     | september 8, 2010
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Writer in a Jar: Interview with Jonathan Ames Jonathan Ames -- 02/28/2005  A self-described “George Plimpton of the colon,” Jonathan Ames is the author of five books: The Extra Man, Wake Up, Sir, I Pass Like Night, My Less Than Secret Life, and What’s Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer. Jonathan is also a former columnist for the New York Press, the winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a story-teller and performer (witness the 1999 Off-off Broadway run of Oedipussy) and a one-time amateur boxer, fighting under the name “The Herring Wonder.” When Catherine approached him at a benefit event for the 826 NYC writing center, Jonathan agreed to an interview for Salt’s “Writer in a Jar” interview series. If this leaves you begging for more, check out his website. And buy his books!When and how did you decide you wanted to be a writer? In high school after reading Hunter Thompson and Jack Kerouac I became entranced with the notion of the writer as a romantic figure, one who had adventures, and so that’s when I began to dream about being a writer. At the time I was editor of the school paper and my friends would call me Hunter and sometimes I would tell strangers that my name was Jack, and I felt I could get away with it since I went by Jon back then. Tell us about the very first thing you ever wrote. In the first grade, I wrote a science fiction story about a man stranded on the moon. He’s able to escape when he attaches the engine from his ship to an asteroid. I did drawings for the story and dictated the text to my mother. What was the first thing you had published? My first published piece was an interview with a teacher at my school for the school newspaper; after that I started publishing sports stories for the local weekly paper, the Wyckoff News; this was in New Jersey. Do you have any habits that help you write? Music you listen to, places you go, etc. My only helpful habit is getting myself stimulated with coffee. What are some things you do to fight burnout/writer’s block? Rereading writers I love. Writing in my journal. What are you reading now? I just reread Dashiell Hammett’s THE MALTESE FALCON and now I’m going to read, for the first time, Thom Jones’s PUGILIST AT REST. Do you have any advice to give to would-be writers, or for writers who are just getting started? Try to write the kinds of stories you love to read, and mimic the writers you like to read – copy their styles, their kinds of stories. Find things you’re obsessed with and write about them. Set reasonable goals: don’t try to write a whole novel in one sitting; just try to sit for an hour and build your stamina from there. Know that there will always be more rejection than acceptance. Try not to think of fame. Do try to visualize a finished book in your hands. That’s some of the advice I would give . . . end of page 1 [ 1 ] read more ... [ 2 ][ 3 ] |
