Jon Swihart's story "It's Not His Place to Scream" hooked us at first line and didn't disappoint, taking us through a short but snappy, dystopian scene. Any readers that have spent time in hospitality or customer service will feel this piece a little too closely. Read below for our interview with Jon!
What compels you to write or create, even when it's hard?
Creation is fun, even when it’s hard. It always feels like an indulgence, whereas I feel deeply unsatisfied if all I do in a day is consume. For me, the hard part isn’t sitting down to create. It’s deciding which of the 6,000 things flying through my mind will get a chance to find its form. It’s hard to create one thing at a time, especially if it takes a long time. The thing you’re making might not work—in fact, it doesn’t work until the very end—but the risk is what makes it fun.
What other creative endeavors do you pursue?
I play several instruments, write songs, and try to record them somewhat competently. I used to be in a pretty cool band called Killer Workout. Now, I have a solo project called Elderly Hologram and a new band that still needs a name (I’m open to suggestions). Ironically, I despise the process of writing lyrics.
What's your first memory of realizing you were good-weird (not one where you felt ostracized or bullied, but one that gave you a positive feeling instead)?
At some point when I was young—eight or nine maybe—I started getting a kick out of doing these jerky, weird dances while making funny faces. Some people didn’t get it but others found it hilarious. I realized there was a market for oddball behavior. The funny thing is I became extremely self-conscious about learning actual dance moves that might have been useful for social situations and general self-confidence. I’m still not a very good dancer but I can still make people laugh with ridiculous flailing.
Does where you were born affect your writing?
I was born in Texas but my family moved to Colorado a year later, so I’m going to talk about Colorado instead. People from Colorado fucking love Colorado. I grew up there in the 90s and early 00s before it was cool and I remember yearning for a more cultured existence. That desire to know the wider world is part of what attracted me to reading and then to my first attempts at writing fiction. But I also loved it there. Something about the wide expanse of the mile-high Colorado sky and the way the landscape extends into infinity makes your heart hurt for the beauty of the world and all its potential. That’s great fuel for the imagination. Also, Coloradans are friendly and down-to-earth, which keeps me on guard for pretentiousness in my writing.
What is your favorite word?
Incredulous.
What is your favorite banned book?
1984. Its central themes of language desecration and memory control are perennial. And for all those people scoffing at this “high school reading list” entry, I’d like to confirm their suspicion that I have never once read another book. Not one! It’s 1984 all the way down. You got me.
What will your biography be titled?
Jon with No H: Pointless Instructions to Baristas and Other Oddities
Name a book that made you cry (or feel like crying).
Maus and Maus II for obvious reasons.
What's saved your life?
A blue, 2000s-era Mercury Sable. It was a gas-guzzling land yacht that I hated. Then, one Easter Sunday, this geriatric grandma fell asleep at the wheel of her Jeep Grand Cherokee and T-boned me full-speed, downhill at a red light, right in the driver’s side. My Sable was such a tank that it absorbed the entire blow. I only had minor back strain. Also, this happened during the Cash for Clunkers scheme, so it was valued higher than when we bought it. I used the insurance money to buy a car I liked much better.
What's a movie you return to again and again?
Spaceballs. I saw it before Star Wars, funny enough. It’s such a well-made parody that I was genuinely enraptured by all the space opera tropes, even with all the jokes. My dad was like, “Um, you should watch the real thing,” and became a huge nerd about it. But I come back to Spaceballs frequently because the jokes are so tight. I can probably recite the whole movie at this point.
Have you ever gone on a literary pilgrimage—to see an author's birthplace or setting of a favorite novel, etc.?
Not yet, but I would like to see some of the places Orwell fought during the Spanish Civil War.
What's your process for naming characters?
It’s partly research, partly feeling, and partly musical — and not always in that order. For research, I often look to the setting and see what names might be appropriate for whatever era I’m writing in. Then I try to find names that seem slightly less popular but not too obtuse. Or sometimes I’ll reference a real person’s name. For feeling, I “look” at the mental image of my characters (which just appears to me without forethought) and try on names to see what works. For musicality, I “listen” to see if I like the meter of the name and the arrangement of its phenomes. It’s all very imprecise.
Do you have a favorite book on writing or creating that's been a helpful resource?
My friend turned me onto Million Dollar Outlines when I started my novel, which I highly recommend if you’re trying to write genre fiction. It’s a great guide to compelling narrative structure and where things should happen in your story.
What is your ideal writing environment (busy coffee shop, silent home office, the train, dark pub, etc.)?
I mostly write at home in my office or living room because it’s easy to sit down and just work, which is more important than setting. I love writing in bars by hand on a yellow steno pad but after three drinks I start to lose the thread. I also love coffee shops because they provide a change of scenery, but often they play music that I like too much so I can’t concentrate. I’ve heard you can book passage on those big container ships, so I’d like to try that sometime and see the middle of the ocean. I imagine it’s boring as hell most of the time, so I’d get lots of work done.
Who's your favorite weirdo?
Bob Odenkirk. I love his hilarious and strange work with Mr. Show and various Adult Swim productions. But he’s also an amazing dramatic actor. He went a long time without getting proper recognition for his talent, and I’d wager most people don’t know about his weird work before Breaking Bad. Look up “Totally Wizzed Out!” from Tom Goes to the Mayor. Just do it.
Unpopular opinion, go:
Gatekeeping isn’t inherently bad for creative franchises and fanbases. Not to say people should be assholes and pedants. You can be warm and inviting and still have standards, at least when it comes to deciding who gets to have influence over the direction of the stories you love. Attention is the most valuable commodity of the modern age, and some people have invested a lot of theirs in epic stories. That deserves to be respected.
Advice on creating that you’ve learned by trial and error?
Routines really work and they are the opposite of boring. Catch inspiration when you can, sure, but most of the time you’re too distracted to know what’s good for you. Just sit down and work.
Read the Fall 2024 issue here!
Jon Swihart is a writer and musician from Seattle. He typically writes dark humor, near-future dystopian satire, and absurdism. You can find his work at jonswihartwrites.substack.com.