I love the comment about how you don’t make room for your writing, you make room for everything else. Really puts it into perspective for me about how important writing (or art in general) should be if you call yourself an artist. Makes for some harsh introspection. Thanks for doing this interview!
The one that struck hardest wasn't meant to be an answer. He calls his work-life balance poor and apologises for it, then a line later says he hasn't made room for the practice, he makes room for everything else. Same fact twice: once from a man who thinks it's a failing, once from a man who's built a life on purpose.
The question I wish you'd asked: Toriyama. He names Dragon Ball as the single greatest influence on his art, above Dante and McCarthy and Morrison, and then it just sits there. What did anime teach him about structure that literature didn't?
Alas it’s true: my writing life is completely out of balance with the rest of my life. Writing for me is both discipline and compulsion.
I’m not sorry for it at all.
Thank you for asking about Toriyama. Dragon Ball didn’t teach me structure so much as gave me a new conceptual language and set of colors and movements, scope and a way of seeing when I’m scribbling (that said, I do love the power and build of a good ol’ anime arc). I wanted to choreograph tremendous fight scenes, with blistering lights and impossible feats of strength, high stakes and big emotions. But I think mostly it’s the visual palette of anime that has proven the most enduring influence on my own art.
The palette answer is better than the structure answer. Structure you can pick up from anywhere. A way of seeing gets in early and just stays. And "I'm not sorry for it at all" is the only correct position on that question. Thank you for answering this. Awesome interview.
Great interview! There is a nice back-and-forth here, which feels natural and inviting. I look forward to reading his work and will definitely subscribe! 😊😊😊😊💜💜💜💜👏👏👏👏
You're welcome. I think poetry can be a great tool for healing trauma. (Whether you write personal verse or work that can be applied to anyone's situation).
Outstanding interview. Very thoughtful responses. I love that you have been influenced by Dragon Ball. It bolsters my argument that ‘cartoons’ and comics can, and do, have as much literary inspiration as anything else.
I started in Taekwondo and moved into kickboxing and then boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. While I was competing, I also practiced Aikido and kendo, escrima and kempo and MMA, which was my ultimate goal back then. I've continued to love MMA and train in it intermittently, although I have been very undisciplined for a long time.
That’s really interesting. I’ve found a lot of writers who train in any MMA or physical discipline tend to be far more prolific than those who don’t. I think it’s the knowledge of knowing that you can suck at something, but get better, and aren’t afraid to get your ass kicked while doing it.
You gained a subscriber. I look forward to reading your work!
Very cool, Zack! I agree with your idea; when I stopped fighting, the lessons I learned in boxing rings translated seamlessly into my artistic practice. Musashi: “He who sees the way broadly sees the way in all things.”
And welcome to the party. I hope ya like what you find!
In relation to the body, I am wondering, putting aside discipline and prolific output (which clearly applies to both @M.P Strayer + @Zack Harmes), I have been considering visceral dimensions to recognition and language lately. The words we breathe or read resonate inside the body and if you’ve physical sensitivity or listening developed, this pairs with other kinds of awareness and moves things along with a felt clarity that connects and breaks down walls when needed. Does that sound too abstract? Is this how you the first draft flows in particular?
Mike, maybe your physical training in the past is partly why your work is so lyrical and pared down to the essential at the same time? A well oiled machine flies, dives, lands with force and flow, goes everywhere and finds balance… and might I add, your work also sparkles with humour - dry, at precisely the right moment. You toy with your reader, a cat playing with its food. Zack, I haven’t yet read as much of your work yet but do you identify?
I think that’s a very thoughtful observation @Sea and I tend to agree with it. Learning how to fight, training in a martial art, grounded concepts like efficiency, balance, rhythm and timing in my physical reality. These were not abstract ideals but actual qualities the cultivation of which (or lack thereof) had real and potentially grievous consequences. I think fighting is dance and writing is music and for me they will always be mutually informative. Hemingway had bulls and Bukowski had horses. Joyce Carol Oates was a boxing fan. So was Homer. Miyamoto Musashi was a painter, poet, philosopher… And he defeated 62 warriors in single combat on a bloody pilgrimage for enlightenment across Japan. Bruce Lee—also an artist and prolific writer—described his approach to martial arts as “The art of expressing the human body.” So I think as writers, maintaining a physical relationship with our bodies is important and educational and if you can find those connections between movement and the flow of words it will only benefit you as an artist.
