Interviews with Elle

An interview with Rhymer Reisen

An interview with Rhymer Reisen , May 2022

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing since I was four, about thirty-eight years ago. It was snowy, and since my mom wouldn’t let me go and freeze to death, she sat me in front of a typewriter where I spent all day working on a story about a cat. I didn’t know I was a writer until I joined Writing.com and realized how fun it is to structure a story and mix it with art and humanity.

What genres do you write in?
Whichever ones will have me. I’ve played with fantasy, horror, mythology, but right now, I’m really learning the differences between even the vernaculars used by the various genres. I like the darker stories where a character might be confronted by something horrible we all do and either accepts or changes, but I write in the LGBTQ+ category because most of my main characters are gay; it’s what I know. But I’m really just intrigued by humans being humans.

Do you read in the same genres that you write in?
I’m sure I have to…Serling is great with picking at and deconstructing that moment we turn from a civilized species into vessels of the primal desire to survive, the question of how close we are to animals in our behaviors and desires. I read a lot in the LGBTQ+ because, besides my obvious reasons, I like to see how we’re representing ourselves. Especially if the writing is gritty and real.

What has been the hardest thing for you so far on your writing journey?
It’s been difficult to accept myself by the same standards by which I accept others. It’s easy to look at someone’s story, even if it’s written below their standards, and see a good story there, to identify a desire and the attempt to translate who they are. It’s a beautiful part of the writing process, but it feels like a disaster when I make these same mistakes. I’m learning I can’t be Alanis Morissette’s “Perfect” and keep my sanity.

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas from?
I’m giving credit for story ideas to my my muse Reggie, though I dunno where he gets them. Right now I’m especially into watching tv and reading books while spotting techniques and tricks. South Park is an excellent show using main literary elements, but those writers are so adept, sometimes it’s hard to discern what they’ve done. Minx did a good job of developing their characters with the added fun of a storyline about publishing. The Righteous Gemstones relies more on stronger subplots to move their characters and story along. Maid is brilliant with dialogue…every sentence is a give or take. Seeing that someone else gets what we’re doing as writers, to see them using what we learn, it’s inspiring.

Do you have a favourite author? Or perhaps an author you view as an inspiration?
Jurassic Park was the first “adult” book I read, and from there, I was raised by Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and John Grisham. I really like Joe Hill and Rod Serling these days, but when I need to find myself, to return to a feeling of home, my choice will always be King.

What's the best writing advice you've ever received?
The one idea that hit the hardest wasn’t even an instruction about the language. It was in his essay “The Joy of Writing”: “For the first thing a writer should be is — excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it would be better for his health.” And I love that! Come to the keyboard with zest and gusto or don’t bother showing up at all! A story is always going to be work, but if we’re dreading it, if we have to force it, there’s no point even wasting our time.

What is your purpose in writing? Do you aspire to be published?
I used to believe being published was the pinnacle of one’s career, and though I’d love to see someone carrying my book around, my goal is learning to be effective, to tell stories that are well-written, honest, and interesting. My main motive right now is to discover who I am as a writer, to learn everything I can so that I can create something others might enjoy. I’m working on "The Queen of Serpents"  as if I’ll want it published, but it’s more about quality than holding it in my hands. As long as it’s good and it gets to those who want it, I’m on track.

On Writing.com, you've created a space for queer authors and their allies. Do you consider yourself a spokesperson or an advocate for queer authors?
If I’m a spokesperson, we are in so much trouble. Ha HA! I know it tickles something deep within when I comb through WDC and find these pieces that have been hidden away for so long, or maybe they never received attention, buried in the undergrowth of time. Sometimes we just need to be reminded our lives have meaning, that what we do matters. Our stories matter, not just to us as the creators, but to even the one or two who might read our words. That’s what I’m all about. That’s what the Readerie is here for, to push ourselves a little further by showing how talented we are.

Queer publications are becoming more mainstream. What are your thoughts on this? Is enough being done to promote the work of queer authors?
I love seeing so many queer authors with stories and characters who fall from the rainbow right into a more realistic version of life. We aren’t monsters, we aren’t degenerates; we’re your daughters and friends and fathers who are trying so hard to find where we fit into life. And if there’s a story out there I’m not finding, I know now I can just write it. There are never too many stories as long as we’re writing with individuality and originality and honesty.

