Writer Interviews

This week's writer shout outs are all about interviews.  I love interviews.  When I am meeting new people for the first time, and feel a little awkward,  I often pretend that they are just another subject that I am interviewing for a piece, and it never takes long before I find a topic that I am genuinely interested in talking about more in depth with them.   People just fascinate me.  How we are all made up of the same core wants and needs, and yet choose to live such different lives.  I studied psychology for four years at University and the one thing I learned is that while studies and statistics can give you the broad strokes of human behaviour, it is only by talking to people about their hopes, dreams and regrets that you can truly understand what makes them who they are.

So here are some of my favorite interviews with writers and editors that give a glimpse into their personalities, their work and the evolution of their writing careers.

David Miller is the co-founder and editor of Matador Travel.  If you have never visited this site, shame on you.  Beautiful, inspiring and filled with great content, the site (or suite of sites) is a regular stop for dedicated travellers and writers alike. The last few paragraphs of this interview, as he talks about his discover and intoxication with location based writing is a clear illustration of his talent and passion for writing.

In this interview, US Poet Laureate, Kay Ryan talks about her work, and what is means to hold that title. As you might expect from such a highly regarded poet, she makes some keen observations about the nature of both writing and reading poetry.  One of my favorite lines in the interview is, "A different me reads [the] poem than wrote it."   I often experienced this kind of duality with my writing.

Sara Zarr is the award nominated author of Story of a Girl and Once was Lost.  In this down to earth interview she shares her process of turning the seed of an idea into a full novel, as well as giving us glimpses of her workspaces.  A nice interview that shows that writing is not just about words on paper, but the discovery process of exploring an idea, concepts and characters.

This is one interview that I have bookmarked, and re-read when my productivity drops.  Kelly James-Enger has a highly successful career as a freelance writer, and in this interview she shares some candid thoughts on what it takes to make a living as a full time writer.   She also lists some great writing books, as well as tips on how to carve a career for yourself with your writing.  The site has plenty of other interviews with writers and editors, so it is worth checking out.

Have you read an inspiring interview with a writer recently?  Share the link here.