The College of Central Florida hosted the novelist and short story writer George Singleton as a part of CF’s Debra Vasquez Memorial Poetry Series. At the readings, hosted on Feb. 27 and 28, Singleton talked to the audience and read a few pages from his new book, “The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs.” During these readings, the author spoke about how he initially decided to write humour.

“I start [sic] writing stories at the age of 40. However, everything comes from the young age,” Singleton stated. “In my childhood, I liked one TV show called ‘Laugh-In’ with comedian Danny Rowan. I really enjoyed funny, hilarious stuff that he did, so I decided to be like that guy. I understand that there might be someone who wrote those texts for him. After, in college, I had a teacher who told me, ‘Go for it,’ and I did it.”

During the book signing, the author explained how to balance humor and seriousness in writing.

“If I’m writing the character who trips and falls down on the sidewalk, and the narrator says, ‘Oh, that happened to me before – ha, ha’ or “Never happened – I am so glad,’” Singleton explained. “So, to write like that, you have to be serious, hardly enough, because there is nothing funnier than human misery.”

The writer had a hard and unfunny childhood. However, it inspires him to write comical short stories.

“I just write autobiography [sic]. When I am writing, I want to feel like a stranger in the strange land. I use prototypes,” Singleton said. “Actually, it doesn’t have to be completely autobiographical things, but something that really happened to people, and it is partly true.”

The well-known writer also talked about what students need to succeed in writing.

“Students need to read a lot,” Singleton added. “When I was in college, I was not doing it enough, especially contemporary writers. However, I was taught to get your butt from the chair and write. I don’t believe in writer’s block. For example, if there is a blank screen on my computer, I would not get coffee, because I know about that empty paper. I always force myself to write something, even if it takes me just 10 minutes”.

Finally, the author teased some of his upcoming projects and future plans.

“Right now, I have, like, 13 stories. They are ready to get published in the next book. But I don’t want to release it right now in order to do another book tour. They may be coming out after I’m dead,” Singleton joked, not missing an opportunity to make a joke.

Overall, interacting with Singleton left students with a wonderful experience, autographed books, photos and more. Students who missed these poetry readings can stay tuned for future events by visiting cf.edu/events.