Coffee Chat with Ace Baker
Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Ace Baker a little better.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My last name is Baker, and I have a view of snow-capped Mt. Baker (in the USA) from my balcony in Coquitlam, a suburb of Vancouver, BC. I'm originally a prairie boy from a town of 800 in Saskatchewan. By day, I'm a high school English teacher, and that includes teaching Creative Writing 11 and Creative Writing 12 classes to teenagers!
(photo shows Ace reading Blank Spaces with Mt. Baker in the background.)
How do you take your coffee? Caramel Macchiatos are a beautiful invention!
What Blank Spaces issue were you first published in? Volume 4, issue 3, March 2020 (two photo prompt contest placings, 3rd, and 2nd, before that).
When did you first know you wanted to write? When I first read Patrick Lane's poem, "Because I Never Learned." A father and son walking a gravel road discover a cat that has been run over and is suffering. The boy lifts his boot and brings it down on the cat's head to put it out of its misery. At the time, I said, "You can write a poem about THAT???" ... and I was hooked. I had a few rough experiences of my own I could put to paper...
What are you reading right now? What is it about and what keeps you coming back to the pages? I LOVE short fiction by Anthony Doerr ("The Deep") and Indo-Canadian writer Sharon Bala ("Reading Week," and "Butter Tea at Starbucks.") I'm a lover of technique, and they both do things in their prose that I have not seen any other writer do—methods I now teach to the creative writers I work with.
What role has Blank Spaces played in your creative journey? Where to begin? Alanna is AMAZING. For me, it goes a bit like this: I entered a few free contests on the Blank Spaces website, placing third in the September 2019 one, and second in the December 2019 one. When they came out with their first contest with a fee, I was emboldened to enter and WON! That meant publication in the anthology The Things We Leave Behind, several hundred dollars of prize money, AND, most importantly, a manuscript review that has led to Chicken House Press publishing a collection of my short stories in August 2023. Feeling more confident, I approached SIWC as one of their "success stories." This year, in October, I'll be presenting three different workshops there, one to young writers and two others to mostly adults who attend in person. Bucket list, bucket list.
Tell us a little about the piece Blank Spaces published and how it was received by family, friends, and the greater community? The first pieces they published were "craft" articles, where I taught about two different techniques I use in my fiction. This June, a short story, "Not Julie...Yet!" will find its pages. It's the story that had a different tone to it and didn't belong in the book, but Alanna loved it and offered to publish it in that issue with no prompting from me at all. Everyone I show the journal to is amazed at the colour and quality. That's expensive to do. This journal has high quality writing put together in a high quality product!
Describe how you see the landscape of Canadian publishing. I think it's a great time to be a Canadian writer. There are a wide variety of opportunities for a wide range of abilities, and the TALENT that exists in this country is amazing. I see more and more risk-taking and experimentation, and that even led me to create a few stories that integrate poetry into them. With writers like Evelyn Lau, Margaret Atwood, Sharon Bala, Fiona Tinwei Lam, and the like, it's a very inspiring place and time to be creating word paintings.
Why is Canadian content important? As Canadians, we have a tendency to sit back and let other LOUDER countries get noticed for their accomplishments. We're the friendlier, more diplomatic sort. But there is MUCH to celebrate about the Canadian literary scene, and slowly that is coming to the forefront.
Where has your creative journey taken you since being published in Blank Spaces? I think the confidence and pride gained from working with Alanna, another creative soul who puts care and attention into every project, was a little . . . addictive, maybe? You love it when the pieces all come together in a unified WOW. That is leading me to write more, pay even more attention to craft, and explore new goals, like publishing novels and a collection of poetry. They are on the bucket list, and yes, there are works in progress.
What does your writing process look like? I'm quite visual, so sometimes there is a painting, a photograph, a sculpture, a headline that creates an image in my mind that won't go away, that I have to deal with. When I was in Singapore, there was an abandoned house that had a tree growing in the centre of it through the roof tiles. It looked haunted and inspired me to write my grisly story, "My Singapore Garden."