I know that there are a number of stories on Writing.com featuring queer characters that are written by allies. What are your thoughts about works featuring queer characters that are written by allies? Do these detract from or suppress queer authors?
It’s very cool to see allies stretching their creativity into what might be unknown to and uncomfortable for them for the sake of understanding. Is there anything more inspiring than the moment realization lights up, when someone gets that we’re all needing to be loved, that we’re begging to be understood and liked for who we are, to be free of whatever holds us back? I support that no matter the story or genre. Besides, I consider allies under the same rainbow because gay and straight are concepts more fluid than we’re trained to think. It doesn’t matter how one identifies, our community and genre have relied heavily on those supporters who have worked just as hard as we have to help people understand who we are and that we just need to be loved.

Okay, what's with the naked cats?
They make me feel more secure when I walk around after a shower. Ha HA! A few years ago, someone had a hairless kitten they couldn’t take with them, so they asked if I wanted her. I responded that I’d never been around one, but I can’t say no to a pet needing a home. It was weird the first few days…I didn’t want to even pet her because I didn’t want to hurt her. So she claimed my lap, fell asleep, and I realized these guys are just like every other cat. They just want to be loved, and the ones we’ve had have been full of love. Quill Winner LeeLoo rides my shoulder like a parrot for most of the day. I couldn’t imagine life without them.

You like to sing, right? What's your favourite genre of music? Favourite song to sing?
I auditioned for American Idol twice, and both times they didn’t let me through. I love singing, but I only do it when nobody is home and the animals are left to suffer through. We purchased a puppy a couple of weeks ago, and we named her “Audrey” from “Little Shop of Horrors”. I’ve been walking around the house, gifting her with my rendition of “Suddenly Seymour”, and she thanks me by howling and snapping at my lips. It’s our way.

What is a transcendentalist and why do you like them so much?
Transcendentalism is a movement started in the nineteenth century in response to Unitarianism. The loudest proponents at the time were Emerson and Thoreau, and they incorporated their beliefs of Divinity as nature within their works. “Self-Reliance” and “Spiritual Laws” are essays by Emerson, and, of course, Thoreau would write of his transcendentalist beliefs in “Walden”. When I read them in high school, I felt what they said, could feel something so much bigger in nature, and they used their words with a precision that laid so many of my personal foundations.

I know you and I could sit down together and watch the Jurassic Park movies (I'm so excited about the new one coming out!! Squee!) or watch Big Bang Theory, or seriously just talk for hours, but for those who don't know you, is there anything you think people would need to know about you before they sit down and spend time with you?
First of all…Jurassic Park: Dominion has me so fired up! I’m hoping with everything I’ve learned that it still holds up, but I’m pretty sure, in my heart, it won’t matter. It’s Jurassic Park. And I hear Rexy is gonna be at the after-party.

I make jokes about things that are literally killing me at the most inappropriate times. I guess nobody is ever for a joke like that, but sometimes, it isn’t about the audience. I deal with things by making jokes because I’m gonna go out, regardless; I’d rather go out laughing.

What's your favourite piece of your own writing?
I’ve been so busy learning that I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to consider my pieces as a reader. I’ve only ever seen them from the writer’s side, but now I’m considering maybe I should do that. Right now. lol

I know "Invalid Item"  has been my favorite story to write so far. So much of my personal life was demanding attention while the gears regarding writing began to turn and click in my head, and my muse commandeered the opportunity. It was the first piece in which I found a voice closer to my own as opposed to that basic universal voice we all start off with. I don’t know where the following paragraph came from, because it wasn’t born of my thoughts…this just emerged, and it allowed me to tell my inner saboteur to kindly take the day off.

“Our species has this misconception that life can be side-stepped,” Rick said. “To live, to really be human means taking risks for that one chance you might escape the cliff and barge into the sky with your new wings. I don’t know where we got the idea that civilization equates the decay of our humanity, but life isn’t clean. It’s gross and disgusting; it’s moist. We were never intended for cautious experiences.”