AN UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE EVENING WITH NEIL GAIMAN

Neil Peterson: Hello Mr. Gaiman, my name is Neil. I’m representing Mrs. Mounts 3rd
Hour Creative Writing Class.
Neil Gaiman: Nice to meet you Neil, please call me Neil. I’m glad we have this chance
to meet. Could you move your foot over?
NP: Yes of course! Sorry about that.
NG: Not at all! Don’t worry about it. Let’s get down to the interview, shall we?
NP: Certainly. Many sources talk about how you practically grew up in libraries, what
drew you to them?
NG: Ah yes. As a child I simply engorged myself on books. My parents would drop me
off at the local library and I would spend the rest of the day there.
NP: Interesting, and you never got tired of the literature around you?
NG: Tired? No! There was constantly another book or mythos to pour myself into. I
finished the children's sections and was well into the adult section before I left.
Janitor: Huh? Oh sorry. Could you hand me that mop?
NP: Yes, here you go.
NG: You’re quite sure your school had no other accommodations for us than this utilities
closet?
NP: Sadly, I’m positive.
NG: Well then.
NP: Anyway, one of the main drawing points of your writing is your well-defined voice.
How did you develop this?
NG: I would say my writing style came from the vast background of creative content I
have output. The early comic books and graphic novels helped me to better imagine the
worlds I was crafting and how the words mirror them.
NP: Oh watch out!
NG: What?
NP: There was a spider on the wall behind you. I think it’s gone now.
NG: Well where did it go?
NP: I’m not sure, off somewhere to build a web probably. You mentioned your wide
variety of content, why do you choose to span so many genres?
NG: Well if you had omnipotent power, you wouldn’t just make one thing for eternity
right? You’d start playing around and get weird with things. After all, that’s pretty much
all writers are, gods of their own little worlds. If you look into my earlier writing you’ll
notice I’m very good at mimicking voices that already exist.
NP: Well said. Now on the topic of your most recent book - oh?
J: Sorry, just dropping the mop off again.
NG: That’s alright, you were saying Neil?
NP: Oh yes, your most recent book. Why Norse Mythology?
NG: Norse Mythos has fascinated me ever since I was a child. The way all of the myths
and stories culminate to Ragnarok just to repeat again always entranced me. I wanted
to take something that I loved and provide a version for the modern era, as the older
texts are sometimes a bit drab. I wanted to provide a sense of wit, humor, and
newfound humanity to the ancient tales that we’ve lost so much of.
NP: And a fine job you did at that. I’ve had some school-work late because I was busy,
unable to put down your book and whatnot!
NG: Haha! That’s the spirit Neil! Well anyway-- Oh? What’s happened, why have the
lights gone out?
NP: I’ll ask the questions here, Neil. Why have the lights gone out?
NG: I’m not sure, I’ll try the door. Oh no.
NP: What’s wrong? Will it not open?
NG: Not an inch.
NP: It seems they’ve forgotten us, look the light’s gone out under the crack of the door
as well!
NG: This quite the cheap school you have here Neil.
NP: Don’t let them catch you writing that in an assignment Neil.
NG: Too late.