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Items of interest concerning Hawthorne Books and its authors

Scott Nadelson in Conversation with Amber Lee on Necessary Fiction

26 Jun 2013|

Amber LeeYou have published three short shory collections and, most recently, a memoir,The Next Scott Nadelson: A Life in Progress. What prompted you to go from writing fiction to creative nonfiction?

Scott NadelsonI didn’t set out to write a memoir. I was doing what I usually do, which is to start a story with some nugget of autobiography — in this case I was writing about the aftermath of a break-up — and then improvise. But as I got further into the story, I decided to give the character my name and stick closely to my actual experience, which created a vulnerability that excited me. It also allowed me to adopt an introspective and self-deprecating voice that had an addictive energy, and I just found myself having a lot of fun at my own expense. After a while, I began to realize that I was writing about myself for a reason — the story I wanted, or maybe needed, to tell was one about identity, how elusive it can be, how we construct it day by day. The book became an exploration of my struggle with identity, a journey through the various selves I’ve created or abandoned.

To read the entire Scott Nadelson Conversation with Amber Lee go to Necessary Fiction