How did you become a writer?
In solitude.  

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).
The weather, definitely. The seasons.

The first piece of writing that truly excited me as a young adult was Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. 

This year, on my drive to work, I have been very drawn to Bible verse placards at the end of farm lanes. They're different every month and I'm always on the lookout. These signs have no interest in comforting or amusing people, which I respect. The KJV is out for blood.

When and where do you write?
I don't have a set time. I write on a laptop while sitting at a folding card table that doubles as my kitchen table. 

What are you working on now?
An essay about my dead cat.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?
No. I'd say it's more fear combined with laziness. When one or the other is present, writing is doable. When I am too lazy to overcome the fear, or too fearful to defy the laziness, nothing happens. The writer is the block. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
I don't know. I absorb all advice but completely ignore it.

What’s your advice to new writers?
Since you will (hopefully) ignore my advice, new writers, here goes: 
No one will do it for you. Read things. Writing is not publishing. The lit world is like every other industry. Defend your time. Write what's interesting to you. Don't get too invested in rejection or your own success—the approval and opinions of others are ultimately meaningless and probably based in some capitalistic/ego-driven motivation, so you might as well please yourself first. Unless you're a prodigy and/or write mainstream stuff, your writing won't be remembered, anyway. So live a good life and enjoy things. 

Ashley Hutson is a writer living in rural Maryland. Her debut novel, One's Company, was published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2022. She is a 2022 recipient of the MSAC Independent Artist Award.