Photo by Qisur (Creative Commons)
I recently did an interview with the extremely talented Elizabeth Hudson. Elizabeth is a writer, daydreamer, and lover of thunderously loud live music. She speaks with a slight twang, advocates chocolate for breakfast, and always keeps a suitcase packed in case of spontaneous adventure. You can read her blog here and follow her on Twitter here.
Jim Woods (JW): What inspired you to be a writer?
Elizabeth Hudson (EH): There’s no dramatic epiphany in this story. I imagine it happened like this: one day my mama handed me a pencil, most likely to keep me quiet through church. Those scribblings turned into words, and those words turned into stories the older I got. And I’ve never stopped writing them. Writing is like breathing. If I ever stopped, I’d turn blue and die.
(JW): The name of your blog is Story-Wrought. I must admit I had to look up the word wrought and found it means “beaten out or shaped by hammering.” Is that what your writing process is like?
(EH): Oh my, yes. I sit down at my desk each morning, and I stare out the window at the woodpecker following the length of a tree limb. And I decide that I need more coffee. And I wonder if anyone has posted new photos on Instagram. And I remember that I didn’t check the mail the day before, and my library books are overdue, and I should probably go for a run before it gets any hotter outside. As only a writer – or any artist – knows, the hardest part is staying still and staying present. The words will come as long as we stay focused.
But the name Story Wrought is also equally about life. I don’t want to write incredible stories at the expense of living. Life and writing can be hell, but as Steven Pressfield pointed out in The War of Art, “The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”
(JW)What authors inspire you and make you want to write?
(EH) I’m a die-hard William Trevor fan. His stories are wistful, quiet, and powerful beyond belief. No car chases, no explosions, no glamorous characters. Just pure story driven by character and language and meaning. Other literary loves: Donald Miller, Marilynne Robinson, Brennan Manning, Henning Mankell, Shakespeare, Bram Stoker, Anne Lamott, Vladimir Nabokov, and Walker Percy.
(JW):What have you been working on lately?
(EH): I haven’t been writing as much as I’d like to admit. Currently, I’m on the brink of juggling three jobs, a writing class, job searching, a blog, and a million other creative writing projects. I’ll be in Nashville this weekend for Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference, and I hear you’ll be there, too! I’m looking forward to returning next week with a new perspective on life and writing.You know that feeling when you’re sure something BIG is right around the corner? That’s what I’m feeling. And I’m trusting God to show me which direction to turn next.
(JW): As a creative, I’ve found it very important to find support for my dream. Have you been able to find support for your dreams?
(EH): When it comes to dreams, I think it’s best not to look towards the world for support. It’s often a tangled mess of distraction and pessimistic perception masquerading as reality. This is where I look to God to see if I’m on the right path. But I do have an extremely supportive and creative family cheering me on. I knew I had stumbled across a piece of God’s calling for me in the months after I quit my job, moved out of the city, and flew to Ireland because I was spending hours a day writing and could not stand to see the weekend approaching. I loved writing full-time that much. Now I’m pursuing freelance writing.
(JW): If you had one piece of advice for another writer, what would it be?
(EH): Write. Write your heart out. And then keep writing. Be prepared to make sacrifices, be ready to meet all of your greatest fears at the keyboard each morning, and be warned that you will not be an overnight success story. If you’re meant to be a writer, then you’ll know it. Thomas Mann was onto something when he said, “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
What is one way you can live a better story with your life?
