How did you become a writer?

I used to pass poems out to my teachers in second grade; I wrote a script for the TV show Growing Pains in middle school. In college, I wrote two novels in longhand after taking a fiction writing class. I did two graduate programs in creative writing, and in the midst of teaching and being a dad, I still tried to write whenever I could, relishing any small literary journal acceptance along the way. In 2019, after querying almost every agent in the country, I was so lucky to be taken on by Madeleine Milburn in London who has handled some of the biggest book deals in the world. She sold A Little Hope to Scribner, who was my absolute dream publisher, and from that point, I really felt like a writer.

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

Hundreds of writers have shaped me. Jesmyn Ward, Ernest Hemingway, Amy Hempel, John Cheever, Elizabeth Strout, Jamaica Kincaid, Jess Walter. The poets Naomi Shihab Nye, Ross Gay, and Marie Howe. But I think most of all, I remember reading Anne Tyler’s novels during my twenties and thinking, Oh, she’s doing exactly what the craft books talk about: using strong verbs, compelling characters, plot breadcrumbs. So I think she had one of the biggest effects on me. I learned so much from my MFA program and the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild, too.

When and where do you write?

I don’t have a set time, but I feel best when I write in the morning. If not, I try to get something in after lunch. I have a writing desk in our basement, but I rarely use it. I like to sit on the couch and do most of my work there because I enjoy being in the center of the house’s action. If I’m having a hard time revising or editing, I’ll sit at the dining room table, which I think signals something in my brain that this is serious.

What are you working on now?

I’m revising my next novel and planning out some ideas for one after that. I also try to keep working on short stories as I think they are important to understanding structure and overall craft. I often have a couple projects cooking at once and more ideas than I have writing time. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I can’t turn off that writer brain that’s taking in everything for possible later use. It’s like a big program using up all the memory on your hard drive, always running in the background!

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

Not exactly. I think I’ve suffered from a lack of discipline or a lack of writing something I’m proud of, but if I force myself to sit down, I can usually cough up something. I just can’t guarantee it will be good.

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

Write toward that moment when your characters surprise you. That’s what you want, and that’s when the characters are so real that readers will want to follow them—the whole Robert Frost no surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader thing. I think it’s always about the characters. Never be locked into a plot point or an ending. It has to be what’s organic to the characters.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Call yourself a writer. Find the right community who will both encourage and challenge you. Be okay with criticism. If you care about your writing, prioritize it and don’t treat it as a secret hobby or an afterthought. I think my writing life changed for the better when I started placing writing more prominently among my daily priorities.

Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at the University of Delaware. His work has appeared in River Teeth, The Cimarron Review, The MacGuffin, Delaware Beach Life, and Third Wednesday. He is the author of A Little Hope, which was a Read with Jenna Bonus Selection and A Quiet Life, which comes out in November. He lives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with his wife and two daughters.