Reading time: About 1 minute
When asked to choose a motto for writing, Iris Hattersley picks: “Keep going when the going gets tough.”
Iris Hattersley says she has always enjoyed the study of the English language, and a day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t read. While working on her Master’s Degree, she enjoyed two summer sessions at Oxford University, which she describes as “the thrill of a lifetime — walking in the footsteps of well-known writers such as John La Carre, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.” Her first book was a memoir, Lucky Thirteen. Her second was a crime fiction, My Name is Jimmy. She is now finishing her third book, a biography of her cousin titled In Their Own Words: The Story of Harry Reid.
I was excited to talk to Iris about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
I spend at least three hours every day writing and researching.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Taking a walk helps me clear my mind and think about the direction I want to go in my writing. Also, I am a member of the Sun City Anthem Authors. I read chapters to them from my books. They critique and make me a better writer.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Before I turned my casita into my writing place, it seemed like everything was a distraction — phone ringing, my husband watching his favorite TV shows-you name it. After reading Stephen King’s book On Writing, I realized I needed a quiet space so I could focus.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
There are few days when I don’t want to write, but if I am particularly busy with other activities or don’t feel like writing, I take a break—mostly to read a book.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
“Keep going when the going gets tough.”
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
What I enjoy most is the writing. Research can sometimes be an overwhelming chore and editing can be really hard and mind-numbing.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
My favorite book in the last five years is John La Carre’s The Night Manager.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
I just finished The Watchmaker’s Daughter, the story of Correy Tin Boom, a Dutch woman, and her heroics during WW II. She survived Auschwitz and Ravensbruck. It was for my book club.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
They think they have a story to tell, but they aren’t sure how to tell it.
