Steven Mayoff
Oyster River Pages: Do you write or create with an audience in mind? If so, how do you consider the relationship between that audience and your work throughout your creative process?
Steven Mayoff: Yes, I always have a reader in mind when I write. Radio announcers have a trick they use. They keep an audience of one in mind so that their on-air delivery has that sense of one-on-one intimacy. I do something similar. But for me the reader in my mind is a kind of objective eye that helps me see the story from their point of view. It's a simple technique that is especially helpful when I'm revising, so I can approach the story as if I've never read it before.
ORP: What does success as a writer or artist mean to you?
SM: I would love to answer fame and fortune, but I've been doing this for over 20 years, so my idea of success has become more realistic over time. When I was starting out all I ever wanted, like most writers, was to be published. My view of that has also changed somewhat. I now see submitting my work as an extension of the creative process. There's a kind of tidal rhythm to it, sort of like sending out a message in a bottle and having it return to you. You repeat that process until an editor accepts the story or poem. Then comes working with the editor, which I consider very important, and finally publication. In the end, the real success is having people read my writing. And if they take the time to let me know what they think, then that's the icing on the cake.
ORP: What does vulnerability mean to you as an artist and/or writer?
SM: For me, vulnerability, is important when creating characters. I equate vulnerability with sensitivity. I am a straight, white, Jewish man in my late 60s, but I strive to have some diversity when it comes to creating characters. I believe the problem of cultural appropriation is something writers need to consider seriously. When creating characters who are not like me, I try to tap into their humanity, as opposed to what "group" they belong to. To keep my fictional worlds as diverse as possible, there is always the slippery slope of inclusion versus representation. I'm not looking to tell anyone else's story. I think being vulnerable means allowing the characters to tell me their stories.
ORP: What books have you read many times?
SM: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler, The Diary of Anais Nin Volume 3 1939-1944, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger.
ORP: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing or creating? What advice would you give to another writer or artist?
SM: I have to admit, I don't pay that much attention to advice from writers. I think if you stick at writing long enough, you'll figure out a lot on your own. That said, the best advice I ever read was from Richard Ford. He said don't begrudge another writer their success. When it feels like I'm getting nowhere, it's easy to become bitter and believe others are making strides while I'm stuck in the mud. It's not true, of course. Everyone has their own journey. Feeling like you are always in competition isn't worth the ulcers that can result. A common piece of advice is to write what you know. So, my advice to writers is a variation on that: start with what you know, but at some point it's good to wade into deeper waters. Challenge yourself by trying to write what you don't know, but do it with intelligence and sensitivity.
