Creative Writing

Interview
WRITTEN AND INTERVIEWED BY LEO KWON

Interviewee: Mr. James Young

Creative writing. Some people - such as me -  find the joy of creation when working with it, some consider
it a terrible curse whether one has been assigned by their teachers. Some find it to be rather tedious, and
some find it to be not too difficult. But what would be the “exact answer?” Is there only one set way of
approaching this idea, and bringing it to life through plot and characters? To see if there is one set
viewpoint, I have interviewed Mr. James Young, CMIS Canada’s Grade 12 homeroom teacher, as well as
one of the English teachers for senior students. Since he not only teaches students about fictional writing,
but also does creative writing to a degree, this interview seemed like a perfect way to portray different
perspectives.

Q. Which type of writing would be your favorite to read?

If you asked me this question, let’s say 7 or 8 years ago, I was really into classic novels; [ones written around] late
19th century/early 20th century. I really liked the wordiness of those novels, and it really helped me to broaden my
vocabulary use. And I also really liked that time period, because it’s really when modernization starts to begin. And
to see how people are interacting with that modernization was quite appealing to me. However, these days, based
on my limited time to do that type of pleasure reading, short stories are more in my wheelhouse now. [Especially]
short stories that are connected to life spiralling out of control, as that seems to be a reflection of our existence.
Especially over the past few months.
Q. Yeah, that is the case. You have mentioned it’s based on the time limitation that has changed your “taste”. So, if
you did have time, would you go back to reading those 17~18th centuries, old time novels?
Yeah. More like the 19th century, 1850 to 1910? It’s like… (stammer) I don’t know what it was. There was something
about the characters. Technology was so limited back then, but it was also starting to ramp up at the same time. So
to see this kind of real shift in social interaction, romance, and how that played out as technology was increasing.
To our eye, our modern eye, the technology obviously seems quite... juvenile in a sense? There’s almost a sense of
juvenile-ness in the way characters behave with each other. And I don’t know why I found that attractive or
appealing, but once I got into it, I always wanted to read the next, the next, and the next. The author I really got into
was Hardy, famous for some classic countryside romance novels. To answer your question - I know I’m going off in
tangent - yeah, if I had more time I’d love to dive into a novel. But it’s hard for me to find that time.
Q. Yeah, it’s kind of hard. And to start diving into our main theme of this interview, what type of writing would be
your favorite to write about?
I’ve done a little bit, as you know. One story I’ve shared with our class… I can’t remember the title of it.
Q. Akiko’s Traveller?
Thank you, yes. So based on what I wrote there, I like to explore abstract ideas. Primarily, it’s an exploration of my
deeper psyche, or my deeper subconscious through archetypes and symbols. I really like to play with those symbols
and archetypes, and see how I personally connect with those. Whether it’s a snake, walking through a desert, or
shadows, for example. My goal through this type of writing - short stories or abstract writing - is to pull the reader
into my subconscious music.
Q. Ooh, so it’s like a self-reflection and you’re inviting the reader to those self reflections and your mindset? An
introduction of your mind through archetypes?
Yeah, in other words. And I think I’ll talk about this a little bit later too, in one of the other questions. I find it easier
to create characters based on my own subconscious than it is to create characters in a conscious effort. In that
way, I feel like the characters become more authentic, because I’m not basing those characters on a movie I’ve
seen or other novels I’ve read. I’m really basing it on my unique perspective on life.
Q. Alright. It doesn’t necessarily have to be stories. It could be poems, a short lyric, but do you enjoy writing those
fictional “stories”?
I think all fiction has some elements of reality, even if it’s coming from your subconscious. And one part of writing
that I do enjoy is blurring the line between what is fiction and what is my own reality. I enjoy the idea of making
hyperbole of my reflection. I enjoy the process of taking what I think is just a normal thought and exaggerating it a
little bit. Like making that character a little more desperate than I actually would’ve felt in the situation. Or making
my setting much more extreme than what my real experience in the setting would have been. For example, the
desert minus the [bare forms] of no existence. It’s such an exaggeration of some experiences I’ve gone through
where I felt like nothing was growing. I enjoy blurring the lines and creating some sort of hyperbole of my reality
into fiction.
