Reid Mitenbuler
/How did you become a writer?
During my freshman year in college, I was particularly inspired after reading a roundtable interview with a group of notable writers. Their comments contained one consistent piece of advice: live some life before expecting to be a good writer. Many of them had attended film school or MFA programs--paths I was interested in pursuing at the time--but I was surprised by how often they downplayed those experiences. Instead, they recommended getting out into the world, stepping outside your comfort zone, taking weird jobs, socializing with people from different backgrounds, etcetera. The sentiment really stuck with me. So, after graduating, I joined the military, which sparked a chain reaction of interesting life experiences and jobs--both in and out of the military--that took me all over the world. I like to think that it gave me some valuable perspective. Meanwhile, I spent a lot of time dissecting other writing that I admired.
Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).
For narrative nonfiction: Jill Lepore, Rich Cohen, Alfred Lansing, Walter Lord, Mark Kurlansky, Susan Orlean, Truman Capote, Nathan Philbrick, Laura Hillenbrand; this list could go on. If you were to look at my copies of these authors' books, you'd find them covered in ink. While reading them, I ask myself questions like "Why was this so interesting?"; "What kept me engaged?"; "How did this writer use suspense?"; "How did they structure this or that?"; and so on. Then, I try to figure out the mechanics of what makes those books work.
When and where do you write?
In a home office. I stick to a regular schedule, although I find the first several hours of the morning to be my best period. The returns diminish after that, although they improve if I cram in a midday workout. I also get a second wind if I can manage to work late at night. There's a wonderful book, Daily Rituals, by Mason Currey, that examines the processes of different writers, architects, painters, musicians, etc. It helped me figure out my own approach.
What are you working on now?
My next book is more narrative nonfiction, a true-adventure tale about a polar explorer. I also do screenwriting, so I have a number of different projects on that front.
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
Not really. I keep a running list of ideas and potential projects to work on. If I get frustrated with one project, I take a break and work on something else, which usually helps my mind reset on the other thing.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Just finish that first draft. Don't worry if it's "bad" or "good," because that first draft is probably not great. That's what rewriting--and rewriting and rewriting--is for. I once read an interview where Amy Tan showed off a page from one of her manuscripts that was flooded with red ink from her editor. I took so much reassurance from that, knowing that huge talents like her had to work really hard for it.
What’s your advice to new writers?
Limit your time on social media, especially Twitter. The main goal of these platforms is to make money, not promote sophisticated dialogue or thinking. So far, it's been more profitable for them to amplify division and negativity than to promote the kind of complexity and nuance that good writers explore with open-minded curiosity. I sense that too much time on Twitter traps writers in bubbles of doctrinaire thinking. Ultimately they stop pushing back against certain approved narratives that need pushback, for fear of getting dunked in the local pond alongside the other witches. In my opinion, too much time soaking up that mindset destroys creative freedom.
Reid Mitenbuler is the author of Wild Minds: The Artists and Rivalries That Inspired the Golden Age of Animation and Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey. He is currently working on a book about a polar explorer, as well as several film projects. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.
