An Interview with O. Ryan Hussain: Author of The Outlandish and the Ego

O. Ryan Hussain is the new voice of comedic fiction and satire. The characters featured in his debut novel, The Outlandish and the Ego, are vibrant creations from a true genius. There is currently nobody better at blending truth, comedy and dirty fun.

Tell us about your book.

The Outlandish and the Ego is a comedy that is really about a few things—the absurdity of our political system, mental health, policing, and news and information being manipulated. It’s only through the wild mockery of those things that this book can claim to be comedic.

What do you think are the main pitfalls for indie writers?

I was listening to James Patterson talk about his process of writing, starting with the initial idea for the book, and he had a way of always keeping in mind the end market or audience for the book that I don’t think most indie writers do with their own respective books. Is that a pitfall? I don’t know. I think indie writers today are a lot like indie bands of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Are there a ton of them? Yeah. Are most of them not that great? I don’t know, probably. But the thing they all have in common is they don’t give a shit about end markets and are just trying to finish this thing, this piece of art they believe in. After it’s done, I think there is a belief that the audience will eventually be found — just like the Pixies or Dinosaur Jr. found theirs.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

I’ve always held schedules and routines in the same hateful pocket of my gut as I do things like freeway traffic, loud drunks and Sean Hannity. But to write a novel, you have to find consistency. For me, there is a deep pool of night that swells around two in the morning that aligns very nicely with productivity. For whatever reason, I find that’s the time for me to write and most of this first book was written in that timeframe, every day, for about eight months until the first draft was completed.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I’ve always found the premise of “writer’s block” to be so hard to grasp. Is it a creative barrier you’ve hit? Is it writer’s fatigue? Or are you just not finishing what you’ve started? In any case, it’s a lot like a hitter in baseball going through a slump. The only way to get out of that slump is to keep swinging. If I’m struggling to finish a chapter or short story, there are always other avenues of writing that can jumpstart matters. For me, nothing is a better slump buster than trolling online review sites with fictitious experiences written from alternate personas. I might be kidding. But probably not.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

I’m a believer in satire. For one, mockery is just fun. And two, sometimes the only way people can see the things differently than they initially appear is if they are framed within comedy, albeit a dark comedy. So many of my influences are outside of literature and within comedy. Folks like Norm Macdonald and Conan O’Brien influenced my thinking and how I constructed jokes and timing of jokes as much as anyone else. I don’t think I could have written my first novel in any other kind of a genre than satire and comedy.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

For me, the answer to this question always begins with Jack Kerouac. Before I read On the Road I never knew that the rules of literature could be bent so far and wide that style that unique could creep into the narrative. I didn’t even like reading, quite frankly, before reading Kerouac. So, in that regard, I owe everything to him and that one beautiful book. And though Kerouac was a launching point for me, Hunter S. Thompson was and is that singular writer that just completely resonates with me. I can’t get enough of his deviant charm and blunt insight. It’s hard, in every facet of life, to blend humor and wit with uncovered truths, but that’s what Hunter did consistently, and I love every word.

Where are you from and how has it played a role in your writing?

I was born in Santa Clara, California and lived in the Bay Area for most of my life. I live in the Midwest now. The Bay Area is a beautiful place to live with lots and lots of amazing people and things to do, but I always retreated within my own head and was trying to find new places to go. If anything, writing was just a way to explore those places more.

You’ve mentioned comedians and other authors that serve as inspiration for you, are there others?

I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is music. Way before I thought being a writer was cool, I wanted to be a musician. Pearl Jam, arguably, has been the greatest outside influence on me. I used to listen to every song and every single word that Eddie Vedder put down over and over again. I could find so many different variations to the meanings of those songs. I’m forever grateful for that band.

What’s next for you as an author?

I’ve got 3-4 raw ideas that I’d love to take on for novels down the line. But there is a story that has been nagging at me for about ten years now. There is no avoiding it. I’ve already begun the first draft and hopefully in a year or so from now I can release it.

What’s the next book going to be about?

It’s going to be a departure from the “Political Erotica” genre that I framed up with The Outlandish and the Ego. It would be impossible for me to not want to create funny moments with anything I write, but this one will likely have fewer of those. I really want to explore madness and the journey to crazy. I think that most people get closer to the line that separates everyday life and true madness a lot more than they’re comfortable recognizing. So, this next book is going to play around with that notion, as well as reality, hyperreality, dreams and unconscious states. It’s going to be a ride, for sure.