Ask the Author: Debbie Bateman
Answered Questions (6)
Debbie Bateman
I no longer believe it exists. Yes, I realize this is a bold statement, and it is not one I make lightly. For me, when the writing stalls, it's because I need to stop and think for a while. Stopping to think is a vital part of writing. I used to think when these moments happened, I was blocked. I see now that those moments of silence are actually the launching pad for deep exploration. It's not always easy for me to shift my attitude, but slowly I am learning to welcome the silence with a calm and open mind.
Debbie Bateman
There are so many things about being a writer that are important to me. At the heart of it, I see fiction writing as lessons in compassion. It’s my job to open my mind and heart, and to imagine the complexity of people who are different from me. Each time I do this, something inside me gains capacity and wisdom. I honestly think writing makes me more human. I also see creative writing as a process of healing, that when it is at its finest, serves as a balm to others as well as myself. So much of it is a mystery. The why and the how comes slowly to me through persistent effort. But when a story finds its truth, the feeling of awakening is like few other things in this world. Writing makes me whole.
Debbie Bateman
Keep writing. Always. And open yourself to the opinions of others. Join a writer's group, find a mentor, take a course. For me, my craft did not really begin to improve until I enrolled in The Writer's Studio at Simon Fraser University. I discovered that I had the ego strength to take feedback and learn from it and to keep writing. And that alone enabled me to really begin my journey as a writer. Bravery is rewarded with growth, I think.
Debbie Bateman
In recent months, I have been focusing on marketing my newly released short story collection about women at mid-life called Your Body Was Made for This. But now I have reached the point at which I can return to what I was working on before my book was accepted by Ronsdale Press for publication, I am drafting a complex real-world love story about a long marriage. I also have a second short story collection underway focused on love, lust and shame. So, if I find myself at a resting point with the novel, I will return to the short stories. Until not very long ago, I thought that if I set aside a work in progress, it would vanish, that it would move on without me. I have discovered that is not true. In fact, for me, creative works continue to grow even when I am not actively working on them. The stories in Your Body Was Made for This were set aside, some for years. And when I returned to them, I found more to draw from than had been there before. I think fiction needs to ripen and the writer does not have to watch, but can move onto other things in the interim.
Debbie Bateman
Without exception, I write about what I do not yet know. This came as a surprise to me when I first discovered it. I'd always heard you should do the opposite: write about what you know. But I pick areas of human experience that I do not understand well, and I research like a crazed person until a complex human with a formidable problem crosses my path of attention and then I can begin a story. In Your Body Was Made for This, there is a story about a woman who has Alzheimer's. I researched that subject for three years before I began to write a story. Knowing that many people have a loved one with this difficult disease or are experiencing it themselves, made me determined to write about it in a way that reflects lived experiences. The story was also reviewed by people with a medical background because it was important to me to check it's authenticity.
Debbie Bateman
I used to work at a college as an editor. At lunch, I'd use the fitness centre. I noticed that many women of all shapes and sizes had a fraught relationship with their physical self and began asking myself why. I also noticed that we were all unique... no two shapes alike. The stories in my collection are fiction... I made it all up except for a few bits I stole from my own life mostly related to long-distance running. But this real-life experience started the creative journey.
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