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Russell Reece
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JOSH
WEIL – UP AND COMING!
- Russ Reece Josh
Weil is the author of The New
Valley (Grove, 2009), a New York Times
Editors Choice that won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from The
American Academy of Arts and Letters; a “5 Under 35” Award from the National
Book Foundation; the New Writers Award from the GLCA; and was shortlisted for
the Virginia Literary Award in Fiction. Josh's short fiction has been published
or is forthcoming in Granta, One Story,
American Short Fiction, Narrative, and Glimmer
Train. He has written non-fiction for The
New York Times, Granta Online, RR: When I contacted you, I found it interesting that you were at an artist colony working on your next book. Is this a standard part of your creative process or was this something new for you? Can you tell us a little about that? RR: What writers have inspired you and how has that been reflected in your work? RR:
You mentioned Jim Harrison, who is one of my favorite authors. He blurbed
The New Valley. Most of his books have
similar settings, themes and characters. Will future Josh Weil books continue to
have that “ JW:
Good question. It depends on how you define the “ RR: Do
you have a sense for how your book was received in the JW:
Yeah, I do have some sense of that. It was something I was concerned
about. The first reading I ever did was in a small general store near the cabin,
called Sinking Creek General Store. I went down there and met with Junior, the
proprietor, who we know and then read to a handful of people. They seemed happy
with what I read and were supportive of me. They sent the book around to their
friends. I read in RR: I found the tractor illustrations in the story “Stillman Wing” clever and haunting. I didn’t know that you had done the artwork until recently. Great job, and how did you ever come up with the idea of altering the schematics of the old Deutz tractor? JW: It was a funny story, actually. When I was doing my research I ended up looking through these old catalogs and manuals from the ‘20s and ‘30s that I found online. They reminded me of the charts that hang in a doctor’s office and for some reason I liked them. I thought it helped communicate the blending of the machine and the human part. I wanted to use images from the manuals but the lawyers at Grove got nervous about it because the manuals were so old it would be impossible to find out who did the drawings and photographs. I had done some drawing in the past and thought, why not? I’ll give it a shot. They were happy with my work and I think it made the book seem a little more mine, which adds to it as well. RR: You’ve enjoyed some success as an author. As you look back over your climb through the ranks, what worked well for you, and conversely are there things that you wish you had done differently? JW: Boy. it’s hard for me to take it apart sometimes. The biggest break was Granta published a piece of mine in 2007. They took it in 2006 and that was like climbing into the big leagues for me. I guess with that I would say I did it the traditional way, sending out things and getting published in small journals and working my way up to better journals. And of course along with that is doing better work. I really believe if you are doing work that is good enough, if you keep pushing it, things will eventually fall into place. It was really a process of writing better stories and getting them out there. Two important things, though. I wrote these novellas never expecting them to be published. They were what I really loved. I think that it is important to write what you love and I did them really for myself. They became The New Valley. The other thing I’m really glad about is this: My first agent took me on for a novel I’d written. I think it was a good novel but not a great one. She wasn’t able to sell it. And it’s that that I’m grateful for. Because, though it was tough to get that close with a good agent and a good house and not have it go, in the end it was the best thing for my career. The New Valley was much better work, and I’m so happy that was the book that launched me. RR: How important have critique groups and workshops been in your development as a writer? JW: I think they have been quite important. Workshops maybe less, although workshops have helped me improve individual stories and there have been a few big lessons I’ve gotten from workshops. Occasionally someone will say something that will really strike me. I had a workshop leader, Mark Sloker, who said one of those old chestnuts, a great piece of advice which now largely drives my work. He would always ask, “Where’s the wound in the character? Where’s the big hurt?” And that’s where you want to put your finger, and the story drives from there. I had never thought of it like that before. It has really changed the way I look at stories. There were a few moments like that that have been important. Critique groups or other writers who I exchange work with are immeasurably vital to me. There are a few writers who I know their work and I know how they read my work and we have been exchanging stuff for a while. Virtually everything that I write goes to a few of my close readers and other writers who I respect a lot. I’d be in bad shape without them. I have a hard time stepping back from my work with clear eyes. So that’s really important to me. RR: I think that’s tough for everybody. I know it is tough for me. JW: I find there are two kinds of writers. There are those who hate everything as soon as they’ve done it and they can immediately look at things with a critical eye. There’s the other kind of writer, which I am. I frankly love something when I’m working on it. If I don’t love it I can’t continue it. When I’m done I’m still usually in love with it and it is hard for me to see what’s really there. RR: When we were at the Sewanee conference I was frankly overwhelmed with the extensive nature of the program. Fourteen consecutive days, morning, noon and night filled with workshops, craft lectures, readings, agent interviews, performances, etc. I tried to do everything but finally found I had to pick and choose. I’ve experienced this to some degree even in a few weekend conferences. I know you have been to Sewanee and Bread Loaf and I suspect other conferences. Do you have any suggestions for our members who regularly attend conferences on how to get the most from that experience? JW:
I love both Sewanee and Bread Loaf. I’ve been to them twice and
they’ve both played very important roles in my life. For one thing I’d say,
don’t try to write at all. Go to as many readings and craft lectures as
possible. The most important things I’ve gotten from both conferences were
writer friends I can share work with. Even as inspiring as the craft lectures
and workshops have been, it’s the contacts that are important. I don’t mean
schmoozing or social things but people whose work you like and that you hit it
off with as to how you see things. I’ve come out of both those conferences
having met great people. RR: One last question, Josh. Those of us who have read and enjoyed The New Valley are looking forward to your next book. When can we expect to see it in the bookstores and can you give us a peek under the covers? JW:
I’m working on a story collection and a novel and they are kind of
linked. Right now I can’t say when the novel will be finished. It’s not
under contract so I don’t know if it will even be published, but these days
I’m feeling good about it. I don’t want to say too much but it is set in Visit Josh’s website: www.joshweil.com. * * * * * * |
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Page last updated 03/06/2011
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