Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Eric Goodman
Eric D. Goodman is a full-time writer and editor. His novel in stories, “Tracks,” was published in summer 2011. He’s also the author of the children’s book, “Flightless Goose.” Eric’s work has appeared in The Baltimore Review, Pedestal Magazine, Writers Weekly, The Potomac, Barrelhouse, JMWW, Scribble, Slow Trains, and “New Lines from the Old Line State: An Anthology of Maryland Writers,” among others.
Where do you find inspiration?
I never know when inspiration is going to hit, but I can say that I find it in life’s simple moments. My writing tends to be based on ideas or feelings. Perhaps a bit of overheard conversation, a unique thought, something that has happened to me or someone I know. That inspiration can come from watching people at the harbor or reading a news story or overhearing a conversation on a train. The idea comes first, then the characters, then the plot. I like to capture everyday moments that seem simple on the surface, but that contain the essence of life.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
The first step toward being a good writer? Become an avid reader. Read books in your area of interest, and outside it. You’ll become a better writer as you’re exposed to more good writing. Another bit of advice is to begin with short fiction and get published in some literary journals before tackling the novel. When a selective journal has vetted you by publishing your work, that looks good to an agent or publisher reading your query letter.
What are you reading rightnow?
I’m reading John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden” (again) and Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom.” I just finished Alice Munro’s “Too Much Happiness” and Jennifer Miller’s “The Year of the Gadfly.” So many books, so little time!
[[EDITOR’S NOTE: Jennifer Miller also is a featured author this year.]]
What’s your favorite opening line from a book?
It’s hard to pick an absolute favorite, but one that sticks with me is the opening of John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row: “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”
What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
I have long been a fan of John Steinbeck. “Of Mice and Men,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “East of Eden” are among my favorite novels. His son, Thomas Steinbeck, is a fine writer too. Other living writers I admire are Jonathan Franzen, Michael Cunningham, William Trevor … I had better stop because my list could go on for a long time. Favorite authors tend to be fluid because there are so many I like.
If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose, and why?
That’s not an easy one. John Steinbeck would be one. Hemingway, Poe, and Fitzgerald would have to draw straws.