Pepper in a pinch of Barthelme, a sprinkle of Russell Edson, a sprig of Etgar Keret, stir til it boils over your hands, the stove, every tile in your kitchen floor\u2014Steve Gergley\u2019s THERE ARE SOME FLOORS MISSING twists and turns itself in every story and never fails to stick the landing. Are these prose poems or micro-fiction or lost books of the Bible? Mostly they are dreams within dreams within nightmares and fantasies, where every page is deliciously discomfiting and full of awe. Every next line feels like a new metaphor for your life and all our lives. How does he manage to zig every zag, take every wrong turn, and still deliver us to some random perfect deranged destination we never saw coming? Buy the book, take the ride, as they say.<\/p>\n
\n– drevlow<\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
BD:<\/strong> So last year you published THE TOPINE TRILOGY (Anxiety Press 2025), EPISODE 3328: IAN SHARP (Translucent Eyes Press 2025). In the three years before, you published\u00a0HE GREAT ATLANTIC HIGHWAY & OTHER STORIES (Malarkey Books 2024), <\/span>SKYSCRAPER (West Vine Press 2023) and A QUICK PRIMER ON WALLOWING IN DESPAIR (Leftover Books 2022).<\/p>\n
And now you’re about to publish THERE ARE SOME FLOORS MISSING (Bullshit Lit 2026).<\/p>\n
What the fuck were you doing between 2000 and 2020\u2013sitting on your ass? Resting on your laurels as the 8th-grade Spelling B champion?<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m going to just bypass the whole \u201care you prolific\u201d question and move on to the how do you decide which stories are going in what collection? Especially considering that though Skyscraper is a novel, the others are all stories, and a lot of the stories are somewhere between flash, micro, and prose poems.<\/p>\n
Yes, there\u2019s that \u201cgut feel\u201d that everybody talks about (which is always kind of a copout I feel\u2026 in my gut).<\/p>\n
So seriously, no bullshit: Do you always have projects in your mind or are you mostly just writing stories and seeing where they land in terms of theme, characters, etc. that maybe later some will go together better than others?<\/p>\n
No copouts here: What\u2019s your approach to putting together a collection?<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> Well, it\u2019s funny that you mention the spelling bee, because I was in the spelling bee in third grade and I was about to get second place, but I got disqualified because I didn\u2019t say the word out loud before spelling it, which was against the rules. (The word was eighteen, which I knew how to spell, so I got overexcited and just started spelling. My life has been downhill ever since, haha.)<\/p>\n
But seriously, that anecdote is relevant because outside of work and writing, all I do is exercise and then sit around reading books, watching movies, listening to music, and playing video games. And my tastes in those things are pretty eclectic. One day I\u2019ll watch a David Lynch movie, and then I\u2019ll read some of a William Gaddis novel, and then I\u2019ll play Elden Ring<\/em>. Then the next day I\u2019ll watch a Scorsese movie like Casino<\/em> or Goodfellas<\/em>, read some Zachary Schonberg poetry, and play The Binding of Isaac<\/em>.<\/p>\n
And then all of these disparate images and themes and emotions will get filtered through my mind and experiences, and stories of all different styles and even genres will extrude out into the word document.<\/p>\n
Then, when it comes to which stories to include in each collection, I start with quality above all else. Once I choose which stories I think are the highest quality, sequencing comes later.<\/p>\n
But starting with THERE ARE SOME FLOORS MISSING and the next two collections I have out on submission, I have tried to make those much more cohesive, with recurring images, characters and themes that flit in and out of the collection at different times. That\u2019s been really fun too, and a new challenge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BD:<\/strong> Related to this, with many of your stories being pretty short, it puts a lot of pressure on you to break out of the old bag of tricks\u2013especially in terms of endings.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve written about 400 prose poems\/flash fictions in the last couple years, and sometimes I\u2019m like damn, that\u2019s a great last line, and then I\u2019ll be putting together a collection of them and I\u2019m like, Damn, you used that same damn \u201cgreat line\u201d like 47 times.<\/p>\n
You, on the other hand, seem to always be able to come up with that last line that is completely satisfying but also surprising in the best way.<\/p>\n
How often do you find yourself actively working against your natural instincts to avoid getting formulaic or boring yourself? When you\u2019re putting together a collection of these, do you go back and change parts (even if they are your \u201cdarlings\u201d) to make the pieces all hit different notes?<\/p>\n
Do you have that voice in your head that says you\u2019re a one-trick pony and someday somebody\u2019s going to figure me out and it\u2019s all down hill from there?<\/p>\n
