The Library Showcase of "No Simple Remedy"
Including an exclusive interview with author Ben Woestenburg
Rather than saying it was a night I’ll never forget, I like to think of it as a night I’ll always remember. I’ve learned over the years that I’ve forgotten more things than I could ever remember, but I’ll always remember that night because of that single tear hanging on Uncle Charlie’s eyelash—and how that was the night I first learned about the finality of life.
—No Simple Remedy, Ben Woestenburg
This compelling literary work delves into the complicated lives of a mother, her three children, and their mysterious uncle. The story centers around a famous actress with a terminal illness who wants to spend her last days in Florence. The children are taken out of their comfort zone and face unfamiliar challenges alongside their enigmatic uncle.
The book explores the complex dynamics within the family. The author skillfully portrays the relationships between the characters, addressing profound themes and emotions with his signature blend of sensitivity and frankness. The story is told through the eyes of one of the children, adding a poignant perspective as they witness their mother's decline and navigate a family scandal.
While initially focused on illness and death, No Simple Remedy becomes a beautiful coming-of-age story. It delves into reconciling the cruelty of fate, the burdens of fame, and the complexities of human nature with the enduring power of love.
Interview with Ben Woestenburg
Hey, Ben. Thank you for joining us to talk about your work. Would you mind giving us a quick summary of No Simple Remedy?
Have you seen how long it is?! This was the first story I wrote after coming off the tragic consequences of my workplace trauma. Everything I’d put up before then–from January until November–had already been written. I knew, if I wanted, that I’d have enough for a year and a half before I had to write anything. I told myself I couldn’t wait that long.
So, in answer to the question, it’s a story about familial love first. The mother’s dying of cancer and wants to die in Florence–her last Romantic gesture in life. They only get as far as Montepulciano. Her husband died in a drunk driving accident a couple of years before. Her brother is trying to take care of the family and hold things together. It’s told through the eyes of the youngest kid.
What inspired you to write this story? And why the specific length?
The original idea for this story was different from what I ended up with. I had about five thousand words, but it wasn’t working. Like I said, I was in a bad space mentally. So I put the story aside and entered the NaNoWriMo challenge, thinking I would force myself to complete it. I was going to force myself to write. Problem was, I didn’t have a story. The one I was thinking of didn’t pan out. I tried a second one and didn’t like that either. I decided to write a fantasy. I had a story I’d started that was about 2500 words, which pretty well caught me up to where I would’ve been had I started in the first place. A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL was the perfect diversion.
I finished it, and the very next day, I threw out everything that had to do with the short story. I killed the father off within the first three pages. I made the uncle the male lead. And then I made him gay. It made the story that much more layered. I made the older brother a fighter at school—issues with his father’s untimely death. I made the mother even sicker. It was coming out fast. I didn’t have a plot and didn’t have an idea where I was going with the story, except that I had to have the uncle show up three days late for his own sister’s funeral, wearing mismatched socks.
You provided us with the lush, sprawling landscapes of Montepulciano, Italy. What prompted this setting decision?
We went there on a holiday before Covid. 2017, I think. We fell in love with the place. What’s not to like about it? It’s a walled city on a hilltop at least a thousand years old. There were vineyards in the valleys surrounding it. It just takes your breath away. And when I found out they have a school with an immersive Italian class for anyone, I told the wife we have to go back and stay there after she’s done working. We’ve always talked about selling the house and traveling. If we do that, we’ll stay there for at least six weeks.
Did any of the characters or events in the book draw inspiration from real-life experiences or people?
My characters are a mix of people I’ve met over the years. And believe me, I’ve met a lot of characters. I take a lot of the bad, toxic characteristics from a few of the guys I worked with. I also ask myself what I feel is a disgusting thing for a person to do to someone else and add to it. But I try to give that character some redeeming qualities as well. I like to layer things: habits and tics, that sort of thing. I like to make them artistic or musical. I like to give them history. I don’t so much describe them as I just sort of sketch them, leaving what they look like to the reader’s imagination. We’ve all seen pretty people, and we’ve all met ugly people. I like characters that are ugly on the inside but pretty on the outside.
What themes, if any, were you trying to explore through writing this story and these characters?
I don’t purposely write with a theme in mind when I start a story. But I’ve noticed a lot of my stories tend to lean towards love. I think this is one of those. The mother loves her children but dies just the same. The uncle, getting arrested under a dark cloud of suspicion as far as his being gay is concerned, has forced the three surviving children to come to a hard decision. But they have to do it if they want the love they have for each other to survive. There is no simple remedy. No one wins. That’s why I thought it was kind of comical having the uncle take the car in the end.
What motivated you to choose Substack?
I was on Vocal.media before I came to Substack, but I was really frustrated. I was trying to put my new serial JACK OF DIAMONDS on there. I needed something to put on the page to gather a following. It was going to be a racy romp through 1923 London and have sex in it. They were all over me with their censorship. Like I said, I was getting frustrated. They said I was glorifying rape. I told them it was a married couple playing a sex game: “The Pirate and the Princess.” They were married, I repeated. Nope. And then I had that incident at work. That was in January of 2021. I got an email from someone on Substack in June. I don’t even know who it was. I started to look into it and started my ‘stack two days later.
What makes your book stand out from others in its genre?
One of the big draws for me was the freedom Substack offered me. There was no censor looking over my shoulder. I’d worked in a blue-collar job all my life. From when I was 19 until I retired. One job my entire life. I am not very politically correct as a result. I like long stories because those are the kind I was reading. Alice Munro is my goddess! I love her. And Somerset Maugham. And Conrad. Each one had something to give me.
My stories are different from other writers here. I haven’t had a chance to look at them all. Not even close! I like breaking my stories down and putting them up in short blurbs, looking for the natural break, like you would with a serial. But that’s all in hindsight.