Q. When you start writing, do the ideas to write about “find you”, or do you brainstorm one when it’s the “time to
write”?
[...] I came to the conclusion that it finds me. This is kind of a motif that’s been going on through this interview, in
that it’s finding me in my life experiences. A lot of my ideas pop up when I’m a sauna. I like to go to the sauna - not
these days, because of the virus, right? But on a regular day, once or twice a week, I go sit in the sauna; early in the
morning when it’s not busy, so I have the whole sauna to myself. And I go there primarily for detoxing all the
chemicals in my body, all the mise-mungies(microdust), or whatever it is. It is to purify my body, but I also find
myself in a very, very deep reflection when I’m in meditation in the sauna. And I realize that these ideas find
themselves through my reflection of my life experiences while I’m [detoxifying] my mind.
Q. Okay. So it’s not like you think it’s time to write and you think of the ideas, it’s just that the ideas come find you
and you think: “This should be on paper.”
Yeah. And sometimes I’ll make a little jot note in my phone. Not in the sauna, but after; I’ll add it to my note. And I
have notes in there that have been sitting there for months, some of them for years. And [you think:] “Maybe one
day I want to hash that out,” but I’m not one who really wants to be an author, per se. Writing is - and I’ll talk more
about this as well later - more like a therapy for me. I have no real desire to become famous or well-known author,
or anything like that. 
Q. Yeah. And besides, who knows what path would’ve been taken if you were to be. Once the general theme is on
the hand, are the details and the smaller themes planned out before the actual writing process? Or does the writing
start first?
So you’re asking if it starts macro and then go micro, or does it start micro and build to macro?
Q. It’s more like: do you plan before you write or do you plan as you write?
I see. So it’s more like an organization question, like what do I do with those notes?
Q. Yeah.
Those small musings just pop in my head. And sometimes I’ll put a conscious effort into making connections
between [...] how am I gonna make this character interact. How this character is gonna think, feel, or act in a
certain setting. Or how the certain symbol is going to impact that character. I’ll start consciously thinking how
there’s going to be a dialogue between the literary elements. But otherwise, I don’t do that very often; it is very rare
that I’ll start thinking: “Oh, how can I make this all work into a story?” But I will, kind of actively-passively - I know
that’s an oxymoron - play with the colors that are popping in my head. Other times, it’s just like a wind; it will come
and go, and these ideas will flow in and flow out. And it depends on my mood, whether I want to passively-actively
engage with them or not. Not sure if that answered your question.
Q. It did answer my question, thank you for your answer. And thank you for the upcoming answers: what is your
biggest challenge when it comes to writing?
I wrote down “getting started”. Like I said, those ideas flow so naturally through me. And if I don’t write them down,
then they come, go, and disappear. So, I do try to make an effort to write them down. But from that, it’s getting
started. Sitting down and saying: “OK, I’m gonna write something.” Because then it becomes [a task]. My brain goes
back to high school and university days, where writing something becomes another task. And even if I’m sitting
down to do it for myself, there’s that history of brain synapses that have formed; [ones] that makes me feel like:
“Ah, this is work.”
Q. It’s like, there’s this PAIN. (chuckle)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think that’s very classic with many writers; there’s this pain of being a writer. There's this
trouble.
Q. It’s like when you sit down and try to create, there’s this sense of: “Oh boy, here we go.” (chuckle)
Yeah, yeah. Exactly. There’s this angst.
Q. That hits way too close to home. (giggle)
(laugh) Yes, you’re not alone in that field. But that being said, the utter joy of fulfillment that I get once that ball is
starting to be pulled by gravity - it takes a lot of effort to push a boulder down a hill; it takes a lot of effort to get it
going. You get that ball rolling; it takes a lot of effort, but once it’s rolling, then gravity takes control and then those
flood gates open up. Then it becomes quite enjoyable, and like I said, they’re therapeutic.
