This month, Linda chatted with Irv Pliskin, the author of our series, "World War II Memoirs." Here is what he had to say:
Q. Hi Irv, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Would you tell us a little about yourself?
A. It is hard to capsulize a life into a little bit. First I am, as you can figure from my memoirs, fairly long in the tooth. I became an octogenarian just a few days ago, and I feel no different than I did when I was in my seventies. I think I started to want to write as a sort of sibling rivalry. My oldest brother, Dan, had a wish to be a writer. Dan graduated from college right in the middle of the depression, and got nowhere with his efforts. I decided that if he could do it, I could, too. I must have been twelve or so, Dan would have been in his early twenties. I don't know that he was aware of my competitive effort, but I kept trying to emulate him.
In high school I was writing stories, poems and news stories for the High School paper, (I eventually became the editor) and even a very bad senior play and review which was performed. The war came along and that put a sort of quick end to my writing for a while. I was never published, really, because I never sent anything to anyone, so far as I can remember. Post war, once in college, I tried to write and took some writing classes. Actually I went to the college that a counselor said had a great writing program. (Bowdoin, Brunswick, Me.) I don't know if it did really have a great writing program, but I wrote stories and another bad play---and several people told me I had little talent and nothing to say.
Having something to say was important in those years. Being able to tell a story may not have been. I edited the college Literary Magazine and the college weekly newspaper. But basically, I was influenced by the 'nothing to say dictum' and I gave up writing for a while. I tried my hand at True Romances and Pulp, with no success. I wasn't very dedicated: I had to earn a living. I was a newspaper reporter for a while on one of the New York City suburban dailies--and when I realized that it wasn't at all like the play THE FRONT PAGE I gave it up and went to work for a department store, eventually as a cub copywriter.
Writing retail advertising suited me. I loved the pace of it, the need to get it done, quickly and I was really impressed with the results. I could see people come into the store with my ads in hand...and buy things. I won some awards for the nation's best retail ads in the late 40's, and then was promoted from my New York City job to another store in Virginia.
I worked there for a year or so, and then did stints in Washington, DC, Scranton, Pa., Los Angeles, California, Philadelphia and New York. In the late 70's, I started an advertising agency and ran it for nearly 25 years. I retired and started taking writing classes and was told that I seemed to be okay, that I should pursue it. I decided to do just that, and discovered Flash Fiction, which seemed perfect for me. The opportunity to build a story in as few as 500 words was a challenge: and I learned there that the story is what counts, not the 'having things to say' idea.
At least, in this century. I write short 'flash' fiction most of the time, and of course, some
memoir since I think that my WW11 experience, although not unique, should be preserved.
Q. How long have you been writing? What made you put that first story down on paper?
I suspect I answered this question in my very long first answer. I've been trying to write for about seventy five years.
Q. Do you write in a particular genre?
Is Flash Fiction a genre? I write stories, whatever appeals to me. I write fantasy some times, I try to write hard boiled, I write love stories, animal stores, once in while a little porn, even. (My wife doesn't approve of that) I started writing an ongoing mystery for KEEPITCOMING.NET and am pretty engrossed in that. It is a demanding commitment: and since January I have written over 75,000 words for that story.
Q. Have you been published? What was the first story? Where was it published? How long did it take? What was the process? How easy was it finding a publisher?
I've had some work on the web, Is that published? I have had some work in journals and I would guess that is being published. I have not, ever, been paid very much for the work. The process is pretty long. The submission, the wait, the anxiety and the final letter that says yes, or no. I have never looked for a publisher or an agent, and would not know how to find either, except through the slush-pile.
Q. Who’s your favorite author and why?
Interesting question. I am a detective, suspense and action story junkie. The contemporary author I admire most is, I think, WEB Griffin. He is skillful and he knows his market and his subject. His stories - all of them - are engrossing, and I find it easy to read and get into them. I have read all of his series books: Men at War, The Corps, Badge of Honor, etc. I am also very impressed with Rowlings: Harry Potter is a fantastic creative achievement in my opinion.
Q. How did you deal with rejection letters, if you received any?
I file them with the SASE, and I guess they will be my family legacy. They won't be able to live on the rewards from my writing either.
Q. What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing? Clarity is important. The story is the most important. Tell the story, make me live it, make me feel it, make it part of my awareness.
Q. How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
Tough question. I don't know. I get an idea, whatever that is, sit down and start to write. I do it as fast and as vigorously as I can. if the ideas flow, and they usually do, I just run it through to the end. If they don't flow, I save it for later and go to the bathroom. Frederick Busch, the teacher writer wrote: "Conduct your fiction as you would a love affair. Write fast and furiously and hard." I have that line copied and pasted to my wall, in 96-point Arial Black.
