Writer Showcase: Ruth Buchanan's Best Work

A summer interview series, volume 9.

Today I have the honor of featuring a writer I know from The Internet World but whom I have actually gotten to meet in person! You’ll have to read to the end to see the ridiculous photo we took together in 2024.

Ruth

is the author of Socially Awkward, and The Proper Care and Feeding of Singles, and the director of literary services at Build a Better Us. She writes

And Another Thing

here on Substack. You might remember a recent piece we collaborated on, In Defense of Middle-Grade Bangers. Ruth is a dedicated, energy-brimful writer who inspires me to work hard and not take myself too seriously. Interviewing her was a delight!

What do you write about?

Offline, I'm the author of five plays, nine books, and countless articles and essays. No matter the topic, framework, or genre, everything I write seems to carry a thread of humor running all the way through. I've written about a woman who breaks her ankle and thinks she's being stalked by a serial killer (the Collapsible series), a heartwarming tale of holiday mayhem (Murder on Birchardville Hill), a book about being a single woman of a certain age in the American Evangelical church (The Proper Care and Feeding of Singles), a book about how all stories point back to the Creator (The Cross in the Culture) and perhaps the book baby I'm proudest of at the moment, a book about having hard conversations about topics that matter (Socially Awkward: Pressing Through Discomfort to Engage Tough Topics).

I also have some unpublished manuscripts floating around on submission through my literary agent, Rachel McMillian. But we shall not speak of this because it makes me want to throw up in a trash can.

Online, I mostly write about reading, writing, and absolute nonsense.

Here on Substack, I just tend to play around, have fun, and write about life's little adventures and foibles, like how I recently fell down the stairs and broke my foot. (Sorrows!)

Why did you choose this theme/topic?

Honestly, I sometimes I wish I'd chosen just one topic.

But I have ADHD. Literally. Diagnosed. And it affects my writing life. My brain chooses topics and obsessions, and I follow my interests.

It's extremely creatively enriching, though I will admit, confusing for branding purposes.

How long have you been writing on Substack?

According to my Dashboard, I joined in June of 2020.

What other bylines have you had in the past?

Before Substack, I was writing on Wordpress, and before that I was on Blogspot, and before that it was LiveJournal, and before that it was embarrassing diaries and unhinged personal letters to friends.

Please share a few links to your favorite pieces of work, and tell us a little about each one.

The Men on the Internet Have Something to Say: Some thoughts on going viral as a single woman on the internet.

Because We Carry It Well: Co-writer Lacey Keigley and I discuss what "handling it well" and making it look so easy" really feels like.

Hi, It's Me. The Potato Girl.: In which I attend a speed dating event and talk way too much about potatoes.

The Time I Called 911 on My Run: No, really. I did. It was terrifying.

5 Signs You're Not Living in a Rom-Com: Alas.

Who is one other Substack writer you admire? (Link to one of their pieces.)

I love reading my friend Lacey's essays over on So Every Day! Lacey writes oodles of beautiful personal essays rooted in her everyday life, like this recent one about The Coldplay Kiss Cam Debacle from her perspective as someone who, in her words, "has also been surprised by adultery."

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Amy here. I love Ruth’s ability to distill a profound sentiment into a few well-chosen words. I think that’s why her piece Things Are Things resonated with me so deeply. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it too, and that you’ll subscribe to

And Another Thing

for writing encouragement, funny memoir, and reflections on reading well.

In August 2024, I had the privilege of hanging out with Ruth in person at a writers’ meetup, and she signed my copy of Socially Awkward. I was appropriately, and awkwardly, awe-struck. :)