Ryan Boudinot with E.C. Murray

Do you think great authors are born or made? In other words, how much of writing and completing a compelling book is work, and how much is a genetic gift?

Rivers Cuomo, the lead guy in the band Weezer, once said that he felt he was genetically designed to be a rock star. I sure wish I had been! I do think I was born to write fiction. The tendency just showed up really early, and felt incredibly urgent. But I think it's like being given a tool. You have to use it, apply it, make mistakes with it. I was aware very early that if I committed myself to this craft, that I'd be good at it as an adult. I am lucky that I grew up with supportive and loving parents, in a place, rural Washington state, where I had plenty of opportunities to use my imagination. 

Your book, Blueprints of An Afterlife is an extraordinary epic.  Would you call Blueprints “speculative fiction?” Some authors shun being pigeon-holed. How do you feel about your books being labeled as specific genres?

I honestly don't care. I think those kinds of concerns are pre-Internet concerns. I just want to write things that some people will enjoy. I don't particularly concern myself with how it's categorized.

How on earth did you organize your book with its many characters, many time frames, and many locations? (For those who can still look forward to reading Blueprints, one preeminent idea is that Bainbridge Island, Washington is rebuilt as Manhattan with the same buildings, subway stops, etc.)

I just sort of plowed forward and followed whatever happened to be interesting to me in the moment. I learned this from Aimee Bender, who's a friend. Just sit down and write exactly what it is you want to write in that moment, and trust that the structure will rise organically from your subconscious. Then, later, during the eighth revision or whatever, you can make more deliberate choices. I don't use an outline when I'm generating first draft material. But I think writing lists and making diagrams later in the process can be helpful, when I'm trying to figure out just what the hell I dumped on the page. 

Your books and collection of short stories are outstanding, but many outstanding books aren’t reviewed by the New York Times. How did your books get the attention of the NYT?

The publicist at the publishing house sent them a review copy. 

What were the steps in your education that led to your writing well?

I participated in lots of extracurricular writing programs as a kid, starting when I was six years old. Seattle Pacific University used to host this thing called the Young Authors Conference, which I attended first when I was in first grade, then again in fourth and sixth. They also conducted a Young Authors Camp at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island that I attended for two weeks across two summers. In high school, I found a mentor, my history teacher, Dave Cornelius, who also co-owned a used bookstore in my hometown. He still does, and I still keep in touch. He introduced me to all sorts of life-changing books. In high school I also wrote for my hometown weekly newspaper, the Skagit Argus, mostly sports stories. Most of my credits as an undergrad were in creative writing. Then I got my MFA from Bennington in 1999.

There’s much hype these days about the importance of social media to promote books. What do you think?

I'm sick of social media and wish everybody would just shut the fuck up about it. I don't have a web site. I think the best social media for an author is a big ole book sitting on the shelf at an independent bookstore.

What do you think about the proliferation of self-published books today?

Whatever floats your boat. I think a lot of writers worry too much about the validation of publishing instead of concentrating on becoming better writers.

Congratulations on spear heading the effort to add Seattle to the “literary capitals of the world.” Will you please explain what that means and what you hope it will accomplish?

I'm leading an effort to get Seattle designated a UNESCO City of Literature. UNESCO's Creative Cities program is a network of cities around the world that are recognized for their contributions to seven art forms: Literature, Music, Craft and Folk Art, Media Art, Gastronomy, Design, and Film. Joining this network will provide Seattle's arts community with more opportunities for international collaborations and artistic exchanges. And we're already starting to put these collaborations together--we're hosting an event on October 10 in partnership with Reykjavik  (Iceland) UNESCO City of Literature, and ZAPP Zine Archive and Publishing Project called the "Reykjavik Writing Jam," at Elliott Bay Book Company. We've invited Icelandic novelist Bragi Ólafsson to trade characters with Seattle's own Karen Finneyfrock. They're going to read their creations, and then attendees will be able to create their own zine from their work after the reading.

What advice would you give to today’s English major?

Don't listen to the people who tell you your major is useless. I had someone tell me to get a "real job" once. People have been writing fiction for what, thousands of years? As opposed to the sorts of "real jobs" that didn't even exist yesterday?

What’s next on your plate?

I have two books coming out in September 2015. A collection of stories to be published by Fantagraphics, and an anthology about Seattle as a city of writers to be published by Sasquatch. Both wonderful local presses, and I'm proud to be publishing my work in Seattle. In a couple weeks I'm heading to China with my stellar business partner Rebecca Brinson to represent Seattle at the UNESCO Creative Cities Conference. After that it's the Reykjavik Writing Jam at Elliott Bay, then I'm going to take a brief nap and jump back into the novel I've been working on. I feel fortunate to be doing this work, all of which relates in some way to creative writing.

Thanks, Ryan, for both your interview and the work you do on behalf of Seattle's literary community.