Interview with Ethan Wang

Published in Issue No. 2, Vox Novum.

Hello! I am Ethan Wang, and I am 20 years old. I am from Pennsylvania, and I am current a University of Virginia student. I am planning on studying marketing with a minor in data science, and I started writing last year for my creative fiction class-- this is something I'm new to, so I am glad that people enjoyed my story. It makes me want to continue writing in my free time! Other things that I enjoy are watching movies and making my own short films, photography, music production, exercise, trying new foods, and seeing new places.

Interview published in Issue No. 6, Scriba Vita, March 1st, 2025.

What inspired you to write the piece(s) that was published in Everscribe? Can you share the story behind it?

In my creative writing class, the first few stories were serious and had this immense weight to them. I wanted to make something more lighthearted and fun. A lot of the dialogue was inspired by conversations I've had, or observations that I've made. I like to notice these little things because they're funny. The Idiot by Elif Batuman inspired the level of detail in Business Bear. I studied it in a class last year. Finally, there are some feelings of fear towards the corporate world. Trying to get into the selective commerce school means tackling it head on.

What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your work?

Really, I'd be happy if you left the story just feeling amused. It doesn't have to be much more than that. If you want to think about it more, then go ahead. That makes me happy, too.

How has your writing evolved since you started? Are there any particular influences that have shaped your style?

Like I said earlier, Elif Batuman's The Idiot. Business Bear was my first story, and I made a sequel that was similar in style, and then the last one I made was pretty different and retrospective. The latest work was inspired by Haruki Murakami. I was reading Kafka on The Shore at the time. Super cool book. Other than that, I mostly write like how I would talk, or how I would journal to myself.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring authors, what would it be?

I don't feel like I should be giving advice; I'm just a student that took a creative writing course for fun. I like to write conversationally and try to make weird observations that I find funny, but you should do whatever you want to do. Just write something that you'd read yourself. Also, get a nice mechanical keyboard to type on. Makes everything more fun. And take long showers for ideas.

Are there any upcoming projects or works in progress that you’re particularly excited about?

No, not really. I was going to take intermediate creative writing this semester, but I decided to study Chinese history instead. But, I think I'll try to write something else over winter break. Writing is super fun! I have more time now.

How can readers find you and see more of your work?

I have a website: www.fthanwa.com. There's some pictures and videos and stories I have on there. If you want to read the sequel to Business Bear, it's titled Detective Dog under the more section. I'm also on Instagram @fthanwa and Bluesky @fthanwa. I plan on making some more videos soon.