How did you become a writer?

All the musculature was there when I was a kid--I was sensitive and liked language--but I didn't take the enterprise seriously until sometime during college. For a long time, I thought I would go into politics, but when I got into an MFA program, I decided to take a chance.  

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

There are too many books & writers to name, but the person who had the most indelible impact on my writerly sensibility was probably my high school English teacher, a person named Mrs. Keane. She taught an honors course called Advanced Composition that was rumored to be the most difficult at our school. While I had always fancied myself an adept writer before entering her class, I remember receiving my first paper back from her on which the margins had been littered with red pen. Whole pages were crossed out. That afternoon, I returned home, huffy and petulant, begging my parents to let me drop the class. My mom convinced me otherwise and urged me to talk to Mrs. Keane about it. The next day, I approached her desk warily, and even before I spoke, she said something along the lines of, "Look, Barrett, you're a good writer, but you have some things to work on, and I can help you with that." Whatever success I've had stems from her instruction.

When and where do you write? 

By habit, I get up at ungodly hours, so I'm usually at the desk around 4:45 AM. I work at a small second-hand table that my sister-in-law gave me. Because I also serve as a university professor, I usually have to head to campus in the late morning, so a four hour session is about all I can manage.

What are you working on now? 

I'm writing an essay about marriage that discusses Stanley Cavell's exceptional book Pursuits of Happiness and my obsession with the screwball comedies from the "Golden Age" of Hollywood. 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

Not exactly. It's more so that there are certain weeks between projects when I don't have the impulse to write, when I need to refill the well, as it were. In those periods, I usually try to read a lot and spend more time in the world. I find this is just as important as the actual writing is. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

One of my writing professors in grad school once said that because you can take as much time as you want on a sentence, it should be a reflection of your fullest intelligence and humor. 

What’s your advice to new writers?

Befriend self-doubt because it never goes away.