R. O. Kwon, "Legends of the Seoul Dogs"

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It’s December 23. R. O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries, sees the forest for the trees.

How would you describe your story?

R. O. KWON: A call and response.

When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?

RK: I wrote this a few years ago, and it required what all my fiction requires: a great deal of revision.

What kind of research went into this story?

RK: Very little.

What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can't?

RK: I love what Lorrie Moore said, that a short story is a flower; a novel is a job.

Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?

RK: I published my first novel, The Incendiaries, in July, and I can be found at ro-kwon.com. I’m also very often on Twitter and Instagram!

What's the best gift you've ever been given?

RK: Time and space to write, time and space to write, time and space to write.

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What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2018 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.

Michael Hingston