Ask the Author: Ken Poyner
Answered Questions (6)
Ken Poyner
"Engaging Cattle" is a disparate collection of mini-fictions. The title comes from the fact that cattle are parts of several stories, paired with the multiple meanings of 'engaging'. The stories themselves scan the worlds of surrealism to science fiction to mythic realism. It may not seem like it at first, but the stories tend to begin in ordinary social situations and grow from there.
Ken Poyner
By appreciating the work of other writers. No one can read James Tate and not want to write. Wanting to write is the envy of what others have accomplished. I want to taste that success.
Ken Poyner
Just finished my latest collection of flash fiction, "Engaging Cattle". Right now, I want to write a few mini-fictions that focus on the absurdity of morality in a cause-and-effect world. Mostly, however, I am looking for an idea to challenge me.
Ken Poyner
Read. Read both in your genre, and outside of your genre. Good non-fiction may inspire poetry. Good poetry may inspire fiction. Do not copy your favorite authors, but learn from them. Look into the conversation they are dragging you into.
Ken Poyner
There is so much that can be depressing about being a writer. To escape those, you have to concentrate on the fact that, no matter to how few, you are committing a visceral communication with your audience. You are herding at least a few of their neurons in a direction of your choosing. You can do good to strangers.
Ken Poyner
Reading. Instead of staring at the tyranny of the blank page, I go see what others are writing. Getting lost in a good book minimizes my worries about my craft.
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