Andrew Bergeron Member Member since 2025

Where do you prefer to do your creative work?

I have a desk at home, that's where 85% of my work happens.

Ive been writing more at a local bookstore, it's quiet and comfy and I stumble into conversations about books.

Had a great talk w a guy the other day about Cormac McCarthy. Wouldn't have had that chance if I was at home.

Do you read literary journals and magazines regularly? If so, which are your favorites?

Yes. Ploughshares, The Sun to name a few.

Substack has a treasure trove of good new writing. That's been an eye opener for a few years.

Who are your literary (or artistic) heroes?

I think way back to elementary school I found a collection of Liam O'Flaherty short stories, then stumbled into Samuel Clemmons -"The Curious Stranger"

that set me off trying to write short stories of my own. I started about then to find there was an active history of wring --there was a book about the Algonquin roundtable -- I loved reading about that stuff. Dorothy Parker just wow.

Where do you find inspiration?

Generally in the world I walk around in. These days I carry a small notepad for reminding me something Ive seen or experienced. I have also taken to reviewing journals I have kept from prior years.

In fact rolling through an old journal led me to a seed for a short story--"Virginia." Some good feedback has brought that into a second installment and has become a working outline for a screenplay.

What fictional character would you most like to be?

Oh that's tough.

Maybe Billy Pilgrim so I could be "unstuck in time." It'd be nice to see other planets and from what I hear the Tralfamadorians are super nice.

If you could choose to be born in any era, which one would you choose and why?

I was born in the 60's --so that's the choice for me. I have an affinity for that Space Age era. I'm not sure I would want to walk through it as an adult though. My childhood heroes were Astronauts, I drew pictures of rockets and people w rocket packs. I read "Armageddon 2419" when I was about 10 I think. I had a Buck Rogers period.

What advice would you give to a young, budding writer (or artist) with less experience than yourself?

Read about your craft, Write as often as you can. (For me that's everyday)

"The Writing Life" by A. Dillard is really good, as is "Bird by Bird" A. Lamott. Ive watched a few interviews w Amy Tan, I really like her. You Tube is an excellent resource of interviews w authors and Ive taken to watching at least one a week. Listening to your own work being read out loud (Thank You Jim Hughes) is a great way to plow your work through a first edit. "If it doesn't sound right out loud, it probably doesn't belong on the page."

Push out of your comfort zone (nods to his writer's group) re read your favorites or not so favorites, there's gold in there.

For your first draft (or sketch), do you prefer analog or digital tools, or a mix?

I'll pop a few notes or even a paragraph or two onto paper as a story seed, but the real version begins for me when I build a document w a working title.

Funny thing for my fiction-- I REALLY like having a name -- so I can assemble a psychological profile and "see" the character. In the real writing -if I get stuck- or the character seems to stagnate-- I'll go back to the profile and ask--"OK what's driving X to Think/Act/ at this moment."

Bugs me to no end when a character all of sudden acts waay out of their psyche profile- yes yes --there can be situations where that is true. Characters drive fiction and if they act out of their envelope there better be something driving that action.

Do you incorporate generative AI/LLMs into your creative process? If so, how?

no no no no

What would you like your epitaph to say?

Ha!

I used to use this as writing prompt years ago.

"He tried to make the world a better place."

Are you an unreliable narrator?

Yes!

I LOVE using an unreliable narrator to distract my reader.