Nine Questions
In this series Ink Sweat & Tears talks to practicing writers about their process and craft.
1.Where do you write?
My study is east facing, so in the morning the sun pours through the window. On the sapele mahogany desk there's a laptop and printer and a vase filled with pens and, in one corner of the room, there's a Victorian hatstand. The walls are lined with bookcases. I work best in an uncluttered space, so I try to keep the stacks of notes and reference books to a minimum, but they sprout overnight.
2.How do you write?
I write drafts in longhand until I have an idea of where the poem is going and what form it's taking, then I transfer it onto my laptop where I carry on drafting and editing.
3.Roughly how much time do you spend each week on creative writing related activities?
It varies from week to week. If I'm working on a poem, I might spend a couple of hours a day on it. Comparatively, submissions don't take much time. I find blogging time-consuming, but reading and sharing the poetry submitted to Peony Moon (http://peonymoon.wordpress.com) is rewarding. And, most evenings, I spend three to four hours reading poetry and fiction.
4.What time of day do you usually write?
I work full-time, so I write in the evenings; on weekends, I write in the mornings.
5.Do you set yourself a daily target for writing?
No, I don't find it difficult to set aside time when I'm engaged with a poem.
6.What does it feel like to write?
I've very little awareness of time passing and of what is going on around me.
7.Are there any stimuli that will usually trigger you into writing?
Fine art. Films. Postcards. Stories. Newspaper articles. Prompts. An overheard phrase. A line from a song.
8.Do you work in silence or have background noise?
I work in silence, although on weekends it's punctuated by bird calls: grey loeries, hadedas, owls, robins, sparrows, weavers. We've a wide variety of birds in our environs all year round.
9. What are you working on now?
My manuscript, The Suitable Girl, was finalised a couple of months ago, so I'm working on some new poems.
* Michelle McGrane's collection, The Suitable Girl, is forthcoming in the United Kingdom towards the end of 2010. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, and blogs at Peony Moon