How do you invest in your writing goals? I attend conferences, buy far too many writing books, and mix it up with literary journals that I purchase. I have copies of many Canadian journals like Blank Spaces, Malahat Review, Prism, TNQ, Freefall, Riddle Fence, Fiddlehead, Antigonish Review, Grain, and so on and so on. Each has its own flavour, its own style. I also have eight floor to ceiling bookcases in my home library that are quite full and a crawl space in my home that is far too large where I store even more.
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer? I think TV is a great start. You don't just binge-watch all the time; if you want to be a better writer, you need to find time to read. I do have a weakness for sci-fi shows and hockey games, but when I'm focused on a piece of writing, the world goes away for awhile.
If you could tell your young creative self anything, what would it be? Don't judge the past. You needed to write garbage and go through those awkward pieces to get to the pieces you're proud of. If you are learning, you SHOULD be getting better, so when you look back at earlier writings, it's only natural to see how they could have been improved. At a certain point, it's time to let a piece go, and move on to the next one.
Who are your writing influences and how do they motivate you? Evelyn Lau has a kind soul. I have met with her on a few occasions and she has been most helpful in showing me what I should focus on, and in doing that, also indicating what I should let go. As one of BC's past poet laureates, her knowledge and skill are remarkable. I think I owe her some prize money after re-working some poetry after hearing her thoughts about it. Fiona Tinwei Lam worked with my class via Zoom as part of the Poetry in Voice projects. She was inspiring, and helpful long after, even when she didn't need to be. Their giving attitudes inspire me to do the same for other writers.
Who is your hero of fiction? The Little Engine that Could. I think it applies to every writer at some point if they persevere.
What is the first book that made you cry? Prairie stock here—I'm not much of a crier. BUT I think Shakespeare is quite cruel at isolating women in his tragedies and giving them no support network at all. Think Juliet, think Lady Macbeth, think Ophelia. The men all seem to have their buddies and pals and advisors, but the women are often left with no one to lean on. Ophelia's brother is overseas in France when her crazy (?) boyfriend stabs and kills her father. That effectively takes three people out of the picture for her, and we never see any galpals anywhere...harsh!
What do you tell yourself every time it gets hard and you want to quit? Do something different. If I can't be creative, for whatever reason, I move to editing or researching, which accesses a different part of the brain. Swapping between right brain and left brain activities seems to work. I also think there's nothing wrong with taking a break if you need one. You may come back refreshed and energized and put all of that passion into your next project.
Do you have any writing rituals that help the words flow? I definitely start writing with pen and paper. I find that when I'm creating, it's the way to go. When I'm editing, that's when I'll type things up and see the black and white on the screen. I also do a daily "writing scales" journal, even if it means working with a prompt for only five or ten minutes. Consistency is more important than quality.
Who do you think makes a better writer: an empath or a pragmatist? Why? Tough question. Use your inner empath when creating; use your pragmatic side when editing.
What advice do you have for writers struggling to break into the industry? Fast first drafts. I think people are tempted to edit as they go, and that's a nightmare waiting to happen. As for breaking into publication, you have to read, read, read, to see what the quality is of writing that is CURRENTLY being published. While I appreciate masters of the past, I think focusing on the present is a better choice for your reading time. Sorry, Shakespeare—I do love your work!
What are your creative goals? Where do you see yourself in five years? I have about five so-so novels I've finished. They are not publishable. I have another two that are, I believe (and one almost was!).
What are you currently working on? I currently have three novels in progress, two commercial and one literary, and solid ideas for more. I'm just breaking through and reaching a new level in this genre now, so I'm hoping I can find an agent and publisher who believes in my longer fiction soon! My poetry is stronger now, too, and I have a collection of that I'd love to see published. Another dream? Seeing one of my short stories turned into a graphic novel or show up on the TV screen!
What should we be watching for from you? I aim to continue my push to bring writing craft to others at conferences. I'm making an effort to get more of my work out there than ever before. I'm also working on guides that will help writers learn the techniques I'm using in my creative writing. There is a lot of writing philosophy out there, but not a lot of nuts and bolts guides showing, "This is how I do this. Try it."
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Learn more about Ace’s work that has been featured in Blank Spaces here.
