Post by urbancinderella on Jun 2, 2007 9:09:17 GMT
Interview with ~mySeitydeviantART - Poetry/Prose
Administered by Whitney.
Name? Tessa Zeng
Age? 16 (birthday: December 10)
Location? Virginia, U.S.
Website/gallery? myseity.deviantart.com
Do you write poetry, prose, or both?
Both, although much more poetry.
When did you first begin writing?
About three years ago.
How often do you write?
I like to write every day. However, between school and on & off days, it sometimes varies considerably.
What do you expect of yourself when writing?
I try not to expect too much. Sitting down and writing itself is a great expectation, and anything else is likely to scare your natural voice into hiding.
When reading your pieces, I sometimes find that I can see a structure, but other times cannot find anything at all. Do you have any specific structure that you always use? Are your words supposed to have some sort of special "flow," or do you randomly break your lines?
I typically use lower case and punctuation in small doses, but sometimes I break away and write with a more traditional structure. I've always broken lines up rather deliberately- not in the traditional sense of "flow," but rather by what seems to be right. Recently, though, I've started trying to be more attentive to poem structure.
In terms of prose, mine often reads a little like poetry. It's a style I wish I could break sometimes, but it's how I write best.
Do you have any favorite phrases, words, or structures that you like to use? If so, why these?
I definitely have a few words and phrases... I can't think of many right now, but I will say that I love both the usage and concept of the word "white."
Do you feel as though you've coined any phrases or words of your own? If so, how did these words/phrases come to be?
I often do in conversation, but not so much in writing. I like to use original phrases, but listing all of those would be a feckless process.
Are there certain things that never fail to inspire you (people, nature,music, etc.)? In general, where does your inspiration come from?
It's the oldest cliche in the inspiration book, but human nature. I love to explore all the different sides of people: their actions, emotions, and motives. Music can also play a role... I have a tendency to bind myself to a single artist/band at a time in my writing process.
Who are your favorite authors or poets? Why?
My favorite poet is Michael Ondaatje, although I would like to read more of Stephen Dunn's work. Both write with that intrinsic intuitive quality I'm always seeking in my poetry.
My favorite prose-poet (I'm thinking along the lines of my personal prose style) is definitely Janet Fitch, but I honestly could never choose one favorite author. I adore the work of Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen King, and Joanne Harris, to name a select few.
How do you go about getting your pieces onto the paper: do you simply write whatever comes out, or do you like to plan it out?
Usually I like to keep it as spontaneous as possible, which is how some of my best poems and inspirations come out. However, it is immensely satisfying to wrestle with a piece for an hour or two before everything falls into place.
With prose, obviously, I take much longer. The few short stories I've written have always involved long planning and editing processes. The novels I'm working on engage me in an ongoing battle.
I learned the hard way from National Novel Writing Month that planning is everything. On a lesser about-you note, do you have any suggested reading material that you find especially intriguing?
I firmly believe that you have not read fantasy until you read something by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Stand by Stephen King if you want an epic, satisfying novel. George R.R. Martin's series if you want an even more epic set of novels. White Oleander by Janet Fitch for aspiring image writers.
Lastly, do you have any tips for those who want to better their writing?
I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but READ a lot- anything and everything (not just the genre you want to write). Try your hardest to write every day.
Also, it's worth your time to reference a really good book on writing (I recommend Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Nancy Kress's series), but don't let reading those ever take priority over actually writing! Speaking from experience, don't check out every book on writing from your library. Trust me, most of them won't really help!
