We wrote that Chris Scott's short fiction piece "Teddy Bear Pancake" begs to be reread, and it's true: the Weird Lit Mag team has read and reread the story, finding little things that make us think each time. We caught up with Chris earlier in the spring and learned a little more about him in our short interview here.
What inspires you to create?
Getting a strange image in my head that I can’t shake, and the only way to make sense of it or put it to rest is to write a story about it.
What other creative endeavors do you pursue?
I’ve written jokes for the website ClickHole for about six years now, and enjoy it a lot.
What place does weirdness have in your life?
I have a five-year-old son and being weird/having fun with him is a source of a lot of joy in my life.
Where do you go or what do you do to recharge your creative battery?
I go for a long, aimless bike ride, ideally somewhere with a lot of natural beauty.
What is your favorite banned book?
This question made me realize I haven’t read nearly enough banned books, so that’s my new goal for the second half of 2024.
What is the most recent record/album you bought or listened to?
Arooj Aftab’s Night Reign. It’s gorgeous.
How do you get through a creative block?
I take a break from trying to “be creative” and focus on other, equally fulfilling things like cleaning my house or getting my car’s oil changed.
What will your biography be titled?
World’s Greatest Writer: How Chris Scott Won The Lottery And Found Permanent Happiness.
Advice on creating that you’ve learned by trial and error?
I need inspiration to write well, but it’s up to me to create the conditions and environment to be inspired.
Unpopular opinion, go:
Sauces are unnecessary. Food should be good the way it is, or it should be made differently.
What’s your favorite cryptid?
Champ, the Lake Champlain monster.
There's "good weird" and "not-so-good weird." What’s “good weird" to you?
Good weird challenges us and changes the way we look at the world.
What is your writing theme song?
"Ventura Highway" by America.
What do you think of garden gnomes?
What DON’T I think of garden gnomes!
Name a book that made you cry (or feel like crying).
Most recently: The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton.
Read the first full issue here!
Chris Scott's work has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Observer, and he is a regular contributor for ClickHole. His story "Beach Day" will appear in the upcoming anthology Dark Speculations: Tales of Various Shapes and Shadows Volume 2 from Little Red Bird Publishing, scheduled for October 2024. Chris is a public elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C. Connect with Chris @iamchrisscott on Instagram and Threads.
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