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Interviewed by Jeremy Wilcott
Jeremy Wilcott: Hello! I’m so glad you agreed to be interviewed for our Current Culture Pick!
Rebecca Coles: Hi! It’s a pleasure to speak with you. I’m truly honored.
Jeremy Wilcott: For readers who don’t know, Rebecca Coles is one of the most popular bloggers on WordPress today.
Rebecca Coles: Well, I’m not sure about that. Definitely one of the most bizarre.
Jeremy Wilcott: And that’s what we love about it! This brings us to a good starting point, Rebecca. Seeing as your blog, Object Relations, has a very different structure from most, will you tell us a bit more about the set-up?
Rebecca Coles: Of course. My blog is actually based off Melanie Klein’s psych theory Object Relations, but in a much more literal sense. The original theory emphasizes the environment rather than the biology (nurture vs. nature) when it comes to personality. My particular view of Object Relations ended up as a blog where each post personifies a different object. Could be toothpaste or lipstick or I think one was a stapler?
Jeremy Wilcott: A stapler?
Rebecca Coles: Yes, well. They’re objects too.
Jeremy Wilcott: Clearly a very unusual idea. I know you have a couple of books for those who want to display the art which accompanies your blog. Is the artwork all your own?
Rebecca Coles: Some of the artwork is mine, but a lot of it came from readers who decided to collaborate with me to create something unique. Some of the artists I know like Tom Haynes or Petra Wagner, but others I’ve never met.
Jeremy Wilcott: That’s fascinating. This must explain the wide variety in style. In the books, are the stories separate from the blog?
Rebecca Coles: Many of them. Certain posts that people seemed to particularly like I added in with new artwork.
Jeremy Wilcott: So it appears you’ve been writing about objects for a fair number of years now. How did you think of this idea?
Rebecca Coles: You know, I’ve always really liked personifying objects. I’ve also always liked psychology. Since objects can stand in for people without personalities (if there is such a thing) you can project any part of the psyche you want. It gives you a kind of freedom, I suppose.
Jeremy Wilcott: Do you project yourself onto all of the objects?
Rebecca Coles: All of them? No. I suppose I project some of myself in most of them, but I don’t identify with one particular object or another.
Jeremy Wilcott: I know you’ve mentioned before that objects don’t really “exist” and that this is one of the main reasons you love writing about them. What do you mean by that?
Rebecca Coles: Hm. I didn’t realize I said that. I suppose that’s not surprising.
I mean they didn’t exist, or don’t exist, because they aren’t alive. If they have feelings, they certainly aren’t noticed. In a way I think that is a very common issue for a lot of people. Women, in particular.
Jeremy Wilcott: Women feeling like they don’t exist, you mean?
Rebecca Coles: Yes, it’s a very specific feeling. Have you ever heard someone say they feel “empty”?
Jeremy Wilcott: Yes, I have.
Rebecca Coles: This isn’t the same.
Not existing as a person is, I imagine, a little like being invisible in a room full of people. You have ideas and opinions, but you are never truly seen.
Clearly not like the objects I bring to life. They are very receptive. Very seen.
Jeremy Wilcott: Hah! It is true, though. I see what you’re saying.
In the blog (and in the books) you do give a voice to concerns that may be judged as, how do I put this, “trite”.
For instance, in The Washing Machine, the object metaphorically portrays perfectionism, am I right? And in particular, appearance.
Rebecca Coles: Yes, that’s right.
Jeremy Wilcott: And it’s done in a very subtle way. Most of your stories are subtle. Rarely do these concerns touch on political beliefs or sexism.
Rebecca Coles: Actually they are in there. They’re not right out in the open, but they’re there.
Jeremy Wilcott: I guess this goes back to being subtle. Personally, I think that’s what’s so great about these stories. Without feeling like a children’s book, almost anyone can read and identify with them.
Rebecca Coles: Someone once told me if a writer writes a book about women, women will read it, but men won’t. They also said if a writer writes a book about men, both women and men will read it. I think stories about men are often viewed as “human” while stories about women are often viewed as “stories about women”. Objects are just themselves. That’s it. Both nobody and anybody can relate.
Jeremy Wilcott: That’s very interesting. Do you believe men don’t read fiction with women as the main protagonist?
Rebecca Coles: Well, let’s put it this way, I think men primarily read about men. Not that I’ve done any scientific research.
Jeremy Wilcott: Let me ask you this: do you think more men or women read?
Rebecca Coles: I really don’t know. Sadly, I don’t know many people, men or women, who read on a regular basis. Like if I went up to someone today and asked “what are you reading?” they might tell me about a book they read a couple months ago or one that they’ve heard someone else describe, but as for consistent readers? I just think people are searching for new mediums.
Jeremy Wilcott: Mediums like…?
Rebecca Coles: Blogs, but I also believe newsletters, flash fiction, and short stories are gaining traction. For instance, anthologies seem to be quickly growing in popularity vs. novels.
Jeremy Wilcott: Many historical authors of both short stories and novels have incorporated mythology into their own books. Did you read a lot of metaphorical stories as a child? Mythology, folk tales, fairy tales?
Rebecca Coles: I read a very old, I think it was Norwegian, fairy tale book called East of The Sun and West of The Moon. The stories were about, oh you know, how a husband would disappear if the wife talked to his mother. A lot of mother-in-law stories in general, actually.
Jeremy Wilcott: When you started writing your first anthology did you ever think of making it a children’s book?
Rebecca Coles: I actually didn’t, but when I first started submitting my manuscript I realized the genre was going to be problematic. Object Relations is fiction, yes, but it’s also a collection of stories, a novelette, and heavily illustrated. The combination of factors is somewhat complicated for a lot of publishers to market, but I’m glad I kept it as an adult collection.
Jeremy Wilcott: I’m sure there were a lot of different ways to market your book. You could put stickers on random objects with your logo!
Rebecca Coles: I suppose that’s true. I’m sure I would have had a field day with that.
Jeremy Wilcot: For my last question, Rebecca, I’d like to ask: if you had to be an object, which one most represents you?
Rebecca Coles: Oh, wow. You know, nobody has ever asked me this before. I sincerely hope I never find out!
Jeremy Wilcott: Terrific answer.
On that final note, Rebecca, thank you so much for your time with us. Congratulations on being our current culture pick and I wish you well in all your endeavours.
Rebecca Coles: Thank you, I’m flattered. Thank you for your interest.
Rebecca Coles’ latest project is called “selfie” which refers to a series of poems published in medical journals. Her body of work can be found in publications such as Harvard’s medical journal, “Third Space”, as well as Dartmouth’s “Life Lines”, The British Medical Journal, CHEST physicians, and other medical publications.
Find her blog, Object Relations, at aWordofSubstance.com
Her latest book can be found here.
