so, he did lots of writerly things, like read foreign books on the terrace of cafes or on oscar wilde’s grave, teach plebeians about the complexities of the english language and enter into devastating love affairs that inspired his work. from Illinois, he was of the world of cotillions and debutantes but fancied himself an accidental lowlife who valiantly turned the other cheek when he ought to have hated the world.
Read MoreYou may or may not know that I have a TinyLetter in which I send out short stories I've written to the hapless few who (now likely regret having) signed up for this newsletter. It started out being a biweekly thing but then I got bored, like I do with most things, and now it's a whenever-the-hell-I-feel-like-it deal.
Read MoreOne thing that always annoys the hell out of me is when people equate my fictional short stories to my lived experiences or emotions. The things I write in my fiction, even when inspired by or closely resembling real life, are not real life; they are fiction. This is a concept that seems to be incredibly difficult for many people to grasp, especially when they see a familiar aspect in one of my stories.
Read MoreNever am I going to become a prolific writer. Never am I going to grow thicker skin. Never am I going to stop being hurt. Never am I going to change the world with my words. If all these nevers are what make up my literary career, then the question arises of why I continue to do it.
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