|
|
|
|
AN INTERVIEW WITH GATTO AUTHOR, JANET BUTLER
|
WHY, HOW, WHERE & WHAT? |
|
|
Why do you write?
I enjoy the process of writing itself, the wrestling with an idea or image, and the eventual shaping and polishing it up. I also feel the need to write, and the moment of sitting down to a blank computer screen, and the challenge of getting something down on it is one of life's pleasures for me. How do you write? I think I feel most comfortable with free verse, although I don't want to block myself into only it, and want to experiment with various forms. I try to avoid cliches when I write (if a word or phrase comes too easily, I'm generally suspicious!), I always have a thesaurus open when I write, and try to tighten and polish my work constantly. I also compose at the computer, as I find it much easier to make corrections, search the thesaurus in a background window, file my work, and generally keep things in order. |
|
What is your writing routine? I'm a firm believer in a Jack London quote: "You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club." I try to find at least a one hour or two hour block of time several times a week for writing, usually in the late afternoon when my workday finishes and I can relax. I simply refuse to get up until I've produced something, which will be polished up over the next few days, although I periodically go over all my work and tweek things, even after a year or two. |
|
How would you describe your writing style? I think I feel most comfortable with free verse that has a strong line cadence and an overall music and rhythm that finally feels right to me. I enjoy describing very much, probably a reflection of my other passion, watercolor painting, although I try to describe emotional states as well when I'm strongly affected by something. I've often taken a cue from events: the first poem in Shadowline was based on the unexpected death of an Italian journalist in |
| Which Writers Have Inspired You?
All good writers. Thanks to the Internet, many online publications are available, and many of them publish excellent poetry, although my favorite reading for contemporary poetry is the small monthly publication, Poetry, where I always find several wonderful poems to read and re-read, analyze and ponder. As for established poets, I am a big fan of T.S. Eliot, Wallace Stevens, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. I would put The Four Quartets, Stevens "Sunday Morning", and Tennyson's "Tithonus" in my pantheon of excellence. |
|
What are your favourite books, and why? Anything by Jane Austen and Henry James! I am also a fan of all good crime novels, and am currently in the middle of a wonderful science fiction book, Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson. It's a beautifully written work with an intriguing plot. There are many good writers out there, and it's really a pleasure to discover one and enter into his or her world. What are your writing ambitions? To constantly improve as well as master different poetic forms. For instance, I've been trying the sonnet form lately. What Advice Would You Give Aspiring Writers? Read as much as possible, write with a regular schedule, and accept rejection as a means of looking at your work more closely and improving it. |
|
|
| Gatto Publishing, All Rights Reserved |
