Ask the Author: Pam Jones
Answered Questions (10)
Pam Jones
I think I’d like to live in the remnants of Merricat Blackwood’s castle. It’s private and mostly self-sufficient (save for when the villagers bring gifts of pie and chicken). It’s large and imposing, too, but quite cozy inside, and stripped down to what you need: a clean kitchen/sleeping area, and a big garden.
In the Castle, I would do what I would otherwise do on any given weekend: write, read, cook, walk.
In the Castle, I would do what I would otherwise do on any given weekend: write, read, cook, walk.
Pam Jones
I have a lot, both new and rereads:
Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates
Angel House, by David Leo Rice
The Story of the Eye, by Georges Bataille
Rituals, by Lorcan Black
White Oleander, by Janet Fitch
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, by Andy Warhol
Edie: An American Girl, by Jean Stein
Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates
Angel House, by David Leo Rice
The Story of the Eye, by Georges Bataille
Rituals, by Lorcan Black
White Oleander, by Janet Fitch
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, by Andy Warhol
Edie: An American Girl, by Jean Stein
Pam Jones
My most recent book, Andermatt County, sprung from all the weekend drives that I've made from Austin through the Texas Hills. The landscape undulates, but you can see for miles if you stand in the right place. it can alternately be Paradise or very ominous. There's lush green and flowers. There's also bones, with vultures ready to pick them clean.
Pam Jones
I took a good look through the books I've read and loved, and I've found that my favorites don't have "couples", per se. The characters tend to be rather self-reliant. That being said, if we're talking about chemistry between two people, I have to say that I am most drawn to the Blackwood sisters in Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. It's parasitic, there's resentment, but there is love, albeit a tainted version of it
Pam Jones
The best thing, I'd say, is the ability to see what it is you think about something, how you think of it, and why. I am not someone who is easily able to express myself when conversing with another person, face to face. In writing, particularly in a story, I am better able to say what is on my mind. Joan Didion said famously, "I write entirely to find out what I am looking at, what I see, and what it means."
Pam Jones
Good question...Well, when it comes to long pieces, I'll mull about the plot and roughly what I'd like the characters to be for ages. I'm not wild about writing up outlines; I feel like every piece I've done a real outline for has been jinxed somehow, leading everything to fall apart. I do take notes, if there's something that I need to remember. When it comes to the actual writing, I feel as though I need background noise, whether it's music or a Netflix binge of "Call the Midwife", to keep my brain bouncing.
With short stories (which I don't think I'm very good at; I tend to be rather long-winded, and I love lots of room for description), it's pretty much the same process.
With short stories (which I don't think I'm very good at; I tend to be rather long-winded, and I love lots of room for description), it's pretty much the same process.
Pam Jones
Pretty much what Stephen King has to say on that subject: "Read a lot and write a lot."
Other than that, I would add that a writer should keep around people, not to isolate too much. Otherwise, you characters won't have much meat if they're all just projections of yourself.
Also, listen to music that inspires you. Listen to music on a long car ride, or listen to music while going for a walk or a run.
And watch good movies. I'm always inspired by a good movie with a compelling atmosphere.
Other than that, I would add that a writer should keep around people, not to isolate too much. Otherwise, you characters won't have much meat if they're all just projections of yourself.
Also, listen to music that inspires you. Listen to music on a long car ride, or listen to music while going for a walk or a run.
And watch good movies. I'm always inspired by a good movie with a compelling atmosphere.
Pam Jones
I'm always thinking about the story that I'm working on, to some degree. I also keep a daily word count, a quota to meet. On a good day, I'll set it to 800 words, and usually I exceed that goal. On a bad day, I'll set the quota for something small, 200-400 words, maybe, so that at least I'll have written something. If I keep in that habit, I can keep writer's block at bay.
Pam Jones
A couple of different things. One is a novel that I've been working on since my graduation from Hampshire College, back in 2011. We'll see where that goes. The other piece is a new novella, just begun, 500 words long so far. No spoilers on either body of work, yet!
Pam Jones
Music, usually, combined with a long car ride or a 2-3 mile run. Lately, I've been on a big Boards of Canada kick; I find myself listening to the same song over and over, which is easy to do with this group.
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