Featured Writer: Susan Grundy
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Welcome to Women Writing and Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️ Today’s issue of Women Writing features author Susan Grundy. Enjoy!
About the author…
Inspired by living in Costa Rica, Susan veered from her long running communications career to write about the weight of emotional distress and stepping into an easier way of being. Her short fiction has appeared in The Danforth Review and Montréal Writes. Her first book, Mad Sisters (Ronsdale Press), is a deeply moving memoir that explores the journey of caregiving and sisterhood through the lens of mental illness. Susan’s second novel, Black Creek (Inanna Publications), is a fictionalized account of intergenerational trauma in her female lineage. She is currently working on a third book that explores the gift of hearing voices. A graduate of McGill University, Susan lives in Montreal and London.
On a writing routine …
I embrace “soft structure” meaning I choose not to follow a rigid routine. Morning is always the best time to write, but I am also capable of working into the night, sacrificing (once again) a good sleep. If I sound relaxed about fitting writing into my life, I’m not. There never seems to be enough time. Being a caregiver doesn’t help. Then again, I can think of a million other excuses. Flipping the coin, once I’m at the screen, I’m glued. I can’t stop. I accept this quality as a gift. Obsessive? No. I call myself tenacious, a writer warrior.
On writing spaces …
In the morning when I’m in Montreal, I settle at the dining room table, the closest location to the coffee machine and offering a view of the cedars planted in our small backward thirty years ago. I never take the time to look out the window while I’m writing, although I probably should. But I feel the greenery. In the afternoon, I carry my second coffee to my office and arrange myself at a long pine table that faces a hanging hammock chair in the bay window with a view of the honey locust tree that has grown taller than the house. My grandmother keeps watch from her portrait as do an impressive collection of art books my mother collected from her travels. The walls are covered in paintings, photographs and memorabilia. On my desk sits a a rainbow fluorite crystal, a gift from my daughter that I often pick up to bring clarity, much needed while writing. When I’m in London I often write at a small outside table at the Hollyhock Café, surrounded by … hollyhock! They pass out hot water bottles in the winter.
On writing communities …
I am forever grateful to the members of the writing group in Samára, Costa Rica for rooting me in a new community and igniting a passion I had neglected. As an English-language author in a French-speaking province, I value the workshop, networking and comradery offered by the Quebec Writers’ Federation. I recently joined Table52, a writing group in London who share their work around a table in a two-hundred year old pub. Abundance!
Support each other! I tend to work in a vacuum, forcing myself to leave my solo sanctuary to seek the company of others. It is always worth the effort.
On challenges …
I am a caregiver for an older sister who struggles with a serious mental health disorder. Thinking back, if I hadn’t stepped into a caring role in my mid 20’s, I would have written so many more books. My sister’s demands often distract me from writing, but less so than in the past. I’ve learned to switch off my phone. Not cruel, just self care. And I still have more books to write.
On the best writing advice …
I received the best piece of writing advice three weeks ago at the Chelsea Arts Festival in London. Elif Shefak told the audience “Write what you don’t know.” This bolstered me to continue with my next writing project - lots of research ahead!
On the worst writing advice …
This is an easy one given my response to the previous question. The worst piece of writing advice has been “Write what you know.” In all fairness, writing from direct experience kick started my writing practice, gave me confidence. But it’s time to let go. This much I have learned.
On advice from personal experiences …
Support each other! I tend to work in a vacuum, forcing myself to leave my solo sanctuary to seek the company of others. It is always worth the effort.
On rekindling creativity …
Ideas pop when I wander in nature, particularly under a forest canopy. My journal is always close by. A painter who lived on the beach in Costa Rica advised me to pursue two creative outlets. He claimed that the more challenging activity would be my true calling, the other would provide support. I started to paint, surprised at how easy it was to produce a landscape. What joy! The results were surprisingly acceptable. Soon after, I dove into a book. Then another. The writing process remains intense, sometimes a struggle. I believe it is time to return to painting. I need some fun!
On a recent publication …
Black Creek (Inanna Publications) follows a hard-edged Montreal architect who confronts a legacy of intergenerational trauma from her female lineage. The story is laced with historical vignettes inspired by my ancestry traced back seven generations in Toronto to Elisabeth and Daniel Stong and their log cabin that serves as the epicentre of The Village at Black Creek, and further back still to the Huguenot persecution in 17th century Europe. I’m presently working on a story about the gift of hearing voices, inspired by the amazing people I’ve met through my memoir Mad Sisters who have lived experience with psychosis. Virginia Woolf will make a guest appearance as she often does in literature. Another character very close to Virginia will play a key role; a figure who often stood in the shadows of her well-deserved fame.
Susan’s online spaces …
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Happy writing!
Really enjoyed this article and your reflections on the writing process, Susan!