Reading time: About 2 minutes
Carmen Farrell believes that inspiration doesn’t come out of nowhere. Instead, it’s the byproduct of hard work….
Carmen Farrell is a force behind community initiatives for the neurodiverse: para-athlete opportunities for high schoolers, learning-to-work programs at university, and playground inclusion groups in elementary school. Her published creative nonfiction focuses on disability and inclusion, questioning the assumption that there’s a “normal” way to be with each other. She’s a director on the board of her local writing association, volunteers with The Writer’s Studio at SFU (’24 alum), and is locally known for her creative pursuits beyond the page. North Vancouver is home.
I was excited to talk to Carmen about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
If I’m not immersed in my manuscript or a particular piece, about half an hour. But it can be as little as 5 minutes. If I have a “big idea,” four hours is the max for creativity.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
I read widely, weirdly and outside “my genre” of creative nonfiction. I collect headlines for story ideas. I look for unrelated ideas that “spark” in my mind, then I journal to find the connections. I go to local writing events and I talk to local writers. My critique group.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Me. 😊 Not believing in the work. Things in my life that feel urgent but aren’t important. Lack of sleep.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
It’s about little treats: a cup of tea, but only if I sit down to write. Pick one small part of something to work on. If I think about the whole thing, I get overwhelmed. Just write one scene. Edit one troublesome paragraph…just sit down to do one small part.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
The best sentences come from inside the character. What the character does because of how they think and feel is the story. Story is driven by the want.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
I love editing and rewriting, asking myself questions for clarity and economy. Who wants what? Why do they want it? Why now? What stands in their way? What happens if they fail?
Q. What’s the best book you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
Monica Ali’s Brick Lane. Brilliant characters.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
Christina Myers’ Halfway Home, which is a collection of essays on midlife, mothering, womanhood. And the latest issues of Prairie Fire and Grain literary magazines.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
Thinking that inspiration will strike them from nowhere. It might, but in my experience, it’s more often found by pursuing it while doing the hard work of writing often — every day, if possible. Or it’s found in other creative pursuits.
Visit Carmen Farrell’s website here.
