Readers,
In case you missed it, this afternoon I had the pleasure of chatting with author Maurice Carlos Ruffin on my Substack Live “show.”
If you’re not familiar with Maurice, he’s a former attorney who left the law to become a writer, and is now the author of four books—three that have already been published, and one that’s forthcoming. He publishes the newsletter Sitting in Silence , where he often offers wisdom on the craft of writing, and fosters writing community. He’s about to lead a novel-writing workshop via The Shipman Agency in two sessions, July 23rd and 30th, from 6-8pm ET.
Maurice wrote about going from lawyering to writing for Oldster back in December, 2021, when the magazine was just a few months old. Here’s the piece:
Leaving the Law Behind for My Dream Job
By the time of my Jesus year, nothing was going as planned. I’ve always been a studious, conscientious sort. The kind of person to consider the bedding arrangements for people who may or may not be visiting until many weeks or months later. Any success in my life is built on this foundation: make a few smart choices early to …
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I enjoyed talking with Maurice, and really loved his responses to The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire. Here are some highlights:
On whether he feels old or young for his age:
I feel young for my age primarily because when I was younger, let's say high school, college, I played football and I was one of those very, very big guys who, on the offensive line, I was sort of smacking the other guys constantly. And what that taught me was how to do cardio. So I walk, I've always jogged, I run, sometimes I'll do some biking occasionally and rarely swimming. But what it's done is that it really slows down the aging process. And so a lot of people in my age bracket, they're kind of creaky and that sort of thing. But that being said, last year I hurt my leg at a kid’s birthday party and had to get surgery. So I feel maybe 10 years older this year than I did last year, but I still don't feel quite my age.
On what he likes about being his age:
I feel a sense of confidence that I didn't happen when I was younger. I think that when I was in even my 20s or early 30s, I just kept wondering when is life going to start? And I think that part of my conversion from being a full-time lawyer to being somebody who writes and teaches is that I feel like I'm really in my pocket, so to speak. I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, and that I have the wisdom to actually accomplish my goals. I can see the next 20, 30, 50 years of my life just being me working on literature.
On what aging has given him, and taken away from him:
I hate to be morbid about it, but look, I'm an African American male from America. Guys like me tend to live to about only 66 or 68 years old, which is shockingly low. It's one of the lowest mortality rates. Now, I'm in great health. I work out. I try to eat very well. I take care of myself. But it is strange to think that maybe that is a truth. The flip side of that though is that I tend to treat every day with great reverence. I don't waste time.
On how getting older has affected his sense of himself:
I've done a lot of things in my life. I have been a corporate lawyer, I have been a restaurateur. When I was a kid, I played orchestral music until I finished high school. I've been kind of a semi-athlete throughout my life. I think now that I'm a bit older, I have this sense of who I really am, which is somebody who enjoys making literature, whatever that means, and all kinds. I mean, I've written three books, two novels, one short story collection. I like to write poetry now. I've written some screenplays and maybe I’ll write a teleplay or a stage play at some point. So I'm really embracing that. And while it is a bit sad to leave some other things behind, there is a strength in consolidating who you really are and leaning into it as much as you possibly can.
On the turn of events that had the biggest impact on his life:
When Hurricane Katrina happened and my hometown was destroyed, I realized how delicate the balance of a life was and how short it could be. And so I just decided then to make some changes. I wasn't sure what the changes were going to be at that time, but basically it was to engage with my artistic spirit, to be sitting by myself and writing a short story, or to read craft books. And I began to do that more and more and more. I started taking classes and from that moment forward, I could never turn back to just being somebody in the working world.
On a piece of advice he lives by:
This advice I got from Bjork, not personally, but it's from one of her albums. She has this line that I always—it just reverberates in my head. She sings, “When in Doubt, Give.” When I'm confused about my next steps, it's always, How can I help somebody, some way? Sometimes it's as simple as texting somebody and saying, “Hey, how are you?” Or trying to provide other support to people that I meet in the world, just being more open. I think I've been a nice person in my life, but sometimes it's all in my head versus my actions. And so oftentimes I think, Maurice, what can you give in this moment that is more than maybe you want to give? You do it and it tends to be a good thing for everybody, including myself.
It’s a great interview. You can watch the whole thing above, at the top. ⬆️
Thanks to everyone for tuning in, and to Maurice Carlos Ruffin for joining me today.
