Ask the Author: Erin Judge
Answered Questions (3)
Erin Judge
First of all, write! You don't have to write every day. (In fact, it's a common and harmful myth that doing so -- and only doing so -- makes you a "real" writer.) Just keep getting back to it as often as you can. Let your process reveal itself to you. Don't try to emulate anyone else's.
Play with different forms and formats. Personally, I write novels, essays, scripts, screenplays, society and culture content, and random stuff for my blog. I also write by hand for myself in a regular journal and a separate blank book that's reserved for free-writes and nonsense and doodles and crayon drawings, whatever I want. Sitting with that second one really opens me up creatively.
Also, consider your audience! If you set out to create something that's meaningful to others and strikes a chord, it's important to think about the reader's experience -- especially readers who may not be widely represented in media -- and not the opinion of the academy, or the canon, or the concerns of the gatekeepers of the publishing world. Put yourself in the mind of somebody discovering your words for the first time. Will they feel satisfied? Intrigued? Welcomed? Seen? I realize this is not every writer's approach, but it's definitely mine.
Play with different forms and formats. Personally, I write novels, essays, scripts, screenplays, society and culture content, and random stuff for my blog. I also write by hand for myself in a regular journal and a separate blank book that's reserved for free-writes and nonsense and doodles and crayon drawings, whatever I want. Sitting with that second one really opens me up creatively.
Also, consider your audience! If you set out to create something that's meaningful to others and strikes a chord, it's important to think about the reader's experience -- especially readers who may not be widely represented in media -- and not the opinion of the academy, or the canon, or the concerns of the gatekeepers of the publishing world. Put yourself in the mind of somebody discovering your words for the first time. Will they feel satisfied? Intrigued? Welcomed? Seen? I realize this is not every writer's approach, but it's definitely mine.
Erin Judge
Right now, I'm working on a horror screenplay, a couple of TV pilots about chosen families, and a novel about a bunch of dudes getting their emotional acts together.
Erin Judge
Back when I was a brand new stand-up comic in Boston, the "Improper Bostonian" magazine decided to do a fashion feature with local comics. I wound up on the cover. After that, my friendship with the shoot producer/fashion editor brought me into the world of Boston luxe and in-store mall fashion shows. I had all these experiences at parties and events and met all these fascinating people I never would have met otherwise, including a few plus-sized models. That experience inspired me to develop Natalie's story.
From my personal perspective, I wanted to present the experience of a plus-sized woman who really loves sex. I think a lot of heroines of size are neurotic and messed up about sexuality; I wanted to tell another story, where a woman's healthy sexual appetite is one of the catalysts for her making peace with a body that is generally devalued in our society. Similarly, I wanted to write a story about what it's like to be an out bisexual woman. That's my experience, and I don't often see that presented in media, at least not in ways I find relatable.
From my personal perspective, I wanted to present the experience of a plus-sized woman who really loves sex. I think a lot of heroines of size are neurotic and messed up about sexuality; I wanted to tell another story, where a woman's healthy sexual appetite is one of the catalysts for her making peace with a body that is generally devalued in our society. Similarly, I wanted to write a story about what it's like to be an out bisexual woman. That's my experience, and I don't often see that presented in media, at least not in ways I find relatable.
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