Over the course of the winter 2010 edition of S.W.A.T., we're posting brief interviews with each of our participating Writers-in-Residence. We want to give all of you a chance to get to know the amazing people who work so hard to make the S.W.A.T. program a success!
Today we present the fourth of our twelve writer interviews - with the deft Devon Code!
Devon is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He studied at the University of King’s College in Halifax and at Concordia University in Montreal. His fiction has appeared in periodicals in Ireland, England and Canada. In a Mist, his debut collection of short fiction, was published by Invisible Publishing. He regularly contributes fiction reviews to Quill & Quire and teaches English at Seneca College. Devon Code is the S.W.A.T. Writer-in-Residence for Dante Alighieri.
Our Q & A with Devon Code… after the jump!
NOW HEAR THIS!: What inspired you to become a writer?
Devon Code: Reading Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy in university made me think seriously about writing fiction. When I was 21, I was very inspired by Auster’s ability to explore philosophical ideas in highly engaging and entertaining fictional narratives. My desire to write usually starts with my admiration for other writers.
NHT!: What was your favourite book when you were 15?
DC: I read many different kinds of novels when I was a teen, including spy thrillers and a lot of science fiction—Isaac Asimov and L. Ron Hubbard. I think if you had asked me what my favourite was when I was fifteen, though, I probably would have said What’s Bred In the Bone by Robertson Davies, although that’s probably an odd choice for fifteen-year-old.
NHT!: What recently published book do you wish you could have read when you were 15?
DC: The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño.
NHT!: What book(s) are you reading right now?
DC: I’m reading two collections of short stories at the moment: Last Nights on Earth by Roberto Bolaño, and Sentimental Exorcisms by Toronto writer David Derry.
NHT!: What are you writing right now?
DC: I’m finishing up a short story and also working on a short novel about a friendship between two male characters in their early twenties.
NHT!: Where is your favourite place to write?
DC: I write in different places depending on my mood and what I’m working on. When I’m in the early stages of something, I like to work in libraries or cafés. I especially like the Toronto Reference Library. If I’m editing or revising, I’ll work at my desk at home, or at the kitchen table.
NHT!: Do you do a lot of research when you’re writing fiction or poetry?
DC: I tend not to do too much research in the early stages, though I’ll often read work by a writer who has written something along the lines of what I’m trying to write. Once I’ve finished a draft, I’ll usually do some research to verify details that are based in historical fact.
NHT!: Do you write with an audience in mind or just for yourself?
DC: Both. Primarily, I write for myself and my own gratification. But I believe that most successful fiction writers think about their audience to some degree, and make an effort to provide what their ideal reader needs and wants, in much the same as you choose details carefully when you’re telling a friend a story about something that happened to you.
NHT!: What was the first thing you published and (if you don’t mind us asking) how old were you?
DC: In high school I wrote and edited the school paper and also wrote a youth column for a community newspaper. I didn’t publish a work of fiction until I was twenty-four years old, though I received my first literary accolade when I was 15 and won second place in a provincial short story competition. I always enjoyed reading fiction, but it wasn’t until after I finished university that I decided to make it my life’s focus.
NHT!: What’s the best advice you received as a young writer?
DC: Take chances in your writing; have fun; write as often as you can and learn from writers you admire. Don’t judge yourself by others’ standards of productivity. Learn how you work best and set your own goals.
NHT!: What advice do you have for young writers who are trying to get published?
DC: Find publishers or periodicals that publish the kind of writing you enjoy reading and send your work there. Get feedback on your writing from different people before you submit, including professional editors or published writers, if possible. If someone gives you feedback that makes sense to you, take it seriously. But don’t take any advice that goes against your instincts as a writer.
Look out for our next writer interview with Elisabeth de Mariaffi. It will be posted to the NOW HEAR THIS! blog on Wednesday, March 17!
