TSR:
What
does the word "story"
mean to you?
DE: Something that sets a stage and takes you somewhere you haven’t been before. The pieces in Sum
quickly station you in a new, unexpected world and then lead you
through to an unanticipated conclusion. These stories have an unusual
structure in that they are mutually exclusive, and that the narrator is
the second person singular (you). I think this aids in achieving
the goal of story.
TSR:
Do you have a reader in mind when you write stories?
DE:
As with all my writing, I selfishly write the story that I would most
like to read - that is, the one I wish someone would write. I
think this is true for many writers. It probably goes without
saying that it’s a lost cause to try to write for what one perceives
the market to be.
TSR: Is
there
anything you'd like to ask someone who has read your collection, anything at all?
DE: Do you feel mentally stretched? Good. Now: what would you make up as the 41st story?
TSR:
How does
it feel knowing that people are buying your book?
DE:
It’s presumably similar to having a child move out of your house into a
life of their own personal experiences. I hear back from a small
fraction of readers on email, Twitter, or Facebook, but the vast
majority of readers have experiences (and perhaps discussions with
their friends) that I will never know about. It’s a great feeling,
really.
TSR:
What are you working on now?
DE:
I have my next 5 books underway, covering (1) the subconscious brain
(2) brain plasticity (3) Cognitive Neuroscience (textbook), (4) Why I am a Possibilian, the non-fiction follow-up to Sum,
and (5) my next book of fiction, which takes place with a single
narrator over 200 billion years. The first two will be out in
2010; the next three will leak out more slowly.
