Erika Swyler, "Good Neighbors"
It’s December 16. Erika Swyler, author of Light from Other Stars, doesn’t like the sound of those hoofprints.
How would you describe your story?
ERIKA SWYLER: A surreal suburban turf war between McMansions, deer, and a middle-aged couple who aren’t much into change.
When did you write it, and how did the writing process compare to your other work?
ES: I’ve been playing around with the idea since moving back to the suburbs in 2014, but I finally wrote it this year over the course of a few weeks. That long thought process is standard for me. Novels will take me five to ten years to work through. Short stories will play in my head for nearly as long, but thankfully when they feel “right” they work themselves out on the page comparatively quickly.
What kind of research went into this story?
ES: Researching is far more fun than making bad sentences into good ones, so I tend to do it only when I’m sure it will help. In this instance, I needed the exact right words for the strangeness that is the sound of deer having sex, but at that time none of the deer in my neighborhood were feeling particularly amorous. So, yes, I am the person who sifted through audio files from nature centers and listened to YouTube videos. I’ve ruined my algorithm.
What, to you, makes the short story a special form? What can it do that other kinds of writing can’t?
ES: The mental and emotional footprint of the short story is much larger than its size. It’s the inverse of the novel. With novels it’s likely that you clearly remember a few specific scenes; you keep the feel of them rather than their entirety. Short stories punch well above their weight. The whole of a piece can stay with you for weeks, months, years even. The form is incredibly flexible and lends itself to experimentation, whereas longer works have a way of locking you in, whether it be with structure, theme, or tone. The short story can be a perfectly encapsulated world that only has to relate to itself, and in that there’s total freedom.
Where should people go to learn more about you and your work?
ES: I’m at www.erikaswyler.com and @erikaswyler on Twitter, where I am generally an embarrassment to myself and others.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever been given?
ES: When I graduated college, my mother gave me a pet rabbit. I’d wanted a rabbit since the age of two—my one constant desire. A pet was the best “Welcome to adulthood, you can take care of things yourself” gift. Both wonderful and terrifying. But, you know, she gave me a friend.
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