A special edition of The Five Minute Interview today just because NaNoWriMo starts today. Special Edition interviewee is Foster Trescot. He is not doing NaNo. I am not doing NaNo. That doesn’t matter. It’s an absurd life and everything has absolutely nothing to do with anything else, and yet, everything is, somehow, related to everything else. Er…here’s Trescot.

1. Who are you?

I’m Foster Trecost. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m a tax manager. I’m a writer. I’m a son. I’m a brother (and sometimes a bother). I’m a traveler. I’m a philosopher. I’m a slacker. I’m all of these things, and a lot more, but you only gave me a minute.

2. What do you write?

I write short stories, sometimes very short, sometimes a bit longer. I’m usually torn between spending my free time reading or writing – which makes me not as prolific as I’d like to be.

3. Why do you write what you write?

There’s no profound answer here. I spend each night falling asleep thinking of story lines. Sometimes I come up with one. Sometimes I remember it the next morning, and write a story from it. I enjoy it. Sometimes. But I write it so I can do it all over again - that’s why I write, to get the story out of my head, to make room for the next. I can read five books at once, but I can write only one story at a time.

4. Why should we read what you write?

I don’t know that anyone should, but I’m thankful some people do. It’s not for everyone. The upside is that I’m writing stories under 2500 words, so the investment is relatively small. There’s usually something to learn, and my close friends and those who know me well will often find us in my stories – some are happy about this, some are not.

5. Is the world a better place because of what you write?

I don’t need a minute for this one: NO. But I’m a better person for having written it – if that makes any sense.