The Brass Ring
An interview
with author Alle C. Hall

CNF: What pleases you about the way your essay turned out? Are there ways in which it fell short of your original goals?
   
Hall: I am very proud of this essay because I feel I was able to convey a spiritual experience -- which is very hard to do without sounding cheesy or woo-woo. Additionally, I think I was successful in using humor to draw in the reader AND move the story forward without being overly cute or relying solely on a funky voice.

I didn't have specific goals for this essay. I never do. For me, that threatens to pull me into the trap of "controlling the reader's experience." I can't focus on expressing myself if I am worried about the reader's experience.
 
CNF: How did the essay develop, both in your initial thinking about it and in the revision process? What happened in the writing that you didn't expect would happen?
   
Hall: This essay was first published in an anthology titled Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism (Seal Press, 2001). The Yentl essay focused more on how my now-husband and I worked to adapt traditional Jewish ritual. Overall, it was just more Jewish. I could indulge [in that] because the book was intended largely for a Jewish readership.

In adapting the essay for a more general readership, I chose to re-focus on one of the most common symbols of marriage: the wedding ring. The image from my childhood of "the brass ring" originally opened the essay. In revision, several writer-buddies pointed out that it was a fabulous image that beautifully framed my push-pull with marriage, but that it didn't belong in this essay—which was clearly about Judaism and marriage. Because I am stubborn, I found a place to slip in the reference.

Moving the image of the brass ring from the top of the essay to somewhere in the middle added an element of subtlety that I appreciate.
 
CNF: How does your experience writing CNF depend upon or depart from your work in other genres?
   
Hall: I have completed a novel and am working on a short story—which I find impossible; what the hell makes a short story? But I digress. In both fiction and creative nonfiction, it is imperative to keep the story moving forward. I do that through strong characters (yes, in creative nonfiction, the character that is me is just that, a character) and through dialogue that serves at least three masters. Dialogue must convey information, must also establish character, and must also move the plot forward. It must be well-written as it does all this—beautiful, funny, evocative. In other words, not a word is to be wasted. This is true regardless of your genre.

Creative nonfiction presents the specific challenge of being based on fact. In fiction, when something is not working, you can change it to suit your needs. Not so in creative nonfiction. Therein lies the most interesting aspect—from a writerly perspective—of creative nonfiction: connecting the dots in the life you lead that creates the over-reaching arch you feel compelled to write about.

The other two element that are consistent to all forms of writing are: 1) you have to start with a blank page. That epic whiteness will exist until you come up with the words to fill it. No outsourcing opportunities exist, and 2) the first draft is just that. A first draft. Expect 99 more.
 
CNF: What advice do you offer new writers?
 
Hall: Throw away your television. At the very least, put it in the basement, where you don't flip it on by default. Read instead. Read quality writing. Read it often.
 
In the beginning, don't worry so much about writing; certainly don't worry about publishing. Spend time absorbing your world and forming an opinion. Then write.
 
Vote for political candidates who support free expression. Nothing kills the creative spirit faster than someone defining your world for you—particularly your view of God.
 
When you are writing, don't read so much; at least not stuff that is similar to what you are trying to write. That voice will affect yours.
 
Write first, then figure out how you are going to publish it. Take the publishing step once you have developed a body of work, or at least a voice—unless you want to do journalism. In that case, get an internship.
 
Once you commit to trying to publish, understand that this is your industry and you need to support it. Buy literary books and journals. Read them.
 
When you start receiving feedback, there is a good chance you will feel disheartened. Remember: there is a lot more to being a writer than the dream of being a writer. Remember: you are smart enough to figure this out.
 
Every published writer I know says it is not the writing that gets you published; it's your commitment to re-writing and revision. Everything I write gets at least a hundred revisions, start to finish. This is the reality that separates those who publish from those who journal. Journaling is a viable and commendable form of self-expression, but don't expect someone to want to publish your journals. To write something worthy of publishing takes more work than is rational.