J. Daniel Janzen

At the moment, I'm a copywriter, though it would be no less accurate and perhaps more meaningful to call me a recovering novelist. Once upon a time, the thought that "The Clown's Graveyard" would never see the light of publication — even after six years of steady, honest work — would have been unbearable to me. Although scores of agents and editors felt otherwise, I remain convinced that it was a story worth telling and worth reading. At the same time, I've had to come to terms with the fact that my youthful fantasies of the Algonquin Round Table are unlikely to be realized, and develop a sense of myself that doesn't rely on the literary aspirations that defined me for so long. You could say that necessity is the mother of maturity.

In the meantime, the freelance business I started as a way to pay the bills until the royalties started pouring grew unexpectedly into a pretty nice way to make a living. Over the past dozen years or so, it has given me the freedom to explore other interests, including becoming a writer and editor for Flak, and spend ample time with my wife and family. Ah, the family ... they say that once you have kids, you live for them rather than for yourself, and your own ambitions fall by the wayside. This doesn't have to be entirely true; I haven't ruled out another shot at The Great American Novel (or at least a reasonably marketable one) at some point down the road. But to the extent that it is accurate, this glib aphorism fails to convey the full richness of that transition. Since the birth of my son, followed by my daughter, I've learned what it means to care more about someone else than yourself, with all the hope, pain and joy that involves. Seen through their eyes, the world is full of mystery and possibility, and the discoveries and triumphs of their days help reawaken parts of me that had been lulled to sleep (or worse) by the long journey to borderline middle age (I'm clinging to that "borderline" with all my fading strength). I spend more time with these kids every day than many dads manage in a week, and I wouldn't trade that for all the cash or laurels in the world.

Novel aside, my written output peaked a few years ago (hard to imagine I ever averaged publishing a piece per week — you can find the complete archive at my site), then declined as the kids' bedtimes moved later. These days, my contributions fall more on the editorial side as I work with Jim and the rest of the team to make Flak's second decade as illustrious as its first. I'm always happy to get a promising pitch from a new writer or an old friend for Misc., Web or Sports, or any other section for that matter. Making something from nothing — that's what it's all about.

— photography by Bobby Janzen