Ned Vizzini -The Proust Questionnaire

Ned Vizzini is the author of four books. His writing career, which is very reminiscent of film director Cameron Crowe's, began at the age of fifteen with the New York Press. From that auspiscious start, Ned has gone on to write for the New York Times, The L Magazine, and The Daily Beast. His second novel  It's Kind of a Funny Story  was adapted into a film in 2010 that starred Zack Galifianakis. His latest novel,The Other Normals, concerns fifteen-year-old Peregrine "Perry" Eckert who's shipped off to summer camp by his parents because of an obsession with the "epic role playing game" Creatures & Caverns. (keep an eye out for upcoming review at this blog) In addition to writing novels and non-fiction, he's also written for the television shows Teen Wolf (season 2) and currently for the ABC drama Last Resort. For everything Ned Vizzini, check out his home page HERE

Below, are his answers to the Proust Questionnaire. 

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Doing great writing and seeing it materially benefit my family

2. What is your greatest fear?

Doing bad writing and falling into isolated self-hate 

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Procrastination

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Thinking that they can insult me casually and I'll find it cute 

5. Which living person do you most admire?

Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist

6. What is your greatest extravagance?

My addiction to the book-sharing website Bookmooch, where I spend about $100 a year (and lots of time) sending free books to people in Australia and Iran

7. What is your current state of mind?

I'm in a decent state of mind, or I wouldn't be doing this interview

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Patience 

9. On what occasion do you lie?

When I need to protect my interests

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My double chin

11. Which living person do you most despise?

Myself, in occassional bursts.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?

Self-deprecation 

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Problem-solving 

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"it's kind of" 

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My wife, of course

16. When and where were you happiest?

I achieved pure happiness when I drank a Coke in the snow when I was nine in Park Slope, Brooklyn

17. Which talent would you most like to have?

Spur-of-the-moment wit

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Stop reflexively putting my hand in my pants like Al Bundy

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

My books 

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

I would come back as an armadillo, because they sleep for 20 hours a day, and catch up on sleep 

21. Where would you most like to live?

Vizzini, Sicily 

22. What is your most treasured possession?

My Sony Vaio laptop

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Vomiting up a salad leaf and trying to eat it

24. What is your favorite occupation?

Honestly? Cleaning the house, with my 17-month-old son helping out

25. What is your most marked characteristic?

"teen angst"

26. What do you most value in your friends?

Understanding 

27. Who are your favorite writers?

Michael Crichton, George Orwell, Brian Jacques

28. Who is your hero of fiction?

Vladimir Grishkin inThe Russian Debutante's Handbook

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

The Ramones

30. Who are your heroes in real life?

Michael Crichton, George Orwell, Brian Jacques 

31. What are your favorite names?

Perry, Saul, Dean, Timber, Lionel, Warwick, Craig

32. What is it that you most dislike?

Failure of effort

33. What is your greatest regret?

This UK television interview I missed in 2009

34. How would you like to die?

Of rock and roll 

35. What is your motto?

"Always be aware of the consequences of negative behavior" -- inspired by H.H. The Dalai Lama and his book The Art of Happiness