Author Michelle Wildgen illuminates the often unconscious anxieties and motivations that drive people every day and shape their interactions with others. “These dynamics operate whether we realize it or not, which is why I am riveted by them,” she says.
They also make for riveting reading. That’s why fans turn to Wildgen’s engrossing, psychologically acute novels. Each explores emotional complexity while immersing readers in a buffet for the senses. “I will always tell you what someone is eating and how their body feels,” she says. “I try to bring the reader all the way in.”
Wildgen herself is similarly compelling, often taking an unexpected stance toward writing and her successful career.
The Path to Wildgen’s first publication
Wildgen has wanted to be a writer ever since she was a teen, but she never daydreamed of fame and fortune. “I didn’t think, ‘Well if I’m not a famous bestseller, it isn’t worth it,’” she says. I just wanted to be able to write well enough to be a professional, whatever that looked like.”
Like most successful authors, however, her journey required her to overcome adversity. “The biggest challenge was probably just discipline and persistence in the face of rejection,” Wildgen says. “It’s a big noisy world, and it’s hard to break through it to find your readers or to separate yourself from the piles of other writers fighting for eyeballs from agents and editors.”
When her first novel, “You’re Not You,” was published in 2006, she experienced an unconventional reaction. “I had to keep reminding myself, ‘This is all a good thing. It’s not a mixed bag, or secretly crappy, or hiding a horrible time bomb. Writing and publishing this book is actually an accomplishment to be proud of,’” she says. “Clearly, my mindset can be described as ‘fearful pessimist.’”
This pessimism seems to have been misplaced since “You’re Not You” became a highly-rated feature-length film starring Hilary Swank in 2014.
Writing enables everything else
Even now, having written and released four successful novels, Wildgen acknowledges the continued drawbacks that can come with the writer’s life. “There are certainly times when it feels like you could be doing many other things that reward you more and sooner, with completion, with reasonable pay, with people feeling helped and gratified by your efforts as an editor or teacher and so on,” she says.
Wildgen should know since she served as an editor at the prestigious literary magazine Tin House for almost 20 years and has regularly written reviews for the New York Times Book Review. She also continues to offer editorial services to aspiring writers. “My work as an editor, which is so tied to writing, is so much fun and so gratifying,” she says. “I get to see writers grow and their projects take shape.”
Yet she keeps coming back to her own creative writing to stay centered. “Writing itself is the underpinning for my ability to do all those other things,” she says. “So I like to keep it close.”
Part of the secret of her success has been adopting a mindset of acceptance and self-compassion. “I try to be flexible about its role in my life, too,” she says. “I try not to beat myself up if I need a break or a project isn’t coming together. I’ve gotten past those obstacles before and have to trust I can do it again.”
Wildgen’s creative process
To find the inspiration for her books, Wildgen keeps an open mind and allows her natural curiosity to do its work. “I usually walk around for a long time between projects, just paying attention to whatever grabs me and holding on to it to see if it starts to gather layers,” she explains. “Usually, it is something to do with relationships, or with some job or situation that feels both reasonable and possible, yet, on further investigation, quite singular and compelling.”
For example, she got the idea for “You’re Not You” from a thought experiment. “My first novel came out of trying to imagine the work of caregiving if you were just thrown into it without lots of training: the physical and emotional intimacy of stepping into someone’s private space and private life,” she explains.
Her latest release, “Wine People,” is partly based on her own experience. “I worked for a great restaurant in my twenties, specifically to learn about food and wine, and that was where I started learning about wine importing and the glamor and grind of that industry,” she says. “Restaurants and food have been a focus in my writing ever since, and after my third book, I wanted to find a topic that was fun to write and fun to read. Travel, gastronomy, corporate backstabbing — that all sounded fun to me — so I started interviewing people in the wine business to see if it felt like a good topic for me. By the end of interview one, I was hooked.”
Wildgen’s fans are, too. For that reason, Oprah chose “Wine People” as a Daily Summer Pick, and Time Magazine named it one of the “25 New Books You Need to Read This Summer” in 2023.
What’s next for Michelle Wildgen
“When I encounter readers who were moved by something I wrote–in light or dark ways–that never gets old,” Wildgen says. “I am so grateful that I get to spend all my time either writing or talking about stories. That’s a privilege I never take for granted.”
Fans will be happy to hear that a new idea has ignited in Wildgen’s imagination and started to gather layers. “It’s so early that I don’t want to lay out lots of detail, knowing it may change,” she says. “I can tell you it’s set at least partially in the wellness industry and is about disrupting old family patterns.”
One thing seems inevitable — whatever the final shape Wildgen’s next book takes, it will cast new light on the complexities of the human condition while transporting readers into a vibrant sensory experience. Prepare to laugh, cry, and see the world anew.