48 | The Writer • May 2020
HOW I WRITE
BY ALLISON FUTTERMAN
R
ight from the first line, Peter
Kispert’s fiction grabs your
interest and refuses to let
go. It’s easy to see why his
debut short story collection, I Know
You Know Who I Am, earned raved
reviews and a place on several best-of
lists for 2020. Although these stories
share a common intriguing theme of
deception, each one is also a stand-
alone treasure in
its own right.
Kispert impres-
sively crafts well-
developed,
affecting stories
that are full of
depth and sharp
prose. Readers
will find them-
selves savoring each one. Kispert works
as an editor at HarperCollins and is
currently writing his first novel.
Common theme
I started writing stories that were
about liars, and I was able to broker
that with issues of queerness and my
own struggles. This is a book about
self-betrayal and how far we can get
away from ourselves. I think we often
internalize a lot of toxicity, and these
stories are about how we can become
confused when we try to be different
from who we really are for other peo-
ple. I saw a pattern emerge in my
work, and I followed that.
Shaping the story
Every story comes out in its own way. I
start with particular and unique ele-
ments that personally resonate with
me, though those may never wind up
on the page. When I begin, I don’t have
a set cast of characters. That comes out
Peter K isper t
I think we often
internalize a lot of
toxicity, and these
stories are about
how we can become
confused when we try
to be different from
who we really are
for other people.of the challenges that arise from what
I’m trying to say emotionally. I’ll write
a beginning a lot of times, and some-
times I also write the end – then I
bridge the gap. Every story is different,
and I try to honor story-making as an
act of discovery.Why short stories?
Short stories have affected and trans-
ported me, and I’ve found them to be
more engrossing than any other form,
even poetry or novels. There’s nothing
like immersing yourself and being
able to pull one out of the hat in a sin-
gle sitting. As a young writer, it was
my go-to in workshops. I like being
able to fully articulate a world view
quickly, and I also like the challenge
of compression. I’m finding I’m
relearning so much in the transition
to novel writing.Dialogue
I always find it helpful to read dialogue
aloud. It’s helpful in figuring out which
moments we really need to get that
close to. It’s about listening and trust-
ing yourself in that regard. Dialogue
was always a concern for me as a
young writer, and it didn’t come natu-
rally. But I started seeing it as an
opportunity to reveal character and see
what has the flavor of truth to it.Writing routine
My writing routine is reliably erratic. I
tend to write best early in the morn-
ing, between 5 to 7 a.m. There’s some-
thing about the silence and the
availability on the page that I couldn’t
get after a long, cluttered work day.
Sometimes I can write a little on the
subway. Even if it’s only a few words
here and there, I’ve created something.
I have a near-constant obsession
where I’m always thinking about sto-
ries and always turning a sentence
over in my mind. In that sense, I’m
always writing.Allison Futterman is a freelance writer based in
Charlotte, North Carolina.