Hello all,
Welcome to the 9th edition of Women Writing! If you’re new here, let me tell you a little myself. I’m an author and book coach living in Northern Ontario. My first book, Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate was published in 2017 by Latitude 46. My debut novel, Sisu’s Winter War, was released by the same press in 2022. I recently won Geist’s 18th annual Literal Literary Postcard Short Story Contest for my story “Surveillance.” I’ve been the recipient of Ontario Arts Council Literary Creation Project grants for Sisu’s Winter War and two other works-in-progress, both historical fiction. As a book coach, I work with writers at every stage of the process, from the seed of an idea to pitching to agents.
In this weekly newsletter, I feature a writer who is doing the difficult work of creating. Even if you’re not a writer yourself, you are sure to be inspired by my interviewees and how they create time and space for their projects.
I recently moved my website newsletter subscribers here to Substack, so if you’re wondering how this newsletter landed in your inbox, that’s why. Rest assured, I will continue to update you on my author and book coaching news. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy reading about these fabulous women. I’m so pleased to feature author Marion Agnew in this week’s edition. Enjoy!
Marion Agnew lives and writes in Shuniah, from a home and office on the shore of Lake Superior. She worked as a technical and science writer and editor in the U.S. before moving in Canada in 2004. Her fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in literary journals in the US and Canada and been nominated for a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize. She is the author of a collection of personal essays and a forthcoming novel.
“It's okay to have time where you're spinning your wheels, where you read instead of write, where you slash through a draft (Save As is your friend!), where you change something and then re-think that change.”
On a writing routine …
I have a writing routine but I also have to keep it flexible, and it's changed through the years. What's been consistent is the security of a routine. Knowing THAT I would be back at the page, and WHEN, helps me notice ideas and changes and retain them (usually on a sticky note). For example, when I worked a 9-5 as an editor, I followed the "get up early and get it done" advice. I'm NOT a morning person, and I was new to creative writing, but even bleary-eyed I always managed to find something to either draft or edit--and I'd put notes in my home workspace that I could refer to. When I freelanced, I had less time that felt like "my own," but eventually I found that a five-minute session (either on a specific project or freewriting, but NOT morning pages or journaling) kept me from feeling too grouchy about missing creativity. Since the pandemic, I've basically retired, but I still take 5 to 10 minutes, before my "work" day begins on whatever novel or nonfiction or support tasks, to try new stuff--currently, very short nonfiction.
On writing spaces …
The new writing I do in the morning is in a separate room with books and art supplies, where I do just goofing around creative things. The rest of my writing is either on a desktop in my basement office or on a laptop on the dining room table. Desktop stuff is usually business, but sometimes I draft new work there. The laptop is mostly for revising/editing/marketing, but again, sometimes that's where drafting new things happens, too. I have a couple of playlists for writing--I used them more when I freelanced; they were movie scores and other upbeat works without words. I've missed working with music on, so I'm hoping to bring that back this autumn.
On writing communities …
I have belonged to both formal and informal writing groups. I served on the Executive of the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop in several capacities and that helped me see the wide range of interest in writing in the community. I'm also part of a few "social" writing groups: people who get together to share the Yays and Nays of the writing life. And I've been part of a few critique groups, which have helped me in different ways. Feedback is important! And so is community--rejection is commonplace in sharing art, and it helps to know that others also experience it.
On challenges …
Working as a writer was affirming (a business card with "writer" on it!) and also very difficult for creativity. While freelancing, I had to be deadline driven and I wanted the work I did all day to be rewarding for me, so I poured energy into work. It didn't leave me anything much original to say as a creative writer, and my projects lay fallow. It wasn't a bad thing for them--I was developing skills--but it didn't feel good at the time. Now that I have "all the time I need," I find myself refolding everything in my underwear drawer instead of sitting down and doing it. Sometimes that gives me a bit of space I need to figure out how to jump in, and sometimes it's just procrastination.
On the best writing advice …
One of the most helpful things was "try it." Just do a Save As on your document and then start whacking out chunks, or putting paragraphs into third person from first, or whatever you think the draft needs. Turn an essay into a poem or vice versa. Cut 10%. I sometimes resist the feedback I hear (though less often as I get to know the person who's offering it), but "try it" lets me figure out how better to connect to that reader. And sometimes I try it and go "nah, the track I was on was better," and I have the original and can try something else.
On the worst writing advice …
A workshop leader once dismissed the quality of my entire manuscript, especially a particular character who was "an unpleasant traveling companion." Since that character was based on ME, it was hard to hear. Nobody wants to be disliked or labeled unpleasant, although since then dissertations have been written about "unlikeable" female characters. Even though the subject was vitally important to me, I quit working on the manuscript for maybe five years. Although the "shit sandwich" (positive feedback, negative comment, positive feedback) is maligned, it's also sometimes helpful to have SOMETHING positive to hold on to. But during my time away, I learned more about her--her personal issues, creative struggles, etc.--and recognized that HER stuff was partly responsible for her lack of connection with my work. (Readers always bring their own baggage.) Meanwhile, I'd grown as a writer by working on other projects, and when I came back with fresh eyes, I saw what I valued most about my work and could begin again. I revised the material in the form of personal essays, which went on (after another 15 years) to become my first book, REVERBERATIONS: A DAUGHTER'S MEDITATIONS ON ALZHEIMER'S.
On advice from personal experiences …
There's no right way or wrong way to write, there's just your way. It's okay to have time where you're spinning your wheels, where you read instead of write, where you slash through a draft (Save As is your friend!), where you change something and then re-think that change. Not all work will speak to every reader. There's room for all types of writing.
Marion’s online spaces …
Website: www.marionagnew.ca
Instagram: @marionagnew
Forthcoming novel MAKING UP THE GODS (Latitude 46)
I believe the world needs more women’s stories. Are you ready to write yours?
If you've been dreaming of writing a novel or memoir but don't know how to get started, or you have a work-in-progress that needs attention, as an Author Accelerator Book Coach I can give you the tools to move forward. We all have a story within us, waiting to be shared. I can help you tell yours. Let me show you how.
The early bird deadline for Rekindle Creativity: Women’s Writing Retreat in Muskoka is November 8. Register now to save $100. Learn more at www.rekindlecreativity.com.
Women Writing is a weekly newsletter featuring women who are doing the difficult work of writing. If you enjoyed reading the newsletter, please share it with a fellow writer. Let’s inspire each other!