“It’s the only thing I’m good at. I’ve tried other s*** and I was unsuccessful. I can’t draw for s***. I’m s*** at sports. I’m s*** at most things besides writing,” says Adam Lawson, 22, fiction writing student and comedian.
It all started in the 2nd grade with an “awful” parody of South Park that he and a friend wrote and titled “West Park.” Now he’s a skilled fiction writer, running his blog Scoundrels and Vagrants successfully for four years and getting his work published in a few magazines.
“When I was younger I would write awful rip-off stories of Dragon Ball Z,” he recalls.
Adam recognizes the beauty in laughter and notices that everything can be made funny while still maintaining his awareness on the importance of everything.
“I think I’m funny; I’m sure as s*** ain’t sad,” he says with a laugh. “But I look at things more differently than everyone else. I see why everything can be funny. I also see why everything can be important and poetic. I think everything is beautiful in its own way, and everything can be painted beautifully.”
Because Adam is so comical, well-rounded, and down-to-earth (or partially intoxicated; he enjoys a good Bloody Mary for breakfast occasionally) he’s able to be inspired by everything.
Like most great writers and comedians, Adam’s way of thinking is beyond unique and his knack for new words is more than admirable. He likes to read books by authors Raymond Carver and Jean Shepherd.
“I like writers that make me look in the dictionary on every page,” he says.
Adam is in the process of writing his own novel titled A Weekend in the City. It’s about the things that are happening in people’s lives that no one knows about.
“The story focuses on a group of friends that reunites after a few years and then one of them dies and the other three friends have to live in the apartment with the dead body,” he says with a laugh. “And comedy ensues.”
He loves everything about writing except how long it can take and the days when he feels he isn’t good enough.
“Those are the worst days ever. Like I said, it’s the only thing that I’m good at, and when I don’t feel good at that, life is literally just a vortex of bad thoughts,” says Adam. “I can talk my way in and out of everything. I can talk my way into feeling depressed and s***ty, and that’s when it doesn’t go right. I hate the days when it doesn’t go right.”
Adam explains that from a young age, he would indulge in habits that kept him from moving forward in his social life.
“I’ve always had something in my life that was destroying me. When I was little it was video games; it kept me from doing good in school and it kept me from meeting other kids. Then I got older and I didn’t have money for video games, so I bought liquor and liquor was destroying me. I would ruin friendships,” he says. “Now I’m going on my third phase of life. We’re going to see what destroys me now. Hopefully it’s something that makes me money. Hopefully I become a workaholic, and I just won’t stop writing and doing stand-ups and that destroys my social life.”
After he leaves Columbia he’s going to work the comedy scene until he feels he’s ready for L.A., all the while writing and submitting to journals and magazines.
“I have three dreams in life,” he says. “I want to own my own bar, I want to be on “Comedy Central Presents,” and I want to write a book that one of my favorite writers love.”