Please tell us about the making of “How To Replace Worry With Trust.”
My friend Christine lives in Chewelah, Washington, an area once known as Fool’s Prairie. I liked the phrase, and changed it to Fool’s Valley. I used the poem to talk about jealousy and gaslighting, which are themes in my new manuscript. This is the opening poem of the collection.
When do you admit to yourself that you are working on a new book? Do you decide at the outset or realize it after a certain number of pages?
I always think everything is the start of a new book! I get so excited when I write. Only over time do I know what belongs in the new manuscript and what belongs in the orphanage.
What does a typical writing session look like for you?
There’s no typical anything around here. I do tend to write in short bursts; I’m always taking notes, jotting things down. But my best writing days are when I have several hours free in the afternoon or evening. Those days are rare. I live for them.
Which common piece of writing advice do you loathe and why?
I hate the concept of “writer’s block.” The way it’s described feels wrong. That’s not how I experience when I’m not writing or can’t write. Something about the phrase feels like it actually produces the thing it’s describing.
How do you approach revision?
With most pieces, I revise as I go. I focus on a word, a line, until I really get it right. Then I’m done. I don’t go back. Occasionally a piece feels off, just messy and complicated. If I can’t get it right I put it away, take it out again later. There’s no big mystery here. But I have noticed that the pieces that feel off and messy, the pieces I return to, are often pieces that never feel right.
My friend Christine lives in Chewelah, Washington, an area once known as Fool’s Prairie. I liked the phrase, and changed it to Fool’s Valley. I used the poem to talk about jealousy and gaslighting, which are themes in my new manuscript. This is the opening poem of the collection.
When do you admit to yourself that you are working on a new book? Do you decide at the outset or realize it after a certain number of pages?
I always think everything is the start of a new book! I get so excited when I write. Only over time do I know what belongs in the new manuscript and what belongs in the orphanage.
What does a typical writing session look like for you?
There’s no typical anything around here. I do tend to write in short bursts; I’m always taking notes, jotting things down. But my best writing days are when I have several hours free in the afternoon or evening. Those days are rare. I live for them.
Which common piece of writing advice do you loathe and why?
I hate the concept of “writer’s block.” The way it’s described feels wrong. That’s not how I experience when I’m not writing or can’t write. Something about the phrase feels like it actually produces the thing it’s describing.
How do you approach revision?
With most pieces, I revise as I go. I focus on a word, a line, until I really get it right. Then I’m done. I don’t go back. Occasionally a piece feels off, just messy and complicated. If I can’t get it right I put it away, take it out again later. There’s no big mystery here. But I have noticed that the pieces that feel off and messy, the pieces I return to, are often pieces that never feel right.