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Timothy Willis Sanders: I wanted that tone. The minimal approach allowed me to a.) gain emotional distance from my subject, b.) sort of 'democratize' the text so it was accessible to anyone, and c.) let the reader's imagination fill in the gaps."You Have A Crush on Kellz" takes R. Kelly as its protagonist. I remember seeing that the first time and being like, “Damn, Tim is really going for it.”
I enjoyed writing that story. It was just funny to think about R. Kelly in the context of unrequited love.In general you aren't afraid to use products/brands in your stories, and not in the Bret Easton Ellis way where its kind of used against itself. Do you have thoughts on the old trope that doing that in fiction dates it?
Just thought, "If you mention an umbrella twice in your story, and the next day something better is invented, or it never rains again, and humans universally quit umbrellas, do you cut the umbrella references to avoid dating your work?"I just try to set down a certain reality, and perceive brands as an inextricable part of that reality.
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I didn't do that intentionally, but I’m constantly thinking about what I put into my body (re: obesity, diabetes, cancer, stroke, heart disease). Just like brand names, I think food can convey things. “Tuna casserole” and “Burrito Supreme” have different connotations.Today I ate toast, avocado, sushi, steamed broccoli, a pear, and vegetable pad thai.You just finished a novel you've been working on for a while. What's up with that?
It's a short, relationship-driven novel that takes place in 2004. It’s written in a similar style and titled Nokia 5160. I enjoyed writing the novel. I didn’t enjoy living life while writing the novel.The book became a thing I wanted to be next to or interacting with constantly, so I never left my house. When I wasn't working, I experienced what Google told me was “suicidal ideation,” so… yeah, I just want to write short things and live life for now. I’m cool with just that.

By Timothy Willis Sanders
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