seclusion to a certain extent, and I think sometimes as an artist or a writer you get to the point where you are spending too much time by yourself, on yourself. Teaching is a nice counter to that … I enjoy writing. I like to be alone. I like the introverted aspects, but I also enjoy people, and for my work it is important for me to stay in contact with people. Working at SMC, I’m so fortunate to work with so many people with so many backgrounds, walks of life, that ultimately it helps the work that I do on my own.”
So what’s “Attention. Deficit. Disorder.” all about?
“It’s sort of a road novel, very picaresque … Each word in the title — attention, deficit, disorder — all stand alone and are thematically relevant. People always say attention deficit disorder, or ADD, and in a way the book is about that. A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘Hey, I have that,” but most don’t. They think they do and that’s because we live in a world where information is flying at us from all directions, whether it be billboards, cell phones, the Internet, advertising on the side of a bus. We live in an age of information that is so readily available, but at the same time it’s become harder and harder to find meaning. That is what this book is about, a guy who is living in an age of information, in a vulnerable state of mind, wandering around a bit, trying to get to the bottom of it all. It’s a real journey, both external and internal.”
How did you find out about making the best seller list?
“I actually got an e-mail from one of my students as I was lying in bed on Sunday morning. I had my laptop next to me, checking my e-mail, and I saw this message saying, “Congratulations on hit-ting No. 8 on LA Times Best Seller’s list.’ I was like, ‘what?’ I looked over at my girlfriend and I just couldn’t believe it.”
How long did it take to write the novel, get it published and place it on the shelves?
“Well, you know, it took a lot of years for me to learn how to do it. I started out by doing what most writers do — I read a lot, sat down and practiced writing every single day or as close as I could to it, taking as much time as I could possibly get. I wrote the original manuscript in about six months, but it’s misleading to say six months because it actually took me several years to get to the point where I could write it in six months. From the age of about 21 to the age of 28, I consider those my apprentice years. I was working pretty hard to get to the point where I could write something someone would want to read.”
How does it feel to finally have a work published?
“It’s been a real thrill. I’ve had a lot of help along the way. A lot of friends, family, my parents were particularly supportive. I don’t think any writer makes it to the point of publication, especially at a young age, unless they’ve had some support somewhere along the way. It’s exciting. I worked really hard and to see the success and know that people are enjoying it feels great.
When did you become interested in writing?
“I’ve always been writing, since I was young. I didn’t really get serious about it, in terms of writing fiction, until I was in the latter stages of undergrad. When I was 21 years old, I started to tune in. Before that, I was a fairly disinterested student. I think to be a writer you have to sort of be autodidactic — teach yourself — so it’s very difficult to teach someone how to write fiction. You sort of have to teach yourself, ultimately. Give them the tools and they’ll run with them or not. It’s different for every person. I’m still trying to figure it out and I’m learning more and more as I go. It’s like learning how to play a musical instrument. Because people know how to write, they know how to express themselves, they’ve read books, so they think writing should be easier than it actually is. A good analogy to use is teaching someone to play a guitar. Often when people sit down to write they get frustrated because they’re not able to play Hendrix right away. You have to practice consistently, learn the chords, learn the scales, and eventually start playing songs, then ultimately start writing your own. There is a huge chain of events to get to that point. Some reach it quicker than others, they practice more than others.”
What is your process like every day? “I work pretty much every day, and when I’m working on a book, it’s first thing in the morning. Most writers I know or have read about usually write first thing in the morning or late at night, when things are quiet — the phone’s not ringing. I’m an early bird and I just get up in the morning and work, anywhere from 4 to 12 hours depending on what I’m doing that day.”
What are some of the things you like about SMC?
“I’ve had such a positive experience since I’ve been here. The faculty in my department are great, the faculty chair is very supportive. Everyone’s been good to me since the day I showed up. They gave me a great opportunity at a fairly young age to come in here and teach college and I’ve been really grateful for that. On the other side of things, working with the students has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and the diversity on campus, the enthusiasm of most of my students and the opportunity to come in and lend my experience to help them advance a little bit, improve their skills, is an honor. It’s a privilege to be able to work with them and help them in some way, make some small difference along the way.”
Do you have any time to enjoy other aspects of Santa Monica?
“Oh, sure. I’m around quite a bit. In fact, my girlfriend and I just saw the ‘Ashes & Snow’ exhibit on the beach. We just did that. I usually just come to Santa Monica to party. I’m usually visiting friends, going out to eat. I go to the beach, get coffee, but honestly, I work pretty much nonstop. I’m in my office most of the time. If there’s something cultural happening I like to go check that out.”
