Alexander Weinstein, "The Final Days of Father Troll"

It’s December 6. Alexander Weinstein, author of Universal Love, figures he’ll just have leftover rocks for lunch.

How would you describe your story?

ALEXANDER WEINSTEIN: A modern-day fairytale about working-class trolls and the problems of human beings.

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

AW: I was teaching a class on John Gardner's five levels of psychic distance, and the group exercise was to try out each of the levels and see which felt the most natural. I was particularly interested in old Scandinavian trolls at the time, and as I practiced the exercise with the class, I stumbled across the opening of this story where Father Troll is watching his children hunt for rocks. I could feel the larger story unfolding beneath me. I could also tell that the story would be told as a series of mini-chapters—snippets from Father Troll's life that worked together to form a whole. It was quite amazing to watch the sections emerge beneath the pen. Here was Father Troll with Mother Troll, here was Father Troll counting sheep, here he was raiding the town. And suddenly I had the entire first draft of the story. It was the first time I'd ever written a story with mini-titles and from this particular variation of third-person perspective. It was also one of my first fairytales.

What kind of research went into this story?

AW: Very little to none! For the most part, I avoid research in my work unless it's absolutely necessary. In this case, I was pulling from my childhood memories of old Scandinavian fables.

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

AW: I love the short story's brevity and concision. The way it can present an entire world or an entire life simply through snapshots or a series of moments in time. One of the great challenges of the short story, especially when speculative world building is involved, is the puzzle-making quality of providing all the necessary pieces within such a short amount of pages. While a novel has an enormous amount of room to build characters, establish a world, articulate a conflict, and create tension, all of these elements must be accomplished quickly in the short story. All the while, you're working to avoid the pitfalls of the info-dump. For me, this is a great constraint, one that allows each detail, or line of dialogue, to take on immense significance and metaphorical power. In many ways, the story then becomes a metaphor for life itself. Every moment, every caress, your child's small hand in yours (and then suddenly they are waving goodbye as they head off to college) is truly powerful and significant.

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

AW: You can find me at my website: www.alexanderweinstein.com

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

AW: Nearly 25 years ago I received a guitar from Christmas. I was 17 at the time, and it was a complete surprise gift from my parents. I didn't play, nor had I shown any interest in the instrument whatsoever (in truth, I was slightly baffled by the gift). However, that present changed my life. I took the guitar along with me to college, and there I met a great group of friends, all of whom played musical instruments. They soon taught me some chords, and within the year I had fallen in love with music and songwriting. The gift was a kind of teaching as well. It's been the unexpected surprises which have had the biggest and most profound effects in my life.

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