Asking for a friend.<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> Wow, thanks so much for saying that about the final lines, that\u2019s a huge compliment! I try really hard to strike a balance between doing something completely new each time and doing interesting permutations of what fascinates me. No part of this online writing thing is very serious, and I\u2019m definitely not in it to make money, so I don\u2019t fret about it too much. But that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m lazy. I work very hard to make sure I\u2019m satisfied with the level of quality and variation in last lines, first lines, subject matter, imagery, and everything else. The reason I write in the first place is to transport myself and the reader into these surreal worlds of imagination, and if I can do that at a high level without boring either of us, that\u2019s all that matters.<\/p>\n
And I don\u2019t worry about imposter syndrome too much at all. I have a very pragmatic view of the skills I have and the ones I lack when it comes to writing. I know there are certain things I\u2019m pretty good at, and I know there are many, many, things I\u2019m not good at, so I try to highlight my strengths and then practice other things to improve my weaknesses.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BD:<\/strong> As I was reading\u00a0THERE ARE SOME FLOORS MISSING (along with your other work I\u2019ve read), I often found myself thinking about Barthelme and Russell Edson and James Wright and more recently Etgar Keret.<\/p>\n
The surrealism to start\u2013the mix of mundane with weird with fucked up and back again.<\/p>\n
But also the sentences. How part of the experience of a Steve Gergley story is the sometimes jarring sentences\u2013often straightforward, subject-verb\u2013like a typewriter kind of feel. Often building speed and then stopping on a dime or completely working back on itself.<\/p>\n
That it\u2019s not just the plot twists, it\u2019s the syntax twists.<\/p>\n
And it’s the same with the aforementioned surrealist writers\u2013writers who write kind of mini-fables.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your approach to syntax and story? Do they usually work in tandem for you? Or does one start out with the steering wheel and then the other will jump in?<\/p>\n
Were there authors where you would dissect their sentences when you were a younger writer?<\/p>\n
Who are some authors who write weirdo sentences that more people should read? People whose voice is driven by their sentences?<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> Thanks so much for noticing this, this is actually a huge part of the writing process for me with these newer stories. The answer is that the syntax and the story develop at the same time, and it\u2019s about the rhythm of syllables and words. There are times when I get to a sentence and realize I need a two-syllable adjective in front of this verb, or three simple sentences in a row, each with a one-syllable verb in front of a two-syllable noun just before the period. It can get complicated at times, but when I do find a way to get into a satisfying rhythm like that, it\u2019s a lot of fun. And then like you said, it\u2019s even more fun to suddenly cut off that rhythm and take an unexpected left turn. When I\u2019m able to pull that off, it\u2019s one of the most creatively satisfying things I\u2019ve been able to accomplish.<\/p>\n
Two writers that are absolutely brilliant at mixing plot twists, syntax twists (which is a great phrase by the way, I love that), and very bold imagery are Zachary Schomburg and Shane Kowalski. I sound like a broken record because I\u2019ve talked about this so much, but Shane Kowalski has been writing weird, brilliant, and incredibly creative micros five days a week for over ten years straight on his tumblr page, \u201cDied Disappointed?\u201d, and he employs these twists and turns in both plot and syntax in almost every piece. His book, SMALL WOODS, was my favorite of 2022, and it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n
And the same goes for Zachary Schomburg. He\u2019s one of my favorite writers working in any genre today, and I\u2019ve read his prose poetry books THE MAN SUIT, SCARY, NO SCARY, and FJORDS VOLS. 1 AND 2 at least three or four times each.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BD:<\/strong> Reading your stories often feels like somewhere between a dream and doing shrooms while trying to accomplish other important things at the same time.<\/p>\n
I know that you\u2019ve mentioned in the past that a lot of what you write comes from the boredom of work and that kind of escapism (even when the stories themselves are not necessarily \u201cfun escapes).<\/p>\n
I\u2019m assuming that all of these are directly autobiographical to your own dreams, boredom, and experiences with hallucinogenic drugs.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s wrong with you dude? Like, let\u2019s do the Better Help question here and take a deep dive, no judgment.<\/p>\n
Also, do you ever feel like if you were to have a mental break that they would lock you up and never let you out based on all the stories you have written so far?<\/p>\n
And are you ever talking to people and people are like, what? What the fuck are you talking about? Or maybe you\u2019re not talking, your just zoning out thinking of Smurf Fan fic?<\/p>\n
