J. Robert Lennon, "The Unsupported Circle"

It’s December 4. J. Robert Lennon, author of Broken River, always gives appropriate credit when retweeting viral content.

How would you describe your story?

J. ROBERT LENNON: It’s a fictional snapshot of an ephemeral bit of technology.

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

JRL: This past summer—I wrote it the way I wrote most things, just riffing until something cohered.

What kind of research went into this story?

JRL: Pretty much none. I’m a little bit allergic to serious research, I have to admit. There’s one bit where I’m describing my neighbor’s back door, which I can see from my desk by the window, so I guess that counts?

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

JRL: Writing a short story is like drawing and releasing a breath, for me—it captures a frozen moment of thought. Generally, I don’t write some of a story and then come back to it later. If I don’t capture a full first draft in a few days, I’ll probably never finish it. The story also serves as a hothouse, a place where I find new voices or techniques, which eventually make their way into novels.

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

JRL: www.jrobertlennon.com.

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

JRL: My ex-wife once threw me a birthday party where everyone was required to bring, in lieu of a material gift, a personal anecdote, and everyone gathered in the living room and told their stories. Every birthday party should do this!

* * * * *

What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2019 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.