by Rebecca Grace
As part of the Ivy Hall Writers Series last Thursday, Sloane Crosley proved she has the very thing she says all writers need to be successful: equal doses of self-doubt and confidence. Upon sitting down she announced that she got up very early that morning and felt a little bit like an alien for having showered the night before. Without waiting for a response, she then quickly went into the story of publishing her first essay. One wonders if her knack for exclaiming offbeat things without preamble or self-consciousness is the key to her success. Or can one learn to be humorous?
Either way, with two New York Times best-seller essay collections under her belt (“I Was Told There’d Be Cake” and “How Did You Get This Number”), Crosley’s life bears some resemblance to that of Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex & the City.” She’s a young, single, pretty writer living it up in New York City.
Crosley has made a career out of her ability to poke fun at herself (and sometimes others) while looking at the little moments in life through the lens of the universal human experience. Her first book, published in 2008, was conceived after being locked out of two apartments in one day. Her second collection, published last year, takes on a host of common (and not-so-common) issues, from one-night stands to guests who leave surprises on the bathroom floor. Her quirky outlook combined with life’s larger themes make her essays relatable and readable.
Rebecca Grace: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Sloane Crosley: I have always loved to tell stories. I don’t think there was a moment when I knew. I originally wanted to be an archeologist and I think it’s just a matter of knowing yourself, thinking: what do I find most interesting about this thing I allegedly love? The bones, or the stories behind the bones?
Grace: Best and worst things about the writing life?
Crosley: Being your own boss is tricky. No one is telling you to get to a certain point in an essay. It’s very much like feeling around in the dark. The best thing? You get to be a writer. That seems like a pretty good deal.
Grace: Best advice/thing you learned at your first job?
Crosley: My first boss once told me that you get one favor from anyone. So make it good and make it easy on them.
Grace: Who has been the biggest influence on you as a writer?
Crosley: Maybe Joan Didion. Or Lorrie Moore. It’s tough to choose.
Grace: How did it feel to quit your day job as publicist at Vintage?
Crosley: Frightening. I miss the office supplies and the people (not in that order), but I am very happy now as well.
Grace: Is the publishing industry going under? If so, what will that mean to writers like you?
Crosley: I hope not but I wouldn’t know. I think writers like me would sink with the ship. No “essayists and novelists first!” in the boats. I think the world we live in would save Snooki.
Grace: Of your work, do you have a favorite essay?
Crosley: I like the long ones in general but it’s hard to play favorites.
Grace: Where’s the line between fiction and nonfiction?
Crosley: It’s in the spelling.
Grace: Is there a question you hate that you are always asked as a writer? If so, why? (If I’ve asked it, I’m sorry!)
Crosley: Huh, well this is a good question in itself. I think if people ask me how I decide what makes a good essay. I understand the question but it’s a hop, skip and a jump away from “where do you get your ideas?” I just don’t know how to answer that. So I don’t hate any question, but I always feel ill-equipped to answer that one.
Grace: What’s one skill you’re thankful you learned or that you wish you’d learned earlier?
Crosley: I have no skills worth noting. I use “rabbit ears” to tie my shoes and calculate percentages using “IS over OF = % over 100.” Remember that? It’s quite sad.
Grace: What’s next for you and how does it feel to have done so much already?
Crosley: I don’t think of it as having done a lot. But thank you! I am working on a novel and more essays.
