Reading time: About 2 minutes
The motto Michelle Yang used when writing her memoir was: “It’s not about what happened to you; it’s about how you survived.”
Michelle Yang is an advocate whose writings on Asian American identity, body image, and mental health have been published in NBC News, CNN, and InStyle. She’s been featured on NPR, Washington Post, and Seattle Times. Her debut memoir is Phoenix Girl: How a Fat Asian with Bipolar Found Love. When not writing, she loves traveling with her family and smoking up the kitchen with spicy recipes. Follow her on Instagram @michelleyangwriter.
I was excited to talk to Michelle about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
I’m kind of an all or nothing writer. When I was working on my book and working as a full-time freelance writer and editor, I spent around 8 hours a day on writing. Now that I’m working a marketing day job and doing mostly book promotions, I’m not writing much at all, until I get enough headspace and time to start my next project.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer? Taking time to reflect and think. Also, sleeping. Sleeping helps you remember, and so much of writing is remembering and reflecting. For me, taking a bath and shower helps too, because it also helps me remember and reflect.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Exhaustion, life, the need to earn money.
Q/How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
When I was writing full time, I reminded myself to treat it like a full-time job and approach it with the same work ethic. And I would rest on nights and weekends as much as possible. This is a luxury, of course. Now that I work full time at a non-writing job, I actually try not to force myself. As I tell my child, I try to “listen to my body.” I have pushed myself too far, to the point of being sick in bed too many times. I avoid that now.
Q.Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
In writing memoir, I found most helpful the saying, “It’s not about what happened to you; It’s about how you survived.”
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
I’m actually not sure I can pick a favorite. I like all of this and also hit a wall in these aspects… I think for me, the key is having balance.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh and What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo.
Q.What book are you reading right now?
I’ve been exhausted with my book launch this month, so I’ve been reading a lot of Abby Jimenez, which has been the perfect, light escape, some of which have a lot of mental health and relationship insight, which I really enjoy.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
I revised my memoir Phoenix Girl about a dozen times. That’s 12 rewrites. Many newer writers, myself included, can be impatient early in their careers and query too early when their work isn’t ready. This can have big consequences as you get just one chance with most agents and later, publishers, when you’re out on submission.