I’d go further. Once you’ve known your body this way, it becomes the bicycle and the path. You don’t forget how to ride even after 20 years sitting still. Thought moves faster, more easily than muscle. Thank goodness. Grand Allegro as an aging author might be a bit much.
Inspired by Musashi, I once gave up dance and decided to be a ceramicist but I kept populating my wheel with naked ladies. Went back to dance.
I wouldn’t really know, @Sea. The only martial arts I practiced was some dirty boxing. I’ve lifted weights most of my life, though, and found both fitness and creativity to blend really well.
I don’t think too deeply about it, as it takes away from some of the mysticism I find in writing. I tend to think it is something more magical than words can express.
I find imagination to be a key component, though. In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biography, he talks about utilizing his imagination in the gym. When he deadlifted, those weren’t metal plates on the bar, they were planets as big as Jupiter. When he did lat pull downs, he was tearing the sky to the ground. He saw himself as a titan of the cosmos in the gym.
When I train now, I am not me. I am my characters. I am a barbarian on the row machine assaulting a village on the land of the Rus, I am an interstellar hitman training in the gym in the belly of a space ship. It makes it fun, and then the words start coming out of nowhere.
Thanks again, Tiberius. Much appreciated.
No problem at all! Have fun 🤩
I love the comment about how you don’t make room for your writing, you make room for everything else. Really puts it into perspective for me about how important writing (or art in general) should be if you call yourself an artist. Makes for some harsh introspection. Thanks for doing this interview!
Thank you for saying so. I’m glad something I said resonated.
Interesting thoughts on letting stories take on a life of their own and taking inspiration from a variety of sources.
Two, since you asked.
The one that struck hardest wasn't meant to be an answer. He calls his work-life balance poor and apologises for it, then a line later says he hasn't made room for the practice, he makes room for everything else. Same fact twice: once from a man who thinks it's a failing, once from a man who's built a life on purpose.
The question I wish you'd asked: Toriyama. He names Dragon Ball as the single greatest influence on his art, above Dante and McCarthy and Morrison, and then it just sits there. What did anime teach him about structure that literature didn't?
Alas it’s true: my writing life is completely out of balance with the rest of my life. Writing for me is both discipline and compulsion.
I’m not sorry for it at all.
Thank you for asking about Toriyama. Dragon Ball didn’t teach me structure so much as gave me a new conceptual language and set of colors and movements, scope and a way of seeing when I’m scribbling (that said, I do love the power and build of a good ol’ anime arc). I wanted to choreograph tremendous fight scenes, with blistering lights and impossible feats of strength, high stakes and big emotions. But I think mostly it’s the visual palette of anime that has proven the most enduring influence on my own art.
The palette answer is better than the structure answer. Structure you can pick up from anywhere. A way of seeing gets in early and just stays. And "I'm not sorry for it at all" is the only correct position on that question. Thank you for answering this. Awesome interview.
Great interview of an excellent poet and storyteller.
Thanks Claire!
When you answered the question what’s the greatest moment in your life been so far? You answered-
The discovery of Delirium Tremens Belgian Ale. I thought there someone whose work I wanted to read. All kidding very good work.
Thanks for reading!
I believe it, Belgian beer IS life changingly delicious
Great interview! There is a nice back-and-forth here, which feels natural and inviting. I look forward to reading his work and will definitely subscribe! 😊😊😊😊💜💜💜💜👏👏👏👏
Glad ya liked it. Thanks for reading.
You're welcome. I think poetry can be a great tool for healing trauma. (Whether you write personal verse or work that can be applied to anyone's situation).
