I'm delighted to welcome South African author Judy Croome to The Beautiful Room. I recently met Judy "virtually" after reading her excellent article http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2014/05/judy-croome/, in which she shares her tips for reading aloud at writer events. This really resonated with me, so I decided to visit Judy's website and contact her. (This is one of the things I love about the internet - being able to connect with other writers anywhere in the world). Happily, Judy very kindly agreed to be interviewed, providing some really thought-provoking and inspirational reflections on being a writer......
What
is the best thing about being a writer?
Freedom, on all levels.
There’s the physical freedom of being
able to work in my pyjamas on a cold winter’s morning or at a time of day that
allows me to meet other commitments.
Then there’s emotional freedom. In
today’s world many of us are so well-socialised or so intellectualised that
we’ve lost touch with our feelings. Don’t cry, Johnny, boys don’t cry. Don’t
shout, Alice, girls don’t get angry.
No
wonder we repress our deepest emotions. Whenever one writes, the possibility exists
that we can, in a safe way, tap into those emotions buried so deeply and free
them from where they’re nailed into our psyches.
And, finally, when your writing pushes
you into places you never thought you could go, there’s a spiritual freedom that
comes from unexpectedly meeting an inner self that is truer than any other
personality mask we wear.
What is the worst thing about being a
writer?
Fear. The time between books is always
a dangerous time for me, because it’s then that I’m most tempted to give up
writing. I’m riddled with fear and doubt and anxiety about everything from the reviews
of my last book to the ideas I have for future books. That’s why I
procrastinate (a lot!) before diving in to the actual writing. When I do begin
to write again, it takes an act of real self-discipline to keep myself writing
as I travel into the dark places that the muse sometimes takes me.
Most writers complain about being easily
distracted and the problems of procrastinating. Is this something that
affects you?
I have a PhD in Procrastination. I’ve
developed Procrastination into an art form more complex than anything I’ve ever
written. I also have the attention span of a pea. So, yes, Procrastination is a
serious issue for me. I think I’ll go and make a cup of tea now. I’ll be back
in a minute to write the rest of this article!
Why do you think this especially seems to
be an issue for writers? (rather than artists or composers?)
Writing is a more intellectual process than
the other creative arts. Each creative art has its own “intellectual”
technique, that is, the learned part of the craft. But when it comes to the
creative alchemy, words are more of the intellect than music or paintings.
A writer needs a strong mind to keep
the words dancing. While the power of the mind is a great asset in creating a
logical story or character arc, or for the endless editing and revision stages that
a story requires, that same mind can be a disadvantage at times.
It can deceive us into thinking we’re
actually writing when we’re only perfecting our procrastination skills. Social media, plotting our stories, seeking
that perfect word to write that perfect sentence all feel like “real” writing, but they’re simply avoidance techniques.
What do writers want to avoid? All
those scary emotions that writing forces to the surface in a way that the mind
can’t control or repress. And so writers procrastinate more than artists or
musicians who, to create, have to move into a space beyond the mind rather than (as writers do) work through the mind to create. I sometimes think of my procrastination period
as a pre-writing war: my emotional urge to create a story battling it out with
my intellectual urge to keep the dark creative void at bay.
Do you have any tips for other writers to
help in being focussed and maintaining that focus?
Only one. Write every day. Even if it’s
only 100 words a day, write. When I
start a writing task, I use a modified version of the “Don’t Break the Chain”
calendar based
upon a motivation technique purportedly used by Jerry Seinfeld. It really works. Once you cross off the first block, it’s
almost impossible to resist striving to keep the chain going. And don’t cheat
yourself. If you don’t write on the work you’re trying to finish, you don’t get
to cross off a block! Here’s the link for more information on that method: Jerry Seinfeld’s Don’t Break the
Chain Method
Can writers change the world?
Indirectly, yes, I do believe that
writers can change the world. As the great Mahatma Gandhi said, the way to
change the world is to change oneself. Our words can reach out to people and
change their inner landscape. Like water dripping from a tap, drop by drop, if enough
people change themselves, then the world will eventually change too. I’ve
included this philosophy in my biography on my website:
If you were not a writer, which other art
form or profession would you pursue to express yourself?
I used to be an accountant. I still
don’t know how I survived all those years in an office environment. If I could
choose another career to creatively express myself in, I’d ask God to grant me
the gift of being able to create beautiful music. Music, more than any other
artistic form, has the ability to transcend language and difference, reminding
us of our common humanity through the harmony of wordless sounds.
Judy
loves her family, cats, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, cats, rainy
days, ancient churches with their ancient graveyards, cats, meditation and
solitude. Oh, and cats. Judy loves cats (who already appear to have discovered
the meaning of life.)
Her books “The Weight of a Feather &
Other Stories” (2013), “a Lamp at Midday” (2012) and “Dancing in the Shadows of Love” (2011) are available,
and she is currently researching child murders for her next novel and you can visit
Judy on www.judycroome.com
, “Like” her Facebook Author page for
updates or join her on Twitter @judy_croome.
