You can read “Pester” here.
JOSH: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. My first question is: what first got you into writing?
ADAM: I had a very active imagination as a child. I would spent a lot of time coming up with stories in my head, and one day I thought about if this was something I could do as a career or for fun. The natural answer was creative writing.
JOSH: My journey to becoming a writer was quite similar.
JOSH: Now I’d like to know, what kind of things are important for you to present in your own writing?
ADAM: I try to focus on the presentation of my characters to the reader. I try to make every description and piece of dialogue say something about the character.
JOSH: Character certainly is important, write next to plot in my opinion.
JOSH: Ok, completely different question, what made you choose to send “Pester” to the Grotto?
ADAM: I summited to the Grotto because it felt like a very diverse and accepting online journal.
JOSH: That’s fair. Especially since we’re just starting out, we have less of a specific “vibe” to our submission.
JOSH: Ok, now about your writing. “Pester” is a very charming piece of flash and very aptly named. Personally, I get a similar vibe as Jon and Garfield, which I love. Were you inspired by any media of meddlesome pets?
ADAM: While there are many popular meddlesome pets in media that likely subconsciously influenced my piece in some way, the main inspiration for the character Pester was a Dragon Familiar from a D&D game I run. One of my players has a pet Dragon named Badacast that I gave to them, and Badacast is always causing problem and getting into hijinks.
JOSH: Another detail that harkens to Garfield is the fact that Pester communicates non-verbally, through thoughts it seems. Was there a specific reason for this choice?
ADAM: The main reason for this choice was that many familiars in D&D can only speak telepathically and in other non-standard ways, and I decided to use that for my piece as well. In playing D&D I find the atypical forms of communication often lead to comedy, with pets and familiars saying mischievous things to their owners, knowing that no one else can hear them.
ADAM: Most of the magic rulings for this piece are heavily rooted in D&D. For Pester, he can telepathically speak with his owner if they are within about 100 feet of each other. Pester can understand any languages spoken through this telepathy, but they do not posses the ability to speak normally, nor can they speak in a way people can understand.
JOSH: Ah, I see. I like the idea of taking from your D&D campaign to make something new.
JOSH: You do something interesting with this piece, showing a very mundane scene but injected with a fantastical element. I’m super curious about this, could you speak a bit on the thought process behind choosing to mix fantasy with mundanity?
ADAM: The mix of the fantasy and the mundane is truly the main inspiration for this piece. I mostly write fantasy fiction, and for me it can be difficult to just write fantasy for the sake of writing. Whenever I want to write something more lighthearted or just for fun, I try to write Fantasy that changes one small thing and explores only a small part of it. So for this piece, the idea was “what if a blog writer had a pet Pseudodragon?” (Small Dragon-like Familiar).
JOSH: It’s a good concept. I like your exercise in more lighthearted writing, I think more writers should try that.
JOSH: This flash piece breaks the fourth wall in a way I don’t see often in writing, with the narrator seemingly represnting you. Is the narrator a self-insert, or do you see them as their own character?
ADAM: I guess I would say this is a self-insert character. This character is a writer, so I think It is only natural that they might resemble me.
JOSH: Fair, fair. Ok, one last question about your piece. Do you have any future plans for Pester and this narrator?
ADAM: Potentially, but not directly. I really enjoyed writing the character dynamic of a writer or some other creative working while they pet pseudodragon romps about and causes mischief. I could see myself recreating the dynamic in other things I write.
JOSH: Just a few more questions. Are there any things you would like to see more of in the literary world?
ADAM: Something I notice when I watch modern shows and television is the tendency for 4th wall breaking exposition dumps and/or narrators at the beginning of the stories. While this is a useful tactic to give the audience concrete information, I feel like it is ultimately a sign of less nuanced writing. I would like to see more stories that treat the audience as if they are smart. I think exposition dumps can cheapen the audiences ability to naturally learn about the world, and I enjoy it when the the story lets me learn things through the actual story itself.
JOSH: That makes sense. Learning how to gradually introduce information without exposition dumps is especially important for the fantasy genre.
JOSH: As a developing writer, what is your biggest goal(s) for the next five years?
ADAM: My biggest goal would be to write more. I know that’s simple but I would love to develop a more consistent writing habit. A more concrete goal would be to finish the first draft of a novel I am working on, and to also obtain my MFA in Writing, which I am currently pursuing.
JOSH: I think that’s every writer’s goal hahaha. Either way, I wish you luck in your MFA and I appreciate your time. If there’s anything else you’d like to share, feel free to share here.
ADAM: Thanks for accepting my piece! Sorry this interview is so late, I understand if it cant make it on the site but I wanted to do it any way.
JOSH: It’s completely fine. Issue Two has been delayed by quite a bit, so you are not late at all.
JOSH: Alright, one last question. If you are able to eat it, what’s your favorite kind of ice cream/gelato?
ADAM: Chocolate and vanilla mix, with fudge on top.
JOSH: Sweet. Thanks!
ADAM: You are welcome!
Adam Arnold is a senior at Lindenwood University, majoring in English with an Emphasis in Creative Writing. He plans to pursue a career in writing and publishing, with the hope of publishing fantasy novels someday. In his spare time, Adam loves to read, play D&D, and play video games such as Dark Souls. He also enjoys sewing, leatherworking, and the casual study of medieval arms, armor, and swordsmanship. He is often found enjoying the color purple and geeking out over swords, magic, and dragons.
Bill Geblato's Lotto Gelato Grotto 