Jennifer Pelland Interview
Jennifer Pelland’s short story Captive Girl is the only story from an online magazine in the final ballot for the 2007 Nebula Short Stories. Additionally, it is the first Nebula nomination received by its publisher, Helix. Last and certainly not least, it’s also Ms Pelland’s first Nebula nomination.
For those who haven’t read your work, how would you best describe your writing?
I suppose the easiest way to describe my writing is to say that it uses science fiction or horror settings to play “what if” games that explore darker human emotions, often tossing body issues into the mix. Except for my funny stories, which are often about sex. Because when you stop to think about it—I mean really think about it—sex is hysterically funny. Again, I suspect that has to do with my fascination with the human body. This meat suit that houses our consciousness is a strange contraption. There are so many ways for it to deviate from the mythical norm, and so many ways for it to break. Today’s surgery is already making our form malleable. What will we be doing to ourselves in the near future? In the far future? And in what ways will that go wrong? I can’t help but play with these ideas.
What inspired you to write Captive Girl?
This story began to germinate at the art show at the Boskone science fiction convention. There was a painting in the art show of a woman with the top half of her head completely covered in a metal helmet. Wires trailed from it, and there was a wire-covered glove on her outstretched hand. Later, I went to a writing panel where one of the panelists asserted that you should try to write about things that fascinate you to the point of scaring you. So I started musing in my composition notebook about how terrified I was of the thought of total captivity, which lead me back to the painting, which eventually turned into a tentative idea for a story about a girl strapped into a chair with all her senses (but touch) hijacked for a greater cause.
And then I realized it was a love story.
This raised all sorts of interesting questions in my head about what it must be like to look for companionship when you have some sort of disability or disfigurement. What do you do when your choices are limited by your physical condition? Is it wrong to be with someone just because they’re turned on by your disability? And what if that person is your caretaker? Is it ethical for them to get into a romantic relationship with you? It was a scary story to write, and even scarier to show to other people, but in the end, it was worth it.
When you write a story, do you have a theme or thesis in mind or is it during the process of your writing that you realize what subjects you really want to tackle. Was this the case for Captive Girl?
Whenever I try to write to a theme or thesis, it turns into a preachy disaster. I do best when I come up with a story idea, write it out, and then discover that I appear to have inadvertently tackled an issue or two. Captive Girl was no exception.
How did you get your start in science fiction? What’s the appeal of the genre for you?
I got into science fiction through my father. We’d stay up watching late-night creature features together, or classic Star Trek repeats, and I still vividly remember him taking me to the expensive theater to see Star Wars. Normally, we waited for movies to come to the dollar theater at the end of our block, but Star Wars wasn’t budging from the multiplex, and he realized it was important that we see it. I got into written SF by reading his book collection. I suspect that most child psychologists wouldn’t recommend letting 10-year-olds read Harlan Ellison, but I seem to have turned out reasonably okay (although it might explain a few things).
I could say that the appeal is that you can write grander, more imaginative stories when you write in a speculative genre, or I could say that you can play more “what if?” games if you get to invent your own worlds. But honestly, I write science fiction because it’s the language I was raised in.
Who were some of the writers that influenced you and whose works do you anticipate reading these days?
Growing up, I was a voracious reader of Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, and Douglas Adams, all of whom taught me radically different lessons. In my 20s, I latched onto the works of Octavia Butler, who was a genius at writing emotionally difficult work in a sparse style. I certainly hope she’s been a major influence on my work. Nowadays, the novel-length writers I leap at are Lyda Morehouse, Christopher Moore, and Neil Gaiman -- again, three very different writers. I’d mention who I like to read in short fiction, but I have a lot of friends writing and publishing that length nowadays, and I don’t want anyone to feel slighted. Instead, I’ll just mention that I look forward to reading each issue of Helix and Apex Digest.
At what point did you decide to move on from writing fan fiction to writing original fiction? Do you still write fan fiction these days?
My 30th birthday was a real kick in the pants in so many ways. I’d always said that I wanted to write original fiction, but could never come up with decent story ideas. But when I turned 30, I decided that I was done playing in other people’s playgrounds and was going to start creating my own. So I stopped writing fan fiction, and lo and behold, my brain started coming up with viable original ideas. Apparently, I couldn’t do both. So no, I don’t write fan fiction anymore. I have nothing against it, but it’s not where I want to put my creativity at this point.
Are there any aspects of your experience in fan fiction writing that you carry to your current fiction?
It’s all about the characters. That’s why people read fan fiction—to read more stories about the characters that they love. And it’s just as true in original fiction. Only you have to convince the readers to love your characters first. That’s the tricky part.