Asking for a friend.<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> Thanks, I\u2019m glad the writing is such a vivid experience! But yeah, I\u2019ve only done drugs one time, and that consisted of smoking weed and watching a video of Randy Macho Man Savage throwing like fifteen coffee creamers over his shoulder during an interview with a backstage reporter, so there\u2019s not much that\u2019s autobiographical in that sense, haha. All the stuff about working mind-numbing jobs is true though, and I insert all the weird and interesting stuff into the stories because real life is very repetitive and boring, and none of those bizarre\/interesting events ever happen in real life.<\/p>\n
Haha, there are many things wrong with me, and my therapist and I do a deep dive every Friday to get to the bottom of things. Eleven years on, and we\u2019re starting to make some progress.<\/p>\n
As for the mental break, I\u2019m not worried about getting locked up because of my writing. These things are just weird little stories, haha, they\u2019re not that serious. If someone can\u2019t tell the difference between fiction and reality, that\u2019s their problem, not mine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BD:<\/strong> Here\u2019s the one where I take a random sentence of yours and then turn it around on you as a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince these people are the only people I understand, these people are the people I will sing about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, start singing. Who are these people that you understand?<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> I really only understand myself, and I\u2019m a misfit and a weirdo who doesn\u2019t know how to interact and communicate with people very well, so other misfits and weirdos are the types of people I really like writing about. I\u2019ve done so many things in my life that make perfect sense to myself because I have access to my thoughts and reasoning, but to an outside observer must look like the most bizarre, nonsensical things on earth. And I think it\u2019s so much fun to write about people like that, to have them do these very strange things with no explanation, and then to have the reader and the main characters come in contact with that strangeness and react to it.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example: back in 2019, I started wearing a lacrosse helmet every time I went for a run on the treadmill in the basement of my house. To an outside observer, that seems very bizarre and borderline ridiculous. But to me it made perfect sense, because a few months earlier I\u2019d started having issues with epilepsy out of nowhere, and so I started to wear the helmet to protect my head in case I had a seizure while running on the treadmill. But without that explanation of my reasoning, that\u2019s a striking, weird, and very interesting occurrence. And I love that particular mix of bizarre, absurd, funny, and interesting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BD:<\/strong> Lastly, you\u2019ve spoken about coming up with stories while bored at work. And you write a lot about work.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s a day in the life of you at work? What are the most inane things you have to do and talk about without losing your shit? What are the most inane things that you secretly love doing in a way nobody else would understand? What types of words and phrases do you find yourself talking about that kind of sucks the soul out of you but also establishes your being competent at work so you don\u2019t get fired or looked at as the fuckup\/slacker nobody can depend on?<\/p>\n
Rules about the microwave? Rules about how long to spend in the bathroom? Rules about how not to get caught writing fiction instead of doing your job?<\/p>\n
Strategy when dealing with colleagues? Customers.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to name the company. I want the most random, inane, anxiety-producing deets possible.<\/p>\n
Nobody\u2019s ever going to read this interview anyway, so don\u2019t worry about any actual repercussions of sharing the dirt.<\/p>\n
SG:<\/strong> Well I\u2019ve spent the past fifteen years working crappy retail, warehouse, and custodian jobs, so cleaning up gross messes and dealing with rude customers and gossiping coworkers are the main things I\u2019ve had to do at work each day. Taking passport photos at CVS was one thing I always hated for some reason. It was always so awkward and uncomfortable taking pictures of people while having a line of ten angry customers standing in front of the counter and and muttering curse words under their breath.<\/p>\n
One thing I do enjoy is stocking shelves in the stockroom, far away from customers haha. That and breaking down cardboard boxes. That’s a weirdly relaxing and repetitive activity that lets my hands and body work on autopilot while my mind can wander and explore story ideas.<\/p>\n
As far as dealing with other people, I try to maintain as low a profile as possible. I try to be as nice as possible, and talk as infrequently as I can haha. And I never tell anyone about any of my writing. The last thing on earth I\u2019d ever want to do is talk about my writing at work haha.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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