Outstanding interview. Very thoughtful responses. I love that you have been influenced by Dragon Ball. It bolsters my argument that ‘cartoons’ and comics can, and do, have as much literary inspiration as anything else.
My question: what martial arts did you practice?
I started in Taekwondo and moved into kickboxing and then boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. While I was competing, I also practiced Aikido and kendo, escrima and kempo and MMA, which was my ultimate goal back then. I've continued to love MMA and train in it intermittently, although I have been very undisciplined for a long time.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate your time.
That’s really interesting. I’ve found a lot of writers who train in any MMA or physical discipline tend to be far more prolific than those who don’t. I think it’s the knowledge of knowing that you can suck at something, but get better, and aren’t afraid to get your ass kicked while doing it.
You gained a subscriber. I look forward to reading your work!
Very cool, Zack! I agree with your idea; when I stopped fighting, the lessons I learned in boxing rings translated seamlessly into my artistic practice. Musashi: “He who sees the way broadly sees the way in all things.”
And welcome to the party. I hope ya like what you find!
In relation to the body, I am wondering, putting aside discipline and prolific output (which clearly applies to both @M.P Strayer + @Zack Harmes), I have been considering visceral dimensions to recognition and language lately. The words we breathe or read resonate inside the body and if you’ve physical sensitivity or listening developed, this pairs with other kinds of awareness and moves things along with a felt clarity that connects and breaks down walls when needed. Does that sound too abstract? Is this how you the first draft flows in particular?
Mike, maybe your physical training in the past is partly why your work is so lyrical and pared down to the essential at the same time? A well oiled machine flies, dives, lands with force and flow, goes everywhere and finds balance… and might I add, your work also sparkles with humour - dry, at precisely the right moment. You toy with your reader, a cat playing with its food. Zack, I haven’t yet read as much of your work yet but do you identify?
I think that’s a very thoughtful observation @Sea and I tend to agree with it. Learning how to fight, training in a martial art, grounded concepts like efficiency, balance, rhythm and timing in my physical reality. These were not abstract ideals but actual qualities the cultivation of which (or lack thereof) had real and potentially grievous consequences. I think fighting is dance and writing is music and for me they will always be mutually informative. Hemingway had bulls and Bukowski had horses. Joyce Carol Oates was a boxing fan. So was Homer. Miyamoto Musashi was a painter, poet, philosopher… And he defeated 62 warriors in single combat on a bloody pilgrimage for enlightenment across Japan. Bruce Lee—also an artist and prolific writer—described his approach to martial arts as “The art of expressing the human body.” So I think as writers, maintaining a physical relationship with our bodies is important and educational and if you can find those connections between movement and the flow of words it will only benefit you as an artist.
I’d go further. Once you’ve known your body this way, it becomes the bicycle and the path. You don’t forget how to ride even after 20 years sitting still. Thought moves faster, more easily than muscle. Thank goodness. Grand Allegro as an aging author might be a bit much.
Inspired by Musashi, I once gave up dance and decided to be a ceramicist but I kept populating my wheel with naked ladies. Went back to dance.
I wouldn’t really know, @Sea. The only martial arts I practiced was some dirty boxing. I’ve lifted weights most of my life, though, and found both fitness and creativity to blend really well.
I don’t think too deeply about it, as it takes away from some of the mysticism I find in writing. I tend to think it is something more magical than words can express.
I find imagination to be a key component, though. In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biography, he talks about utilizing his imagination in the gym. When he deadlifted, those weren’t metal plates on the bar, they were planets as big as Jupiter. When he did lat pull downs, he was tearing the sky to the ground. He saw himself as a titan of the cosmos in the gym.
When I train now, I am not me. I am my characters. I am a barbarian on the row machine assaulting a village on the land of the Rus, I am an interstellar hitman training in the gym in the belly of a space ship. It makes it fun, and then the words start coming out of nowhere.
Thats so fire! Taekwondo took up a lot of my childhood, thats dope you've practiced many disciplines.
Hmmm you may be right. That’s my left knee talking 😂