Q. Do you have a favorite writing link you’d like to share?
No, except for FlashXer (which I moderate for Pam Casto the very talented owner) and FlashFiction...Both groups have waiting lists.
Q. What do you do to unwind and relax?
I read, sleep and watch some TV. I also write.
Q. What does your family feel about your writing? Are they supportive?
My grand kids approach it with tongue in cheek. The rest of the family is supportive. "Let the old man have his fun, no skin off our behinds"
Q. What inspires you? Who inspires you?
I do not know if inspiration is the word. I get an idea, and I work on it. If something worthwhile comes out, fine. If not, I try to go to something else. Fore example, today on the History Channel, there was a video on Ellis Island. I am first generation, and I relate to it very strongly. One of the questions the authorities asked immigrants in order make sure they were not 'simple' was "How many legs does a horse have?" Someone naive, and already scared, might consider that a very trick question and fail the test. That seems to me to be a very good possibility for a story. So, I will try to write one around that. Is that inspiration? I don't know it is just mining the fields that around us, in my opinion.
Q. Are you working on any projects right now?
Yes. As I stated above, I am working on an ongoing story called THE HYDE PARK ADVENTURE for KEEPITCOMING.NET. This started out as a flash story about an American looking for a woman he met via the web in London. They meet in front of Harrods, and hence the title. It eventually became a story of a serial killer and my character has once again killed a woman after a passionate evening. My detective is at a dead end, and I may be too. I am not sure where to go, at this point. But I am confident a solution will come to me.
Q. How do you handle Writer’s Block?
I don't know. I don't think I have ever really had the problem. Remember, I was a retail copywriter. We had to write advertising all the time. No time for downtime. The needs, especially years ago, were there all the time. So I learned to write when I was feeling lousy, when I had money problems (often) when life looked terrible. You write, or you sink. I think I would handle it by sitting at the computer and just writing, anything. In effect, you let your fingers do the walking.
Q. What is most frustrating about writing? Most rewarding?
I think the most frustrating thing about writing is bad criticisms or crits that just don't seem to get it. Once I was privileged to join FlashFiction I submitted a story that I had been working on for a long time. It involved a foreign experience as I saw it, and it had some Yiddish references and Yiddish words. The first crit I got was from an idiot--I don't know who it was--who said: "Yhou shold have someone for whom English is the primary language read your work before you submit it..." I nearly quit then, but other crits were very favorable, so I discounted that one and since have written over 200 flash stories--most of which sit in my file drawer.
Q. Do you have any kind of writing schedule?
Not really. Remember, I am retired and have plenty of time on my hands. I usually awaken at about 5 AM, and on those mornings when I don't go to the gym (I try to go at least 3 days a week...watching the girls in Spandex is goof from my soul...since my libido has long since gone astray) … I boot up the computer and work. On gym mornings, I begin to work once I come home...and will write until my wife awakens and I have to make our breakfast. Some mornings I will watch one of my favorite TV shows--JAC--favorite because I love the action and I think the writing is great. About the best available now that MASH is gathering dust. I spend the nest of the day at the computer or napping or going to classes at the local community center.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given as a writer? What’s the worst?
The best piece of advice, I think is WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. The worst was that I had nothing to say.
Q. If I were sitting down to write my very first story, what would your advice be?
Forget everything they have told you about characters, plot POV all that baloney. And start to tell your story. Don't worry about spelling or grammar, just start to tell the story. Refinements and the rest can come later. Get the story down as cogently as possible and go from there. Try to be just a bit original, if you can. One of the projects freshmen English students are asked for, often, is an autobiography. Those that start I was born in ....are bound to be a bust. Try to be a little original. Mine, when I got to college started: "I was about to die. A man before he dies sees his life in retrospect...." Did it work? Yeah, I was suddenly in a college creative writing class....
Q. What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Tattoo this on your wrist: WRITE WRITE WRITE WRITE AND WRITE SOME MORE. Sinclair Lewis once asked a graduate school class at Columbia University how many of them wanted to be writers. They all did. He put his notes down, leaned over the speakers stand and bellowed: THEN WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU HOME WRITING?"
Q. Any last comments or advice?
Thanks very much for this opportunity, Linda, I hope I haven't gone on too much, and I suspect that since much of this is personal opinion of a not very successful writer, it may not be very valuable. But I believe these things, and you asked.
Thank you, Irv!
