Interview
Was it difficult to write Cavity since it's about the months following on from a breakup?
I think it would've been more difficult for me if I hadn't written Cavity. After the events that sparked Cavity occurred I was left in a very desolate place. Ironically, these events occurred in the middle of April, National Poetry Writing Month, which means I was participating in the challenge of writing a poem a day for the entire month.
So despite wanting nothing to do with anything, I kept forcing myself to write (not wanting to let this ruin my writing alongside everything else). And about a month later I was looking at all that I'd written, a lot more than I probably would've been able to write normally, and realized that I had something to work with.
The most difficult part wasn't so much the writing, but having to relive the pain every time I sat down to edit or work on the finer details of the chapbook. It took a lot out of me, constantly thinking about my own heartache. But at the same time I was forced to confront the reality of my situation which again, I might not have done otherwise. It seems I've gone off on a tangent, but to sum up my answer: writing Cavity was something that, looking back on it, I had to do. It was born out of necessity.
Who is your favourite poet/author right now? Do you have an all time favourite book/poetry collection?
My all-time favourite poet is Richard Siken and his debut collection, Crush, is my favourite poetry collection. I first read Crush when I was a freshman in high school, which is also when I first began getting serious about writing poetry. I can so vividly remember finishing the collection, looking up from the final page, exhaling, and thinking to myself "I want to make people feel the way that I'm feeling right now." Everything since has been an attempt to do that.
Do you have any future plans for books or publishing any more work?
Definitely! I'm keeping it very hush hush right now, but I'm currently in the middle of working on a project much bigger than anything else I've done. It's something I'm really, really excited about, and can't wait to eventually share more information!
If you had to pick a quote to live by, what would it be?
"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." - John Steinbeck.
What would be your advice to an aspiring author?
My biggest piece of advice is to just keep practicing your craft. When I was first beginning to write I became so easily frustrated with myself because I wasn't creating the type of work that I wished I was. I thought that writing was something that just came to you, but it isn't. It's a muscle that you need to keep working and stretching. And you get better with utilizing that muscle the more you focus on it.
As long as you continue to write, and continue to read as much as possible, you're going to improve. Don't let your perception of how talented or untalented you are influence how dedicated you are to it.
Now, this is a fun question I love. You're stranded on an Island and you can only pick 3 people and 3 objects/things to take with you. Who and what would you take?
Okay so as far as people go I'd bring Margaret Atwood, because I believe in her survival instincts, Lorde, because I have a suspicion that she's a witch and could cast spells in order to keep us comfortable, and John Mulaney, because that man could sit in front of me doing absolutely nothing and be more entertaining than most of the general populace.
As for three objects...this is a bit more difficult. An unlimited supply of journals (does that count as one object? I'm going to say it does), a solar-powered radio, and a Kindle pre-loaded with every book I could ever want. (I feel like I definitely cheated on this question.)
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll see you next week! Love, Vee x
Great post & interview! Live being able to meet different people this way!
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely getting to know Caitlin! Great post :)
ReplyDelete- www.theordinaryblogger.com