Kristin Nilsen

Kristin Nilsen has been a children’s librarian, a bookseller, a perfume seller, a horse poop shoveler, a typist (on an actual typewriter), a storyteller, a seventh grader, and a mom to both humans and dogs. Today she is a self-proclaimed Pro Crushologist who talks about Gen X pop culture on The Pop Culture Preservation Society podcast. Her latest book: Worldwide Crush. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of the only big cities in the world where you can look out your window and see a lake. Which she likes. A lot.

Instagram: @Kristin.Nilsen.Writer

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?  
There’s a little indie movie from 2016 called Sing Street that spoke to me so hard and I can't quite let it go. The soundtrack became my psych-up music before writing sessions because it helped tell the movie's story:  a boy in 1980s Ireland tries to get the attention of his crush by pretending he needs her help in filming a music video. It made visual the experience of having a crush and that helped me put words to my main character’s feelings.

I'm also in love with Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, Little Miss Sunshine, Bridesmaids, and Booksmart. They all spoke to things I write about: girls and women in transition and the funny people around them who either get in their way or help them on their journey. Good movies are like books-come-to-life for me.

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write? 

I don't listen to music while I write but I use it beforehand to help me get into the headspaces of my characters and access their feelings. I have one playlist for Worldwide Crush that’s like a chronological history of teen crushes, starting with Elvis and ending with my next husband, Harry Styles. I have another called Thirteen that is intended to tap into my thirteen-year-old brain and the feelings I had when I liked someone. It includes the song Thirteen by Big Star, Beyond by Leon Bridges, and U Smile by Justin Bieber. 

But most importantly, there’s one song that became an anthem for Worldwide Crush because it helped me reveal the true theme of the story; and that is that Millie, at thirteen, is unwritten. She’s undefined. The pen is in her hand, her ending unplanned. She's transitioning from childhood into adolescence, she has a goal in the distance, so close she can almost taste it, she just has to release her inhibitions … feel the rain on your skin … these, of course, are the lyrics to Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield and it is the soundtrack to Millie’s story.

Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing? 

Generally, food isn't an inspiration BUT Worldwide Crush did help me find my new favorite snack food: Funyons! In the book, Millie’s crush reveals in a Q&A that his favorite snack is Funyons. I had no feelings about Funyons, I just chose it because I thought  it was a funny word. After writing about Funyons for literally years, I finally tried them. I can’t believe I’ve wasted so much time NOT eating Funyons! And now I'm having a Funyons bar at my book launch party.

Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome? 

Writing is especially prone to this because you had to hire yourself to write this book; no one hired you based on your impressive resumé. No one chose you over other candidates. So you might pour your heart and soul into writing a book and then have nightmares that it’s a total piece of poo but no one will tell you.

And it gets worse when you start submitting to agents and editors because you might get mixed messages as I did: this is amazing I love it so much! But no thank you. Who’s right? Is it amazing or unworthy of publication? All of it messes with your self-worth and makes you think you're a fool to dress up as a writer.

Do you collect anything? If so, what, why, and for how long? 

I collect celebrity crush stories. It’s such a universal phenomenon – you had one, your mom had one, your daughter is probably having one right now – and it’s fun to hear how even the most buttoned-up person might have a story about kissing a poster of John Stamos. It’s the great equalizer. And ultimately validating for people who might wonder if they're doing something weird or bad. The truth is that it’s the most natural thing in the world and extremely helpful in learning how to show up authentically for an IRL relationship someday. They're our practice-boyfriends/girlfriends.

I also collect vinyl records. Often by my former practice-boyfriends.