Ask the Author: Tom Soter
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Tom Soter
My father always warned me of people striving to do “great things.” He never did. Better to do your bit in the smaller corners of the world. Indeed, if I can make someone smile or even laugh, and make them forget or, better yet, endure the pain of a lost family member or loved one, that’s enough for me. What is “meaningful”? Some work in soup kitchens, others change bed pans, I write stories. I also am reminded of the statement by Sullivan (Joel McCrea) at the conclusion of Preston Sturges’s great film, Sullivan’s Travels. After spending much of the movie trying to make a “message film” that will change the world, he realizes that being “merely” a comedy director can, perhaps, be enough. “There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that’s all some people have? It isn’t much but it’s better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan…”
I thought of that concept with satisfaction when my father’s ailing old friend, Joe LaRosa, called me out of the blue to tell me how much pleasure my book had brought him. I had similar feelings when I heard of a complete stranger laughing uproariously at passages in it, and, too, when I read comments posted on Amazon by satisfied readers. “Written with great humor and heart, Overheard On a Bus is a very engaging and entertaining collection of essays,” wrote one. “With a writing style that's easygoing yet delightfully, subtly snarky, and occasionally inspired, these reminiscences, many with 1970s New York City as a backdrop, are by turns charming, touching and flat-out funny,” wrote another.
And no one complained about the personal subject matter, either. Why should they? What better subject to write about than one’s own life? If a writer is any good at his chosen profession, he should be able to make at least some of that interesting. I’m a writer. So I write. But I often remember the words of the actor Raymond Burr, who said to me that an actor isn’t really an actor unless he is performing in front of an audience. I feel the same way about writing. A writer must write, otherwise why call himself a writer?
I thought of that concept with satisfaction when my father’s ailing old friend, Joe LaRosa, called me out of the blue to tell me how much pleasure my book had brought him. I had similar feelings when I heard of a complete stranger laughing uproariously at passages in it, and, too, when I read comments posted on Amazon by satisfied readers. “Written with great humor and heart, Overheard On a Bus is a very engaging and entertaining collection of essays,” wrote one. “With a writing style that's easygoing yet delightfully, subtly snarky, and occasionally inspired, these reminiscences, many with 1970s New York City as a backdrop, are by turns charming, touching and flat-out funny,” wrote another.
And no one complained about the personal subject matter, either. Why should they? What better subject to write about than one’s own life? If a writer is any good at his chosen profession, he should be able to make at least some of that interesting. I’m a writer. So I write. But I often remember the words of the actor Raymond Burr, who said to me that an actor isn’t really an actor unless he is performing in front of an audience. I feel the same way about writing. A writer must write, otherwise why call himself a writer?
Tom Soter
My most recent books are A DOCTOR & A PLUMBER IN A ROWBOAT: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO IMPROVISATION (co-authored with Carol Schindler/Dec), THE WHOLE CATASTROPHE (co-authored with George Soter/April), and BEDBUGS, BIONDI & ME (May). The first one came from my love of teaching improv, which I have been doing since 1987, and my desire to put my experiences, thoughts, and teaching philosophies into a more permanent form. The second book was done because I wanted other people to know what a great guy my dad was (and possibly because, despite his many accomplishments, he didn't merit an obituary in the Times, which irked me). And the third was done to assemble five years of "Editor's Note" columns – with useful advice and fun stories – into a more lasting form than the pages of HABITAT magazine, where they first appeared.
Tom Soter
I'm finishing up my fourth book of essays called DRIVING ME CRAZY. I have about three or four more pieces I'd like to write. At the same time, I'm reviewing material for a compilation of fiction that I wrote between 1968-75. It will also include stories by Alan Saly, Tom Sinclair, and Christian Doherty. It's called THE GUARDIAN OMNIBUS. (I'm also still performing improv at Sunday Night Improv, at StandUp NY, 236 W. 78th St. 6 PM Sundays.)
Tom Soter
It's certainly not the money. I write because I want to entertain people, inform people, and share the ups and downs of life with them. When I hear that people laughed out loud or were moved by something I had written, then I've succeeded. I also would like to preserve my memories beyond my lifetime - my mother had Alzheimer's so I know how fleeting memory can be (I talk more about this in the piece, "Why I Write" in DISAPPEARING ACT). I am also a sucker for a good yarn (see "Overheard on a Bus" in OVERHEARD ON A BUS). Finally, I'm just following in my father's footsteps (see THE WHOLE CATASTROPHE).
Tom Soter
I don't believe in writer's block. If you're an improviser (and we all are to some extent), you trust your first instinct and go with that (you can always revise it later). I talk about my writing methods in both DISAPPEARING ACT (in the story called, "The Ten-Minute Paper") and A DOCTOR & A PLUMBER IN A ROWBOAT (in the chapter on improv and writing). Graham Greene used to deal with writer's block by going to bed and trusting that his unconscious would work out the problems he was having. It usually did.
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