Featured Writer: Nicola Winstanley
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Hello all,
Welcome to the 29th edition of Women Writing! Where do you find your inspiration? It’s a question I’m frequently asked, but the answer changes all the time. I’m inspired by my Finnish heritage and the immigration stories of Finns coming to Canada. I’m inspired by northern Ontario landscape with its rocks, lakes, and trees. I’m inspired by simple acts of kindness. Every day is filled with little sparks that ignite ideas or fill me awe. What inspires you?
I’m so pleased to feature author Nicola Winstanley in this week’s Women Writing. If you need a little inspiration, read on.
About the author…
Nicola Winstanley is a writer for adults and children. She has been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary award ,is the recipient of the Alvin A. Lee Award for Published Creative Non-Fiction, and won first place in GritLit’s fiction competition in 2022. Nicola’s fiction, poetry and comix have been published in The Windsor Review, Geist, the Dalhousie Review, Grain Magazine, Untethered, and Hamilton Arts and Letters, among others. She holds an MA from the University of Auckland, NZ, and an MFA from UBC. Nicola works at Humber College in Toronto and lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
“You don't need the perfect ‘writing nook’ and you don't need three uninterrupted hours a day. Stop imagining being ‘a writer’ and just write some stuff; it adds up, bit by bit.”
On a writing routine …
My writing is haphazard and frequently infrequent. I tend to write in bursts, then not at all for a long time. I have various degrees and methods of resistance! I have a very demanding job, so when I do write, it's after dinner or on the weekend. I have tried to schedule sessions, but I simply ignore myself; the more I tell myself I must write, the less likely I am to do it. When I'm not writing, I read instead, and figure it's a kind of writing, or at least, it will help me when I do write.
On writing spaces …
I write wherever I am. At work, on the sofa, at my home office desk, in the doctor's waiting room. I squeeze it in. I used to write while I watched my son's karate class. I can tune everything else out, so it doesn't really matter. Except for music! I can't tune out music, so never write with music on.
On writing communities …
I have belonged to writing groups on and off. Belonging to a group always helps me to get writing, but it can also make me feel anxious when I start to feel attached to the people in the group. So, I'm not always in a group. I took an MFA because I knew that it would help me to get things down. Maybe I like external pressure to produce when it's a bit bloodless. When my husband encourages me to write, I'm far more likely to do anything else. Maybe when people close to me tell me to get writing, I'm worried that I'll let them down. There's a lot of complex psychology in this writing thing we do.
On challenges …
When people really want to write, they squeeze it in. There are always challenges and more pressing things to do. For me, barriers are quite helpful—I sort of write against them. When things are too comfortable and easy, I don't really have the urge, I guess. I started writing when my first child was six months old. She never slept. I was horribly sleep deprived and incapable of doing just about everything. That's when I started really writing. I think it saved me.
On the best writing advice …
Stop being a perfectionist. (I don't listen to that advice, of course, and it has negative effects on me. I'm trying!)
On the worst writing advice …
You have to write every day, or you're not a real writer. That's just . . . so judgy, for a start, and particularly hard on women who tend to juggle a million things. There are no rules; everyone does it differently.
On advice from personal experiences …
Your stories matter, but don't be precious. You don't need the perfect "writing nook" and you don't need three uninterrupted hours a day. Stop imagining being "a writer" and just write some stuff; it adds up, bit by bit.
Nicola’s online spaces …
Book Coaching Update
It’s been a busy year so far with my Winter Group Book Coaching sessions wrapping up at the end of February, working with 1:1 book coaching clients, and completing a few manuscript evaluations, as well a prepping for my spring Group Book Coaching program starting on April 8 (Check out the details here. I still have a few spaces in this group).
But wait! You’re also an author, you say. When do you find time to write? The truth is, this past year I’ve focussed my attention on book coaching, but I do set aside time every week to research for my next historical novel, tinker with my Inside Outline (for the umpteenth time), and even submit a short pieces now again. And, I do a lot of thinking about character, plot, and setting as I walk my puppy Emmy. I’m also querying two historical novels and anyone who’s gone through that process knows it’s extremely time consuming. My goal this year is to give my own work a little more attention, especially as we move into summer.
That’s the thing about writing. Progress may seem to ebb and flow but the momentum is always forward. One word at a time, folks!
Teacher friends,
If you’re a teacher, I have something special just for you. Download a free copy of my workbook, Beyond the Blackboard: Empowering Teachers to Write Fiction. If you’re interested in a free 90 minute presentation for your teacher community, please contact me.
Happy writing!
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!
