How did you become a writer?
When I was 18, in my first semester at university, I was looking around for some kind of community to be part of. One week I happened to walk into an open meeting at the university newspaper and realized it was run by a group of the funniest and smartest people I'd ever met. I spent most of the next four years in that office. Then, after graduating, it only made sense for me to try my hand at freelancing—and, on my lunch breaks, writing a novel that took place in that same ridiculous world of student journalism.
Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).
I find it very difficult to figure out who and what has actually influenced the way I write. But the book that I probably find most inspiring generally—not to mention the book I've read the most number of times—is Nicholson Baker's U and I, which is so fresh and funny and intelligent and humane. If I ever manage to write something half that good I will be a very happy man.
When and where do you write?
I'm lucky enough to be self-employed—50% writing, 50% running a small independent press with my friend Natalie Olsen—so I get to make use of regular business hours, for the most part. My desk, however, is comically small for someone who is surrounded by piles of books. Most of the time I make it work, but occasionally I'll also migrate to my roomier kitchen table, as I am right now, at least until the battery on my laptop runs out.
What are you working on now?
My new book is called Try Not to Be Strange: The Curious History of the Kingdom of Redonda, and it's the fantastic true story of an empty island in the Caribbean—as well as the group of writers who, over the past 150 years, have claimed to be its king. It's part literary history, part quixotic quest narrative, and it was just published by Biblioasis. I'm really excited about it.
Have you ever suffered from writer's block?
Not really. I have enough irons in the fire that if I get stumped, for whatever reason, I can switch over to something else. But I would also make a distinction between true writer's block (exceedingly rare, in my opinion) and writing that simply isn't going well. I've talked to plenty of new writers who get discouraged at this latter experience, assume they aren't cut out for it, and want to quit. In reality, that's what writing is. The pain and anguish are all just part of the process. This means you have high standards, which you should. If anything, I would be suspicious of writing that comes too easily—that's a pretty good indicator that the writing in question stinks.
What's the best writing advice you've ever received?
One of my professors in university, Michael Everton, once said to me: "All writing is seduction." I like that advice because (a) it's true, and (b) it's short enough that I can remember it.
What's your advice to new writers?
The usual stuff, really: read as much as you can, try out as much as you can on the page, don't be afraid to revise, and don't be afraid to throw away what doesn't work and try again. I would also recommend in the strongest possible terms to read books that are old and, ideally, out of print. There's no better perspective than the past, and you'll find a wealth of authors, stories, and ideas there that 99% of people these days have never heard of. (That's what we call a competitive advantage.) Plus this kind of reading can remind you that all writers are part of larger traditions, and help you figure out what lane, exactly, you want to occupy in your own work.
Michael Hingston is a writer and publisher in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the author of the books Let's Go Exploring and The Dilettantes, and the co-author of Harnarayan Singh's memoir One Game at a Time. Hingston's writing has appeared in Wired, National Geographic, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. He is also the co-founder of Hingston & Olsen Publishing, makers of the Short Story Advent Calendar and other literary experiments. Hingston's new book is Try Not to Be Strange: The Curious History of the Kingdom of Redonda.