My stories take place in different times and different places. I didn’t know what cultural misappropriation was. I had to ask my daughter what that meant. I’m a blue-collar man, remember? I don’t work in an office. I wrote a story about the Japanese invasion of Manchuria that wouldn’t cut it if I wrote it today; I wrote a love story against the backdrop of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya; another one. I wrote an interracial love story during the Independence movement in Congo; then I wrote a coming-of-age story about a boy in Cornwall who wants to sign up for the War, even as his father comes home from the Front with half a face. My stories are layered with emotion. I like to use my senses. I want to smell the grass after the rain; I want to smell the briny stench of the ocean at low tide. I want to feel the cold. I’m not very different from anyone else out there. I just like to take my time and develop my characters.
What is the most challenging aspect of writing what you’ve called “long” short stories for you? Was there anything particularly difficult while crafting No Simple Remedy?
I don’t craft my stories consciously. I usually start with a title. I like titles. The original title for this was: (No judging.) My Father’s Chinese Whore. It came to me one day driving and listening to tunes; it just came out of the blue. I thought, huh, ‘My Father’s Chinese Whore. What a cool title for a story.’ I told my daughter and son-in-law. He laughed at me, and she just shook her head and said, “Poppa, no.” I asked her what was wrong with it. I hate it when she explains herself with reasoning as to why it’s not a good choice. So I put it aside, wrote my NaNo challenge, and came back to it after. I went through it and tore it to shreds. The title NO SIMPLE REMEDY was just something I thought about when I thought about where the story was going.
Do you intend to return to these characters in the future? Why or why not?
I don’t really see a need to. I guess I could come back for the uncle’s funeral, but I don’t feel there’s a story there. Most of my stories seem to be stand-alone. THE BASHFUL COURTESAN actually has a lot of history that ties back to something I was playing with years ago. I might visit that one day.
What do you hope readers come away with after reading No Simple Remedy?
I hope when they read it, they see the characters as individuals. I’m hoping there’s growth and development in them. But really, I want them to like my writing. I try not to use flowery language, but sometimes it happens. I do some things purposely when I write. I look for sounds and rhythm in the words I choose. If I write something and I notice two hard consonants in a row, I’ll try to add a third one to create a rhythm…or a sound like: “He could see something sinister…” has great rhythm and sound. I try to entertain myself because if I don’t like it, no one else will.
If readers like No Simple Remedy, do you have similar stories that readers could dive into next? Is there any recommended reading by authors you admire?
Almost everything before I wrote No Simple Remedy, except for my serials, had already been written. My novels Guide To Time Travel, Shield of Locksley, and Jack Of Diamonds are all new. It’s seat of your pants writing, there. No plot, no idea of where they’re taking me. I just ask myself “What if?” hold on, and let the story go. As for what to read next? There’s a lot there.
I’m reading my stories now. And I’m enjoying it. I’m changing my ‘stack by putting my serials behind the paywall. My long short stories go up on Sunday night: SHORT STORIES AFTER 8. They will always be free. I love “crafting” them. I like to challenge myself when I write. Sometimes, it’s the character narrating; sometimes, it’s POV; sometimes it’s the structure. My next story takes place in three different timelines. I’m 14,600 words into it, but I’ve put it aside to get Jack Of Diamonds ready. I want to bring it under 20,000 words, but I might go over it. But then again, I don’t worry about word count anymore.
As for writers I like, that’s a hard call. There are so many of them. And the quality of writing is excellent. I made the mistake of subscribing to too many pages when I started. I get way too many emails. I can’t keep up. We were putting lights up and decorating for Christmas, and I hadn’t been able to keep up with my emails. It got out of hand. I got up to 500!
I really like Jim Cummings. He’s top-notch. I like reading flash fiction (probably because I can’t write it),
comes to mind. , , and . and his Sweary History. ; ; Garret Francis; ; Brian Reindel of ; .I’d like to be able to pay for subscriptions, but I don’t have an income anymore. I have my pension, but it isn’t much.
Not everybody will like me, and I’m okay with that. I’ve had to deal with rejection for a long time (I’m married!!). I don’t think a lot of people know who I am. But I came here with zero subscribers, and for someone who doesn’t have a clue as far as marketing goes, I’ve managed. As of right now, I have 361 subscribers. Actually, I had that last night and woke up to 358.
I manage.
Thanks, Ben, for being willing to share your story behind the story.
About Ben
Ben Woestenburg writes the Substack “Scribbler,” which can be found at benwoestenburg.substack.com. According to his “About” page, Ben offers “stories meant to be read on a rainy day while you’re sitting in bed with a cup of coffee.”
Ben is the author of five novellas, several “long” short stories, a film, and one novel, all of which may be found on his Substack. Stories are free, though paid subscriptions are available.
Ben’s lyrical prose, refreshingly honest approach to story, deep insights into human nature, and ability to craft believably flawed characters have made him a fan favorite. Readers interested in No Simple Remedy or thoughtful literary fiction like it can find more of Ben’s writing at his Substack, Scribbler.
Ben is perhaps the best fiction writer I have come across on Substack. His creativity and literary mastery are second to none and deserve a wider audience. Great interview. Thank you, Winston.
Really enjoyable interview with a lot of great insights about the writing process. I think sometimes starting out with no real idea of where things will go can work better than if you meticulously plan everything. It allows the story to develop organically, and take you where it wants to go. I'm very interested in posting things in a serialised way myself with my own stories. It seems to be a great way to utilise this platform and share stories in a different way. I only joined a few months ago, and I just found out about 'The Library' through one of Ben's posts. It seems like an excellent resource and a very valuable publication to have here on Substack. Well done all involved... 😎