Ask the Author: Clare Follmann
Answered Questions (6)
Clare Follmann
I try to read, and if I can't read anything new, I read something I read before and liked, or read some cute YA stuff. I try to talk my thoughts out with other people. I try to set aside time and just write whatever comes to mind, even if it's garbage. I try to write on my typewriter because not being able to backspace is unbelievably freeing. And if all that fails, I don't try anything and trust that I will write again when I need to. I've gone through many many phases of writer's block, and every time I am able to write again, and every time when I am able to write again I think "Oh god, this is garbage!" and then I keep at it and am able to turn the garbage into something devourable. So basically, try to get inspired, and if I can't get inspired, be patient and trust myself that it'll come back. It always does.
Clare Follmann
Talking to people who say, "Thank you for putting my thoughts into words". It's incredibly satisfying to write my thoughts out into a language that others can understand, and doubly so when others are struggling to express the exact same thing! I love when my writing resonates so perfectly with other people. I feel less alone!
Clare Follmann
Read eight books a month--or don't read at all! Write every day--or not! Get stoned, get drunk, or stay sober! Talk your ideas out with your friends--or keep them in your head! All of the above, in iterations! I've done it all. I think one of the most important things is to really be ready for when inspiration hits, cos it will hit when you're least ready--late at night, in the middle of a meeting, on your walk to work when you're running late--and you need to know how to remember what it was telling you, or remember the feeling it gave you, the momentum and energy to write! Another important thing is to learn best how to beckon inspiration when you need it, and also how best to push through when you're not inspired. ALSO, no matter what draft I
m in, it usually feels and reads like a glittery garbage until it's absolutely all done, so don't get discouraged.
m in, it usually feels and reads like a glittery garbage until it's absolutely all done, so don't get discouraged.
Clare Follmann
A book about what it means to be at home in a modern world and during COVID-19. I just finished an article that engages in that topic and is set to be published in the next few months with Oak Journal. I'm also in the process of converting my thesis into a book! My thesis speaks about the inaccessible narrative of invasive species management when the narrative is composed of misleading militaristic metaphors and plastic words, and the power of language in general.
Clare Follmann
Sometimes I can't help it and am slapped with inspiration. Recently I had to be in some sort of pain or discomfort to focus. Usually, conversations with my partner inspire me. Sometimes being stoned is helpful. Sometimes playing pretend is helpful.
Clare Follmann
I've been thinking about the myth of the modern home and the secrets it hides as we've been confined in our homes during COVID as well as the many many ways our homes can be haunted in a capitalist / colonialist / modern / technophilic / "progressive" / ecocidal society.
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