Who are some of the writers who have inspired you?
“I was in Minneapolis in high school, so I was very much influenced by Kurt Vonnegut, mainly because he could be funny and heavy at the same time. His works have often dealt with some very difficult themes, but they’re also laugh out loud funny and I’m more attracted to fiction that makes me laugh out loud. Not many books do. If a writer can do that, while at the same time wincing, I tend to be a fan of that person’s work. So a guy like Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Ferdinand Celine — a lot of contemporary writers. There’s so many of them. I could go on and on. Anything that I’ve read and I’ve liked, somehow finds its way into my work.”
What are you reading right now? “I’m usually reading four or five books at once. I’m reading a book called ‘The Ecology of Commerce.’ I just finished reading a book by Chris Hedges — ‘War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.’ I’m re-reading the ‘Unbearable Lightness of Being’ and ‘The Sirens of Titan’ by Vonnegut. I like to re-read a lot of things, kind of pull back the curtain and see how they did some of the things they did. … I read a lot of magazines. I read a lot. When I’m writing I don’t read as much as I like, but after I’m done I like to sort of clear my head.”
There is talk that people aren’t reading as much as they used to, what with state-of-the-art home movie equipment, video games. Are you concerned about this?
“You know, I ask students if they read and most of my creative writing students are avid readers because that’s what they want to do. But some of my basics skills English students don’t read regularly and that’s why they’re in basic skills English, they don’t read enough and haven’t developed the skills. Certain people are reading and certain people aren’t, and I think that’s the way it’s always been in our society, because we have so many different options for entertainment, television, video games, the Internet. There’s just a lot of different things for people to do, so naturally that will take people away from writers. But I believe in the book, and I think it will always be around. As writers, it’s easy to sit back and point the finger at readers and say they’re not reading enough, but my perspective as a writer is, maybe that’s the case, but I also think it may be a situation where writing is just not doing a good enough job of reflecting the world we live in and people are getting that in other places. It’s about finding out what people want to read. My focus is just on writing the best books I can and hopefully they connect with readers. If you worry about people not reading, you’re tripping yourself up at the gates. There’s so much that goes into writing a book, that you have to be in it for the love of writing, regardless of anything else. You’re certainly not going into it because of the money.”
Who do you let read your work? Who do you trust?
“Not very many people. Some writers like to workshop their stuff, others like to get into writing groups, and whatever works for you is great. Me, I don’t like to show it to anyone until I’m done with it. And then I hand it to my agent and we go out. I typically don’t hand it off to 16, 17, 20 different people before I submit. For me, that just confuses the process. There are very few people who are talented at giving editorial feedback. I think a lot of people when they give you feedback they’re just telling you what they would have done had they written it. I think an editor with talent actually tries to see the story from the writer’s perspective and are able to see what the writer’s intentions were and best help them reach the book they want to write.”
So, no girlfriends reading it? “Much to her chagrin. She’s read ‘Attention. Deficit. Disorder,’ but not ‘City of Champions.’ I think there is this natural inclination to let those close to you read it because their opinions are the ones you value most, but I think it just confuses the process more and creates more trouble than there needs to be.”
There was a lot of clamor around James Frey and his so-called memoir “A Million Little Pieces,” which was featured on the “Oprah Winfrey Show.” What are your thoughts on the criticism Frey received and the attention his book has brought to writing?
“A lot of people ask me this. At a certain level, I feel for the guy, because he’s been raked over the coals, and without some justification to say the least. I’m a person who’s all about gray areas. I don’t see the world in black and white terms in most instances. What Frey did here and the way he reacted, he was trying to paint this gray. I heard another famous writer say that no, this is not a gray area. This is non-fiction. It’s the truth. You go with the facts. So he wrote a fiction novel and called it a memoir. He then went on Oprah and I think he got more attention and media scrutiny than he ever could have anticipated. He got caught, analyzed and he wound up getting sort of crucified. To a certain extent, he dug his own grave, but I think there’s a lot of writers of non-fiction out there who were shaking in their boots because there is a lot of non-truth that goes into non-fiction that make it sell very well. It’s a tough situation. I don’t wish him any ill will, but I think his next book should be a novel. I feel for him, but at the same time, he lied.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 3, 2006. Read the original PDF.