Featured Writer: Eden Collinsworth
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Welcome to Women Writing! Eden writes at her dining room table. Do you have a favourite place to write? Enjoy this week’s featured author, Eden Collinsworth. Plus check out new offers below.
About the author…
Eden Collinsworth was president of Arbor House Publishing Company and a founder of the L.A.-based monthly magazine BUZZ, before becoming a vice president of the Hearst Corporation. She served as chief of staff at the EastWest Institute, a global think tank. After writing a bestselling book in China, she launched a Beijing-based consulting company, which specialised in international communication. Collinsworth is the author of What the Ermine Saw, Behaving Badly, I Stand Corrected, It Might Have Been What He Said, and soon to be published, The Improbable Victoria Woodhull.
On a writing routine …
When writing a book on deadline, my routine is write in the very early mornings, and, the next morning, edit what I've written. Any research is done at a library in the afternoon.
On writing spaces …
I write at my dining table in a London flat, surrounded by a magpie collection of things that remind me of places I've been. There are two glass doors that open onto a small balcony. Below are mews houses; above are the ever-changing clouds. No music, but I can hear the seagulls. I count myself fortunate. That said, I've written in other less picturesque settings and have managed to be productive as long as there is quiet.
I write books on subjects I, myself, don't entirely understand and, in that way, I am just as curious as the reader.
On challenges …
I wrote my first book, a novel, when I was raising my son and holding down a challenging career. This I would do by getting up at 5AM before sending my son off to school and leaving for the office. It sounds hideous, but, in fact, I looked forward to it each morning. It called on another part of me.
On the best writing advice …
No reader is obliged to turn the page.
On the worst writing advice …
I'm not quite sure of a worst case example, but no author likes to see bad reviews.
On advice from personal experiences …
Find time to do it and insist that others respect that you've decided to do it.
On rekindling creativity …
I write books on subjects I, myself, don't entirely understand and, in that way, I am just as curious as the reader.
On a recent publication …
The Improbable Victoria Woodhull: Suffrage, Free Love, and the First Woman to Run for President is my most recent book, out in September.
Eden Collinsworth’s online spaces …
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Happy writing!
We are all such magpies! 😊