Ask the Author: Kitty K. Free
Answered Questions (5)
Kitty K. Free
I'm writing a few books right now. For contemporary female fiction, I'm writing about an interracial relationship, which is an idea that came after a conversation I had during a date with an Irish American guy from Staten Island. Another story I'm working on came from a title that popped into my head while I was looking at pigeons. I wondered what would happen if the world ended and they were the only thing left to eat. Then I'd have to learn how to catch and eat them. The title came, then the story. That story is going under my pseudonym, Unay Umaphia.
Kitty K. Free
I know this sounds cliché, but clichés stem from truth, and this is just true; I get inspired by everything around me. It's hard to pinpoint any one thing. Sometimes someone will say something, and my mind starts playing the "what if" game with herself. Reading, movies, animals, walking down the street, eating, inspiration is to be found everywhere. There's no shortage. If you're feeling uninspired, you might need to move around. Like, literally, take a walk. I'm a New Yorker, so that's easy when you live in a city. But I've lived in the south, where taking a walk was not an option. So, I'd drive to the library and walk around there. I need people around me. I don't necessarily need to speak to them, but I need to see them, and hear them making people noises. That's probably because I grew up amongst 8 million people. Too much quiet is disturbing to me.
Kitty K. Free
The best thing about being a writer, is using language as a malleable tool of expression. It's the one art form that is actually used by everyone in the world, but not used by everyone as an art. It's taking something as ordinary and necessary as language, and turning it into an actual craft. I think that's pretty freaking cool.
The second best thing, which I expect is the best thing about being an artist of any kind, is having someone else react to my work. Being understood. Sometimes that includes being misunderstood. At its best, it's a mutual understanding that somehow creates a whole new understanding.
The second best thing, which I expect is the best thing about being an artist of any kind, is having someone else react to my work. Being understood. Sometimes that includes being misunderstood. At its best, it's a mutual understanding that somehow creates a whole new understanding.
Kitty K. Free
I don't necessarily get writer's block. There are times when I'm lazy, and times when I'm not. My mind is always active. It's just a matter of me feeling like reigning the madness into words or not. Sometimes, I just need to work on something else. For me (not speaking for anyone else other myself), if I find myself blocked, then I'm probably writing something boring. This is in regard to fiction. Non-fiction can be a different story.
Kitty K. Free
Enjoy yourself. If I find myself getting bored while I write, I assume my reader will be bored too. So, be easy and enjoy the process. Yes, you're going to get frustrated. That's what happens when you face new challenges. Sometimes you'll need to change your course. Have tunnel vision about completing your work, but don't be so rigid about your work that you miss opportunities for growth as you're writing.
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