Elwin Cotman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the post-industrial landscape greatly influenced his love for myth and adventure. He is the author of three prior collections of speculative short stories: The Jack Daniels Sessions EP, Hard Times Blues, and Dance on Saturday, which was a finalist of the Philip K. Dick Award. Cotman holds a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA from Mills College.

I had the opportunity to interview Elwin which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a fantasy writer. I’ve written four published books and my fifth, Weird Black Girls, comes out this month.

What can you tell us about your latest book, Weird Black Girls? What was the inspiration for this project?

It’s a short story collection so all the pieces have different inspirations. I can say the title story “Weird Black Girls” came from my desire to write a fantasy picaresque. A story where the protagonists go to a magical world, not to save it or conquer it, but simply to explore it. Sort of like My Neighbor Totoro. The novella is also inspired by Mary Gaitskill, particularly her story “A Romantic Weekend,” so I went into it with the idea of writing that “sense of wonder” but through an adult lens. Over the course of writing it became more of a coming-of-age piece, which was both unexpected and pretty cool.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling?

When I was a child my dad used to read to me. At the same time, I watched a lot of cartoons and played video games. I was drawn to these stories of idyllic worlds where the people want to do good, and evil is a small, petty thing that can be defeated in under half an hour. From there, I started writing my own stories around age 4.

How would you describe your writing process?

I’m always thinking up stories. I‘ll be walking around and have ideas for this story or that one. Once I have a story fleshed out in my brain, I first write it out in a notebook, then type my notes on a laptop. During the typing portion, I put on music to help me picture specific scenes.

Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?

I was fortunate growing up in that I had many books about black people. My mother was into afrocentrism which meant all kinds of history and myth on her bookshelves. But even then, I didn’t need characters in the stories I read to be black in order to relate to them. I still don’t. I loved Legends From Fairyland by Holme Lee. Narnia. The Back to the Future trilogy was absolutely my shit. Any story where the characters were free spirits who fought oppression, I felt connected to. Nowadays there are plenty of books, films, and poetry collections I feel touched by. But to truly feel connected to a story, most of the time I have to write it myself.

As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general? 

My favorite early 20th century writer is Robert E. Howard. My favorite late 20th century writer is Mary Gaitskill. They’re the writers who I come back to the most for inspiration. Very different topics and styles but both wrote perfect short stories.

Whenever I’m writing a new piece, I’m reading contemporary poetry at the same time. Seeing how other writers play with language helps shake me out of my patterns and keeps the writing fresh.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult? 

One of my favorite elements is finding/experimenting with form. Now that I‘ve stepped away from “rising action—climax—denouement” it feels like I’m discovering writing all over again. I just finished a class where I got to assign specific forms like “map” stories, spiral narratives, and kishōtenketsu. The first thing I ask myself in planning a new piece is, “What form should I try?”

It’s especially fun when realizing I tried a different form without even thinking about it. There’s a story in Weird Black Girls called “Reunion.” At the start, one of the protagonists develops a list of topics he wants to discuss with his friend. Their conversation goes on several tangents, but eventually they cover all the topics, and at that point the story ends. I start with a list of things for the characters to do, then they do it. Narrative as grocery list. Though I wasn’t trying to do this during drafting, I can’t wait to write something in that form again.

Everything about writing is frustrating. Drafting is frustrating. Revision is even more frustrating. Getting paid can certainly be frustrating. For better or worse, the story never looks like how I originally envisioned it. But it’s all part of the process. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I’m handsome.

What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?

Just publish it. We live in an age where people are getting Netflix deals off of their Wattpad fanfiction. Don’t wait for gatekeepers to come to you. If your work is interesting, it will find an audience.

Any specific advice for those looking to write short stories?

Make sure the story you’re writing is a short story. Not a novel, not a play, not a film. If it is a short story, use the form. There’s great stuff you can do when you really make use of brevity.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

Right now I’m doing edits on my debut novel The Age of Ignorance. I’m working on a television pilot about vampires. Recently I finished the first draft on a time travel play that I hope to debut this year. And I‘m collaborating on a novel about a magic city.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

Anything by Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Melissa’s moved from poetry to speculate fiction and reading her is such a joy. My current faves who are writing poetry exclusively are Franny Choi and Alexis Almeida.