Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
I am a recently retired psychotherapist and am enjoying having more time to write, take long rambling walks and keep ahead of the weeds. I am excited to be able to spend more time writing and visiting our five grandchildren.
Tell us about your writing process. (Do you have any writing routines or rituals that you practice? Any interesting writing quirks?)
I try to set aside at least an hour a day to write. Early morning writing is best, since it is least apt to be interrupted. I find reading a few poems before I begin writing to be a great help.
How do you handle writer's block?
As above, I find reading poetry is the best cure for writer's block. I also keep a list of ideas for poems as well as particular phrases that might inspire a new poem.
Where do you draw inspiration from? What was the inspiration behind this particular piece?
I think in images, so this was the image of my family that came to mind the day I started the poem.
Writing is an adventure. Follow your muse.
—CLAIRE SCOTT
Did you face any challenges writing this piece?
It is a deeply personal poem, so it brought up some painful memories and a lot of sadness for my entire family.
What do you hope your readers take away from this piece?
I hope readers don't find this poem unrelentingly dismal! The last few lines show some hope did exist in the past, and that hope could be found again.
Was there a defining moment that led you down this writerly path or a person who encouraged or helped shape you as a writer?
I only starting writing poetry ten years ago. I found I was writing bits and scraps, and then realized they could be poems.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Put words on a page and trust. Know that what you may end up with may not be known at the start. Writing is an adventure. Follow your muse.
What is your favorite childhood book?
Alice in Wonderland
What are you reading right now?
Ibram Kendi: How to be an Antiracist.
Ida Limon: sharks in the rivers
Pat Barker: The Silence of the Girls
What words do you live by? Do you have a personal motto?
The messiness of life in all its heavenly madness.
What’s next? Do you have anything special that you’ll be focusing on in 2020?
I am kinda sorta thinking about putting together another full length poetry book. It is daunting now that I know how much time it will take, time taken away from actual writing. We shall see...
If you could share any advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?
Write, write, write. Try to write without judgement. If you feel uninspired, take a walk, stand on your head, listen to music.
About the Author
Claire Scott is an award winning poet who has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her work has been accepted by the Atlanta Review, Bellevue Literary Review, New Ohio Review, Enizagam and Healing Muse among others. Claire is the author of Waiting to be Called and Until I Couldn’t. She is the co-author of Unfolding in Light: A Sisters’ Journey in Photography and Poetry.
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