This interview originally appeared in BUST's Summer 2022 print edition. Feeling like I might slip into a dream at any moment is key for me.
My mother-in-law gave me a long, gray, cashmere sweater that I wear during the winter. Just kidding! I am addicted to old-fashioned, men's-style cotton pajamas. I spent the earlier part of my life so isolated and alone, it's really nice to keep the door open and feel like I'm still swimming in the river of life these days. I live with the aforementioned four dogs and my gorgeous and fascinating husband. If one dog is snoring, that's kind of nice. Because I have a spinal issue that can make sitting very painful, I write in bed quite a bit.ĭo you listen to music or do you prefer silence? I work in my bedroom, often surrounded by dogs. I don't like taking days off when I'm working on a novel, but I often take breaks between drafts to give myself room to breathe. But when I'm revising, I can work 8, 9, 10 hours. When I'm writing a first draft, I can't write for more than a few hours a day. It varies according to where I am in the process. How many hours a day do you devote to writing and do you ever take days off? I composed Lapvona in Word on my MacBook at home.
I use the Voice Memos app on my iPhone for that. I do a lot of dictation when I'm driving-the hypnotic state always gives me space to think of new things (like being in the shower). I will make notes longhand if I'm not at my computer. That certainly changed my practice-as well as the style.ĭo you prefer to write longhand or type or use apps? Unlike my previous novels, I knew I had to write this one in the third person and from multiple points of view. For Lapvona, that practice clued me into the fact that the story was not one that could be told through one character's perspective. One thing I've learned to love is the practice of allowing myself to write freely, informally, to generate as many thoughts, ideas, gestures, bits of dialogue, moments, scenes, and happenings as I can before I start drafting a novel.
Does your writing practice change based on the style of the project?Įvery book requires a different process. This book veers more into the realm of fantasy but much of your previous work has been very realistic. So, there's this sacred chill that runs through the place and the nature surrounding it is really magical. My home is built out of stones collected from a church after an earthquake. There's something about where I live, in a shady glen surrounded by mountains on one side, and the sprawl of a metropolis on the other, that made imagining a medieval time and place really easy. Honestly, it wasn't hard to shut out everyday life because I began this project during the lockdown.
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