Jamie Quinn Black
Oyster River Pages: Why do you write and/or create?
Jamie Quinn Black: I write because the only place I ever felt seen as a child, as a teen, as a twentysomething, was in fiction. I would crack a book, explore someone else's interiority and feel, for the time I was with them, that maybe I wasn't some abominable little freak—maybe there were other people like me in the world and our lives were rich, interesting, and complex. I write because, if I choose my words carefully and I'm lucky, there's a chance someone out there might read something I've written and have the same moment of grace. And that's amazing.
ORP: What would you say is your most interesting writing and/or artistic quirk?
JQB: It may not be my most interesting quirk, but I'd say that one interesting thing about the way I work is that there are usually at least three full pages of deleted scenes for every page that makes it into the final draft of anything I do. Not just drafts with line and copy edits; whole chunks of story that never again see the light of day. Characters in any piece I write have so many other experiences and adventures that no one will ever know about.
ORP: What do you think is the best way to improve writing and/or artistic skills?
JQB: Familiarity with my own process—which I'd thought was something I could dictate or choose, but which turned out to be something reasonably stable that I had to discover. My first drafts always leave me feeling defeated, as if the story is maybe unworkable. Second drafts leave me wondering if a piece even has a story at all. It's only when I'm into fourth or fifth draft territory that I really start believing in something again—which means it's a lot of work and a long time before I start to feel good about a piece in progress. But familiarity with the cycle helps me avoid blocks and allows me to work past derision and self-doubt—knowing I'll hate every second draft makes that feeling just a city on a cross-country journey that I know I'll eventually pass through.
ORP: What books have you read more than once in your life?
JQB: A third of the books I read in a year are revisits. I cannot imagine listening to a great record only once; I find second, third, sixth readings equally (and sometimes more) rewarding. Some frequent pilgrimages I undertake: Nicole Krauss' "The History of Love," Kevin Brockmeier's "The Illumination," Craig Clevenger's "The Contortionist's Handbook," Scarlett Thomas' "The Seed Collectors," and Dan Chaon's "You Remind Me of Me."
