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Daniel Getzoff
Award-Winning Story:
THEY TOOK MY UNICORNS AWAY FROM ME FOREVER (Fight Chapter winner)
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA (most of the time)
Writing Space: “My desk is at the threshold of a closet in my living room that used to be a Murphy bed. But the desk faces out, sorta floating. I love this arrangement, yet I’m annoyed when someone tells me on Zoom, ‘Hey, you’re in a closet!’ I also write in cafés. But I’m used to multiple screens (laptop + external monitor). I need real estate but in a café, that doesn’t happen.”
🚴 Meet Daniel Getzoff
Daniel Getzoff has biked across the continental U.S.—three times. That alone earns some kind of literary street cred, but he’s also a playwright, essayist, and novelist-in-the-final-stretch. You can read about his cycling adventures and reflections on writing at handlebarconfessional.com, and you’ll find the raw voice of a writer who doesn’t shy from confession, structure-shattering experiments, or humor.
His prize-winning story in 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42², THEY TOOK MY UNICORNS AWAY FROM ME FOREVER, appears in the Zombie chapter—an absurd, poignant punch of 42 words that judges couldn’t ignore.
🧠 On Writing and Art
What’s the best way to write?
“I have discovered that I need to trust what comes out of me, that I have my own distinct voice, my own ‘thing’ that I need to remain true to. I try to focus on being authentic to that voice—speaking in it, asking what it wants and listening to it, not overly judging it but definitely making an effort to interpret it. Feeding it treats if it retreats and hides under the bed, letting it know I’m here when it has something to confess, begging it for forgiveness when I have to edit it, and it’s pissed and threatens to shut up for good and needs reassurance all over again when we both realize that it can’t have everything we think it needs.”
How do you relax?
“Well, for my mental health I run and ride my bicycle a lot. Being productive relaxes me: making a list and checking off tasks as completed. Probably should be the opposite but there you have it.”
Are you part of a writing group?
“Yes! I am part of 3 groups at the moment. One is a twosome—someone I’ve been meeting with pretty much weekly for over 10 years (used to be 3 of us but shit happens).”
What was the first story/art you created?
“My first full-length play—wait, shit, it’s my only full-length play…to date—At Least Until You Die, wasn’t published but it was fully realized: produced, mounted, performed for 6 weeks to pretty damn favorable reviews. I wrote it inspired by dreams and Jungian creative dream work. It was a two-person show, a mother and son. I wrote the roles for myself and the late, brilliant Maureen Byrnes. The experience spanned the very landmine-laden landscape of ego-boosting and -busting.
That was almost 20 years ago. I wish I’d done more with the piece—rewrites, other productions. Edinburgh Fringe. But it’s fucking hard to make yourself make shit happen.
Earlier than that? When I was a little kid, I used to write plays—reimaginings of stuff that already existed—and make the class perform them. I was fearless before junior high broke me. I admire that version of myself.”
🎧 Favorite Things...
Books/Authors
Toni Morrison’s Paradise meant a lot. Finishing it was an achievement. I even dug into her interviews. She once said she trusts her readers—she can challenge them. That stuck with me. It gave me permission to write my novel how I needed to write it. Not traditionally. Not easily. But honestly.
Foods/Drinks
“I fucking love farmers markets. Boughs of produce make my soul sing.”
Music
“I started making a list, but got caught in the trap. These questions are moment-bound. I listen to music for so many reasons: creative inspiration, workouts, curiosity, holiday mood-setting, even sex…
One of the best experiences I’ve had with music was listening to NPR’s list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women. Every single one. It took a month. Some albums I loved, some I hated. But I learned a ton about myself and my ‘true’ preferences. It cracked something open.”
Best Animal on Earth
“The fox.
They have a mixed reputation.
They are clever. But are they cunning?
They are playful and resilient.
They are cute as fuck.”
✏️ Outline Process: Backwards, Mostly
“I don’t outline before I write—I just start writing. My novel’s outline came after 100,000+ words. I needed to figure out what the hell was in there. So I made a board: chapter summaries, character tracking, stylistic insertions (poems, texts, dreams, imagined movie scenes, etc.).
But now, I’m converting my cycling blog into a memoir. I’ll have to plan more this time. Do I organize it by ride? By theme? By essays? I haven’t decided. Or I’m not ready to.”
🔗 Follow Daniel
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handlebarconfessional.com – blog + 2018 & 2021 rides
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handlebarconfessional.blogspot.com – full 2009 ride
Stay tuned for more author features from 42 Stories Anthology Presents: Book of 42²—the project where voice, genre, absurdity, and brilliance converge in exactly 42 words. www.42storiesanthology.com
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