Julius Olofsson
Why did you submit to trash to treasure lit?
I found the magazine and felt I had trash that might fit. I also liked the idea of getting "trash" out there, partly giving it a shot but also putting my ass on the line, saying: "hey, I wrote a piece of trash, and we all do from time to time!" Because we do, and maybe, in a way, we must, as it's a process. And I think it would be great if more writers were to bare that process cause it isn't always pretty.
How would you describe your writing practice?
I recently began writing shorter pieces, as I previously had focused on writing books. It has forced me to do a sort of overhaul of my approach. Usually, I could get an idea in my head, like: "hey, it would be cool if sharks could fly." And then, two years later, I had something ready in my head, and I could start writing. But now, writing shorter stuff, I need to speed things up a bit. I like it, though, as I get to finish more stories, but, what I miss about the long process, was that I often could spot flaws or if a whole idea was broken or bad. Now, I might discover it later when I'm already done.
What is the biggest thing that stops you from submitting work to lit mags/journals/publications?
Not sure, and I don't think anything is stopping me. I'm relatively new to the English publication scene, as I've been focused on Sweden, but I've learned that the "gut feeling thing" is omnipresent. You can't really decipher lit mags or grasp editors and understand what they seek 100%. So I see no issue with sending stuff to places that I believe could be interested. And, as the English-speaking lit mag world is a cornucopia of possibilities, I'm just going for it. But, with that said, I'm not full of hubris; I'm just hoping that my stories will find the right "gut", and I figure that I can't do that without hitting "submit".
Do you think the writing industry has an impact on your confidence in your work (good or bad)? Why?
For sure! I mean, everyone and every article, blog post or YouTube video say that you shan't take rejections personally. But as you've poured energy, personal shit, doubt, hope and lots more into your writing, how should you not take it personally? But that's also the "game" of it all, I guess. Still, getting longlisted or an acceptance is fantastic, no matter the size of the mag! And Twitter is great! Yes, you scroll past many writers, getting published in magazines far beyond your reach, but you cheer them on as you hope others will cheer you on. And I've also found so much support there, plus you can actually reach out and talk to editors, at least from the indie presses. Again, as I'm from Sweden, we don't have that many smaller lit mags, and the "dialogue" is really a monologue and only open for a selected few. I don't see that amongst the English indie mags.
When do you start to doubt a piece that you are working on?
It depends; for longer stuff, like books, I somewhat doubt it all the time. But for shorter things, it's usually once it's done. I can read a flash fiction story over and over, edit and re-write, and then, after the 10th readthrough, it dawns on me: this sucks. I doubt small bits here and there in a book, but I believe in the project from a macro perspective. Also, writing something longer makes it easier to accept that the 3rd paragraph on page 112 could've been better, but the other pages are pretty okay.
Once you trash one of your pieces, what makes you come back to it (if ever)?
If I feel that its essence is worth returning to. Before the summer, I wrote this super pretentious, horrid piece of crap. But I liked its core and felt I could maybe do a rewrite. So I started with a blank page and cherry-picked stuff, creating something new.
How many pieces do think you have currently in your 'abandoned' folder?
Right now, it's a book I wrote in Swedish, which was my "rebound book". I had gotten plenty of rejections from publishers on another book, and I strayed from what is "Julius" and wrote something horrible. Other than that, I have 2-3 flash fiction pieces and a short story.
What is the ultimate reason that you trash your work?
Often that it lacks meaning or isn't saying anything, or that I'm just trying to be smart and not "me" (the same reason I sent my piece to Trash to Treasure). Sometimes I might've just copied something else (wholly unaware), like a book or movie, and a seed has probably been planted subconsciously, so I start writing but soon realize that it's just like that thing I read or saw.
Is there anything that would stop you from trashing your work? (More education in writing, more publications/less rejections, a change in the industry, etc)
I think that no matter what happens (winning something prestigious), I'll always write some stuff that is trash. And no matter the success, I think it's essential to keep realizing and accepting that something I've done is trash, as it keeps me balanced. But still, of course, more acceptances from lit mags would make me look at my own work with more confidence—cause a tad less doubt is always good.
What writing advice have you been given that has changed your perspective on how you treat/view your work?
Maybe "trust the process" and "when in doubt: delete". The first one is from my mother-in-law, via my wife, and the other one is (I believe) said by a smart editor somewhere. To trust the process is just about throwing myself into the writing chaos and then: not skipping any bits of the process and believing that, in the end, stuff will pan out nicely. The other one is just about deleting. I mean, sometimes, you can struggle with a sentence or whole story, but in the end, you may have to delete it—or trash it because you doubted it for too long or too much.
If you have any upcoming work (books, publications, features, art, etc), feel free to mention them here, so that we can support you!
Right now, I'm working on a book I aim to finish in January, with the goal of sending it to agents. I'm also writing two chapbooks, one consisting of four short stories, all tied together by a red thread, and the other is a story set in the future. Both are to be sent to indie publishers as soon as they're done.
Julius Olofsson lives in Sweden and is a narrative designer creating video games. He writes anything from flash fiction and books to games and screenplays and makes his own sausages in his spare time. He’s been longlisted in The Bath Short Story Award, The Bath Flash Fiction Award and The Aurora Prize for Writing, and is published in JAKE and Trash to Treasure Lit.