What’s your creative process like?
If I repeatedly hear a phrase in my head, I know it is time to write. I’m being called and I respect the process. Luckily, I usually instinctively know if it is the start, beginning or end of a story. Once I write that phrase I have been thinking of I just add to it until I have a complete project. I am also very much sentiment driven. If I feel something strongly, I let the sentiment guide my story. When I am lost or stuck, I just remind myself of the initial sentiment. It has never failed me. Emotions feed my creative energy.
How do you push through creative blocks?
The knowledge that all authors have a blank page in common. It is so reassuring and comforting to know that we all begin with a blank page. No amount of talent will ever rescue an author from the dreaded blank page. The quicker I fill it with words, the less daunting it is. I can always try and make something out of a bad draft, a blank page however will not get me anywhere.
What tips would you give someone taking their first steps in creative work? What did you need to hear when you were getting started?
You become a writer by writing not publishing, it is as simple as that. Publication and external validations are nice but it comes at the risk of feeding one’s ego instead of refining their craft. Seek feedback seriously as it is a gift, positives and negatives. But the most important person to please is yourself. As an author you must be your own cheerleader. If you like your writing, then in my opinion it is good writing.
Marie-Eve is a Québecoise living in New Zealand and works as a nursery teacher. She has previously published in Montréal Writes, Quail Bell, LitBreak Magazine, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Afterpast Review, The Amazine, Hungry Zine, Juste Milieu Zine, Scraps Magazine, Unlikely Stories Mark V, Elixir Magazine and Honeyguide.