Q. Yeah, yeah. It’s a good experience. And speaking of experiences - this might be a jump in logic - but what is your
preferred mood for the writing? Take for instance, do you want it to be serious, sarcastic, humourous…
Well, I wrote down three concepts here, three mood concepts. First one is [being] candid, but not being obvious.
Q. Can you explain further?
Candid means “frank”. Getting to the point, but not in an obvious way. When I write, my goal is [this.] When I reflect
on the writing, and when I re-read it or someone else reads it, the message may not be so obvious. But the way the
characters are acting or feeling are quite in-your-face. They’re there to see, but the message takes a lot of deeper
reflections in order for it to make sense for the individual. That’s what I mean by “candid without being obvious”.
And similarly, being honest without being straightforward. So there’s a paradox there, between those two; the push
and pull between this paradox. Which, ideally/hopefully is not going to be confusing for the reader, or even for
myself? But [it does bring] that deeper reflection. And now, the last tone that I wrote was reflective. A reflective
tone or mood.
Q. So, you have mentioned, several times, that you try to indirectly tell the reader what you’re trying to convey
through the story. Have you ever tried using more direct things? Did they not work out, or did you not like them?
Where my stories come from, my dissection of the subconscious, is such an undefined area. When you have a
dream, you wake up, and you just remember little bits of it. And you try to make sense of it. [But] there’s a lot of
cloudiness, lots of faces that are blurred. There’s a lot of uncertainties: “Why did I dream that? What was the
purpose behind that? Why was there a snake in my dream? I haven’t seen a snake in years.” And then it’s trying to
make meaning of a place in our mind that is very unstructured. I think what you were asking was... Have I ever tried
to write a straightforward type of story, where everything is kind of, “OK, that’s the main character,” and it’s in
reality, basically. And the answer is: the last time I tried to do that was in middle school, and I wrote a story about a
baseball game. And I didn’t find it fulfilling at all.
Q. So it just doesn’t suit you. 
I think so, yeah. I love reading about [...] reality. Like I said, those 19th century novels. They’re great literary works,
but the way that the characters interact is very human. It’s very real, and in-your-face. You know where everybody
stands. So I enjoy reading [stories] like that. But I think for writing, for my purposes, I don’t think I would get much
out of my writing if I were to [write everything] so obvious or straightforward.
Q. So it’s not the same as you read. OK, that’s interesting. Alright, what are some of the most common mistakes
you catch yourself with when you are revising, if there is any?
Oh yeah, of course. Revision is not just about grammar, spelling, vocabulary choice or punctuation. Although I
would say: out of all of those conventions - those are what you would refer to as conventions - I would think that my
use of punctuation is the one area that I always try to give a little bit of extra time and effort into experimenting
with. Because punctuations are the tools that help to create a rhythm, or a pattern of heartbeat. I see them as rest,
in [terms of] music. And the way that you pace the [sentences], as you know. Shorter sentences, longer sentences...
You can really change the atmosphere, or the tone of what you want to share. So, I think maintaining that growing
tension - and when I want to grow the tension more, how much I want it to grow, and where I want the tension to
break and release. That’s the area that I usually put more effort into making sure [they are] conveying in the way I
want [them] to.
Q. Okay. [...] When you’re writing, is there a pool of characters that you have previously created and you draw from,
or are the characters created on the spot to best fit the need of the writing?
I think the characters are an extension of myself. And this is real life quirks, meaning interesting. Not strange, but
strange in a good way. Real life quirks of people who have come and gone in my life. Actual people who I’m like,
“Man, that guy was so funny,” “She was so interesting in the way she laughed,” or “That guy was always so nervous,
for some reason.” There’s certain characteristics within people that I find quite appealing, especially if I’m gonna
write in a humorous way. Because that’s where you can have these characters that are more static. They don’t have
to be changing. Usually the protagonist is a more serious one and [there are] real life changes going through that
character. But if I’m going to attach some static characters, I usually reference people I’ve known in my real life,
and create a hyperbole of their quirks. [Ones] that I distinctly remember being funny, interesting, or even strange,
not necessarily in a bad way. [...] my protagonist is always me.
