 Jarman has stated that he prefers writing short stories as he "finds novels cumbersome".Literature critic Steven W. Beattie, on reviewing his short story collection" My White Planet", stated that Jarman's writing differentiates from the norm of classic Canadian literature and focuses on "the delirious and courageous use of language to create startling effects".Jarman's short stories have been known to explore a variety of different themes, including war, crisis and Canadian culture (notably hockey).