Josh Riedel, "The One with the Multiverse"

It’s December 22. Josh Riedel, author of Please Report Your Bug Here, also once splashed in a fountain for title-credits purposes.

How would you describe your story?

JOSH RIEDEL: It’s a story about returning home and reconnecting with an old friend who may or may not be able to skip dimensions. And Friends reruns.

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

JR: I wrote this story in November 2022, on a trip to New York. I wanted to complete a draft before I flew back home to San Francisco. That self-imposed deadline helped me finish the story faster than others I’ve written.

What kind of research went into this story?

JR: I read some fun trivia about the TV show Friends. I was also reading and thinking a lot about time, prompting questions like: if time isn’t linear, then how do you write a time-loop story? And also: how many times have I seen that Friends episode where Chandler and Joey buy those La-Z-Boys?

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

JR: Short stories are little Dimension Skip machines that, unlike the one in this story, cannot go bankrupt because they do not make money. But they can actually work! 

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

JR: joshriedel.com.

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

JR: My friend Dan once gave me a print titled “Gnarfield” that features a very muscular Garfield skateboarding on a slice of pizza.

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