Q. It only makes sense, since it is your reflection. 
Yeah, and there’s no one you know better than yourself. So it just makes sense if it’s just the easiest to draw from
that. And we know or see the change in ourselves, more clearly than we see the change in others.
Q. Yeah. Do you write on a regular basis? And if so, how often is it?
The only writing I do now is feedback. You may notice, once in a while, I will experiment with [it]. I’ll use a little
figurative language, or I’ll play with my vocabulary choices. And that’s really the only area that I’m doing any
meaningful writing, these days. Again, summertime is usually the time when I will sit down and try to engage with it
more actively. But during the school years, there is not [a lot of] time. A bit too tired to engage with it.
Q. It’s only understandable with so many tasks around. Finding a time to write can be tough. It is a mental task,
after all.
Yeah, for sure.
Q. So when the summertime comes, you just grab a feather pen and sit down in front of a quill. And you just write
an unwavering amount of scroll. (giggle)
(laugh) It’s a very romantic vision.
Q. Yeah. It’s like, you have a candle…
Yeah. (laugh)
Q. (laugh) And on that lovely note, lastly: what would be your word of advice on people who want to start creative
writing?
The word “experiment” comes to mind. It’s kind of like somebody wants to start getting into art and expressing
themselves through art. And even if they feel like, “Oh, I’m not artistically inclined,” the great thing about art - and
as we know, English as a language art - is that anybody can do it. Anybody can experiment, try out different colors. I
put down “textual colors” here. Use writing not as a task in itself. It’s something I’m still working on accepting in my
own writing. To not think of it as a task, but as a way to hash out the angst, or the tight knots that have been formed
in my mind. You really knead those knots, and I mean the word as in “k-n-e-[a]-d”. Knead is like when you have a
bread dough to make bread, and you have to use your thumbs to make that bread more smooth. The bread is kind of
like a big chunk at the beginning, and you got to roll it out, and massage it. That’s what kneading is. So, I would
suggest: when you sit down to write, think of it as a way to hash out those knots that require kneading or
massaging. Because you can really discover a lot about yourself, about the way that the world works, and how you
fit in that world. And finding that “happy place”, where you can find essential belonging. In a nutshell, think of it as
a therapy that can only help and never hurt.
Q. So, the writing exercise is like a mental therapy for you and for someone else out there.
For you and me.
Q. Yeah, for us. Alright, so that would be the conclusion of the interview, thank you for giving us time - giving ME
time, honestly - to “come and visit”.
Thank you. Like I said in my Email, I appreciate [this.] At first I thought, “Oh, another task.” But then I had to change
my mindset. And it was really good to reflect on why I write and the type of writing that I do. Like I said, I’ve
enlightened myself even more, just through this conversation. I never really thought about why I do that, why I write,
the characters that I write, and all that stuff. So I appreciate that the timing worked out nicely today, and I
appreciate that you felt comfortable enough to ask me those questions. And, I hope that you pulled out some
insight from this conversation. Hopefully, it will help you and your writing journey. [...] I appreciate you asking me
as well.
Q. Alright, that would be it. Thank you for your time, once again, and please do me a favor and have a lovely
afternoon.
Alright, thank you very much. Okay, see you later!

Not everyone settles with the same type of writing. I, for one, don't take much out of
figurative writing. Everything in my writing is kind of in-your-face, with events that are
(attempted to be) very clear. This is just two examples. And to be perfectly clear, there
can be as many writing styles as the amount of people. There really is no “right” or
“wrong” way to write. As long as it makes you happy, and is not too offensive to anyone,
you are allowed to create whatever you desire. So go out there and write your heart out!