How has the various workshops you’ve participated in helped you in your craft? How about conventions?
Viable Paradise was crucial to my development as a writer. When I applied, I’d only been trying to write my own stories for about a year, and didn’t have the best grounding in either the craft or business ends of the genre. VP definitely helped me out with that. Plus, there’s nothing like a one-on-one with Jim Kelly where he tells you not to cut the vomit from your story, no matter what any of the other critiquers say to you over the course of the week. It was incredibly validating to have someone like Jim Kelly give me permission to write ugly.
As for conventions, early in my career, it was incredibly helpful for me to attend every writing panel I could find. I’d nearly always come away with wonderful craft lessons and story ideas. Now, conventions are more useful for me for keeping in touch with writing friends and for making new ones. Plus, they can be a nice battery recharge. There’s nothing like being trapped in a hotel with hundreds of creative people! (It’s less fun when you’re trapped in a hotel with hundreds of creative people and a norovirus outbreak, which was my WisCon this year, alas.)
What’s the most challenging part of your career so far? The most rewarding?
The most challenging has probably been learning to cope with the slow pace of my career. I really thought I’d be further along by now. The most rewarding is probably that I’m in a place now where I can help other beginning writers. I’ve been a workshop pro at WisCon for a couple of years, and was an online mentor for the Speculative Literature Foundation for their pilot program. And I sometimes get questions emailed to me or posted to my LiveJournal that I’m happy to answer. This is how I’m paying back my writing mentors--by passing along their lessons.
You have various stories available online. What’s your opinion about online publishing and the various online ‘zines out there?
As wonderful as it is to hold a published work in your hands, it’s just so easy to point people to web-published stories. I haven’t reached a stage in my career where I’m making significant piles of money from my short fiction, so I judge markets by the amount of exposure they’ll give me. Online markets without toll gates are excellent for that. I wouldn’t have gotten onto the Nebula ballot if it weren’t for Helix and the easy publicity it afforded my work. Do I still submit stories to Asimov’s and F&SF? You bet. But when they send their inevitable rejections, I look to web markets next.
Considering your experience in radio theater, have you considered podcasting your own stories?
Honestly? No. I don’t want to buy the equipment and learn the software, and I don’t want to take creative time away from my writing and belly dancing. Plus, I’m just not a podcast person. If I had a long driving commute, then I could see myself getting into them. As it is, I either drive 10 minutes or walk 30 to get to work. 10 minutes of city driving doesn’t seem like sufficient podcast-listening time, and I don’t listen to anything when I walk other than the world around me. Walking is great thinking time. I work out a lot of story issues when I walk. I couldn’t do that if I was listening to someone else’s words.
What can you tell us about your short story collection, Unwelcome Bodies
I was stunned when Jason Sizemore from Apex asked me if I’d like to put out a collection. I didn’t think I was nearly far along enough in my career to merit one. Selecting the stories for it was an interesting process. I decided early on to stick with my serious stories, and I also decided to only include one of my Apex Digest stories because I figured the audience for the collection would be mostly Apex readers who would already have read them all. Jason also wanted some previously-unpublished work, so I included two stories that I’d tried on the big magazines, and one that I hadn’t submitted to anyone.
I’ve been pleased with the response. The collection seems to have attracted a wider audience than I’d anticipated, plus I’ve sold enough copies to put the publisher in the black, which is a nice feeling. I’ve had some successful readings and signings, gotten a little local press attention, and the book has been chosen for an online book club discussion in July. Not bad for a small press collection from a relatively unknown author whose biggest accomplishment to date is losing a Nebula!
What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on completing a novel draft over the summer (this will be my third), and once that’s over, going back to writing a short story a month until the end of the year. The short story a month plan is new for 2008. Now that I’ve learned to write publishable stories slowly, I’m trying to see if I can’t teach myself to write them quickly instead.
JENNIFER PELLAND lives just outside Boston with an Andy and three cats. Her stories have appeared in publications such as Helix, Apex Digest, Strange Horizons, and Electric Velocipede, among others. Her short story Captive Girl was not only a 2007 Nebula nominee, but was on the 2007 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards short list. Unwelcome Bodies
For more info, see her website or read her blog.
CHARLES TAN is a speculative fiction fan from the Philippines. He has lots of online doppelgangers, including a Singaporean politician and a Filipino basketball player, but people should be warned that the “real” Charles Tan is a bibliophile who stalks his favorite authors. His blog, Bibliophile Stalker is updated with daily content including book reviews, interviews, and essays. He is also a contributor for SFF Audio.
1. Kenneth Mark Hoover on 08th July 2008 at 11:59 am
Good interview; thanks for sharing.