Seth Fried, "You Again"

It’s December 17. Seth Fried, author of The Municipalists, left his tap shoes in the car.

How would you describe your story?

SETH FRIED: One of my wife’s favorite writers is Julio Cortázar, who I also admire. And one of our favorite movies is Groundhog Day. I wanted to write a story for her, so I asked myself what it’d be like if Cortázar wrote about someone repeating a day. 

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

SF: I wrote this in 2019. I was just coming off a novel project, so was having fun writing short fiction again. Usually my stories are a bit weirder, so it felt kind of wild to write about something as everyday as a party.

What kind of research went into this story?

SF: Mostly just introspection and thinking about the past. People warn against the dangers of nostalgia, and I think that’s mostly right. Though I also like to use nostalgia as a tool sometimes. When I find myself thinking about things I would have done differently, I try to get specific. Once you really dig in, you realize a lot of what you’re thinking about is stuff you could start doing right now. You might also begin to realize how fragile your past is, how everything you like about your life now is just a clumsy structure cobbled together from all your mistakes and embarrassing moments. 

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

SF: I like that a good short story gets to be as long or as short as it needs to be. A novel or a feature film needs to be a certain length because you need to be able to justify how much money you’re charging the audience. A good short story’s only obligation is to itself. 

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

SF: www.sethfried.com.

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

SF: My daughter was born a week before my birthday. One thing about me is I love getting presents early.

* * * * *

What did you think of today's story? Use the hashtag #ssac2024 on Twitter and Instagram to check in with your fellow advent calendarians.