HE’S worked as a “sandwich artist” and a crime scene cleaner and now some of his experiences have found their way into his much anticipated second book.
Glaswegian Chris McQueer, who initially built up a following for his hilarious short stories on social media, is hoping his fans will enjoy it as much as the first – even though the humour is a bit darker.
READ MORE: Brexit: An exclusive extract from Chris McQueer's HWFG
The working title was Mair Hings after the first book Hings, but that’s been changed to HWFG, short for Here We F*cking Go.
As can be guessed from the title, swear words do feature but they just add to the authenticity of the dialogue penned by a writer who is shaping up to be Glasgow’s answer to Irvine Welsh.
Hings has been so successful that the 26-year-old has given up his job in a sport shop to concentrate on writing and, as well as the short stories, is trying to pitch a couple of TV shows to the BBC and also has a novel in mind.
He loves writing but also loved his part-time job as a crime scene cleaner which he was forced to give up when the company went bust.
“There were no bodies but we were called in to clear up the aftermath,” he said. “It was a brilliant job because you were doing something different every day.”
The job also involved cleaning up the homes of hoarders.
“It was a nice feeling when you were helping people out,” he said. “There were a couple of really bogging jobs so it helped to keep a sense of humour.”
Working as a “sandwich artist” came much earlier when he left school at 16 and got a job in a well-known sandwich chain.
“I was just making up sandwiches but that was the official title,” said McQueer.
He left and went to work in a sports shop when he was 17 and was there off and on until January when he became a full-time writer. In between working at the shop, he tried various other jobs which ranged from being a labourer on a building site, to hairdressing and working in a call centre.
It all helps with his writing.
“I’ve met so many people and I’ve got a wealth of experience I can draw on,” he told the National.
He is now building up even more life experience as he’s often asked to take writing workshops in schools and prison.
“Writing has opened up so many doors for me,” said McQueer. “I am getting all these mad opportunities and if I get the chance to do something I just say ‘yes’.”
He finds the prison work particularly enjoyable.
“There are so many clever guys in there and I just try to channel their energy into something good,” he said. “Writing helps to focus their energy and gets them out of their own heads for a while.”
Chris McQueer relishes the challenge of writing in English, having been accustomed to Scots
Always a keen reader, McQueer began writing after becoming fed up with what was on offer in bookshops.
“I was getting frustrated because there was nothing out there that I wanted to read. I wanted to read surreal stuff set in Glasgow so I just thought why not write it myself.”
He started experimenting and found he was really enjoying writing. He put his stories online where his pals and family read and shared them. He began to build up a fan base and now has a following of 8500 on Twitter.
Some of his writing is in standard English but much of it is in Scots, specifically Glaswegian. “Writing in Scots comes naturally and I think it is easier to be funny because you can imagine people you know saying those things,” he explained. “And there is definitely something built in to Glaswegians when it comes to being funny. Everyone I know is funny. It’s the way they use words and the wee bits of patter. It’s just brilliant.”
He finds English harder to write but says he enjoys the change.
“It is a different language so I am writing using words I wouldn’t normally use. It’s a good challenge though – I quite like it.”
McQueer first started writing in July 2016, then started sending his stories to magazines a few months later. One was accepted for the first issue of a new magazine launched by Edinburgh start-up 404 Ink. He was invited to the launch and asked to read out a story. Although nervous, he decided he had nothing to lose and went along to speak.
“It was a good laugh and later when I was half-cut I went to the publishers and told them I had enough to fill a book.”
404 Ink told him to send the stories over but when he woke up next morning in the cold light of day, he decided they were just being polite.
“I didn’t send anything but two weeks later they emailed asking for them so I sent them over and they gave me a book deal.”
The first run was 500 copies which at the time McQueer thought was a bit ambitious. “I didn’t even know 500 people,” he said.
The run sold out and so did the next and Hings has now sold around 10,000 copies.
He did feel under pressure with the second book but he says he is happy with the way it has turned out although his first attempts at it were “sh*te”.
“I was trying too hard to be funny so I changed my approach and went a bit darker. That seems to have worked,” said McQueer.
HWFG by Chris McQueer is available from 404 Ink
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