Reading time: About 2 minutes
Elizabeth Bachinsky refuses to let fear get in the way of her writing — even though it tries really hard. Once she gets momentum, she says, writing becomes easy enough for her to keep on going.
Elizabeth Bachinsky is the author of six books of poetry, including Home of Sudden Service, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Award, and God of Missed Connections, which was nominated for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, the KOBZAR Book Award and the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. She lives in New Westminster, BC, and teaches creative writing at Douglas College.
I was excited to talk to Elizabeth about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
At least seven minutes a day, four days a week.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Writing at a regularly scheduled time with a body double(s).
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Fear: (of) failure, persecution, rejection, inability (I’m not qualified, fast enough, good enough, the right pedigree, the right person), being seen, not being seen, ambition, success, hard work, falling in love, falling out of love, saying/eating/wearing/reading the wrong thing. Missing out. Running out (of time, of ability, of interest). If you can fear a thing, I’ll find a way to let it gum up the works.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
If I have someone waiting on me (a body double, a writing group or partner), I won’t bail. I’ll show up, complain, and do it anyway. Once I’ve got momentum, I’ll often keep going. I like to use the Pomodoro technique for longer writing sessions.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
Not really. I do love Lynda Barry’s X-page exercise. I use it a lot. That and her four-minute diary.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting, and why?
I like it all, so long as I don’t have a fixed deadline. I have ADHD and it can be hard to get over the Wall of Awful.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
I really loved Emil Ferris’s graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
You Better Be Lightening by Andrea Gibson.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
That you have to be gifted or special to be a good writer. Not true. You just have to be dedicated and write a lot. Like, a lot lot. I also agree with David Lynch: you don’t have to suffer to show great suffering. Stay loose, baby writers.
