Interviewer: In “The Bureau of Sinful and Emotional Gods”, how did personifying your assigned emotions by using the literal gods of ‘Awe’ and ‘Lust’ help you explore the feelings more? What did you learn about awe and lust through your characters and writing process? David Gray: Oddly, it was the …
Interviewer: You sum up the complicated interlacing of ‘longing’ and ‘awe’ beautifully in “Raising Mira” when the protagonist thinks, “How I long to hear Mira’s tinkling, music-box giggles and experience the wonderment of being a family again.” If these two feelings hadn’t been the assigned emotions for your story – …
Interviewer: In “Selkie’s Song,” how did your minor emotion, ‘sorrow,’ change the dynamic of your primary emotion, ‘lust’? Mariah Montoya: Before writing this story, whenever I thought of lust, it was usually accompanied by joy or excitement. It was never sorrowful. My minor emotion pushed me to think about what …
Interviewer: In “Tree and Flame”, Thya’s returned father seems to epitomize serenity: “But it’s like a song, a tale,” he says, “something that happened to someone else. Now I can only see the wonder in things, not the pain.” Do you think, then, that a certain level of immediacy and …
Interviewer: In “The Humblebract Expedition,” the key to fun is “a lack of appreciation of risk” and a true sign of love is “eyes tightened at the corners,” or, in other words, pain. How did you manage to utilize the full power of fun and love in your story without …
Interviewer: In the beginning of “Naves Autem Vacuo,” Lauren loves silence, but by the end, she grows to hate it. Usually ‘dislike’ is directed toward a person or thing, not a lack thereof. How did your unique construction of the meaning of ‘dislike’ in this story contribute to your other assigned …
Interviewer: “That Moment You Realize” is somehow both boring on the one hand and hilarious on the other. Your assigned emotions, ‘boredom’ and ‘tension’, are at odds with each other; if Victor felt too much tension, he wouldn’t feel so bored after quitting his job as a meme generator. How …
Interviewer: After so many stories about death and darkness, your story “Potential” ends Score with the hope and joy of birth and infinite possibilities. How does Aspasia’s decision to revive a once-living human exemplify these two emotions more so than the creation of a new one? Would the story have ended differently …
Interviewer: ‘Fun’ and ‘hatred’ seem to be on opposite ends of the emotion spectrum, but you utilized them so well in “The Factory” – a supernatural carnival ride aimed at hurting those you hate epitomizes the dual pairing vividly. How did you come up with the idea of “The Factory” …
Interviewer: In “Faux Ami”, your two assigned emotions, curiosity and respect, both involve a certain level of sophistication. When Moira discovers the Scarlett Inn, curiosity trumps her fear, for “The impulse [to run away] was nevertheless muffled by a more potent inclination, that which had made her follow the two …
