Ask the Author: Jane Messer
Answered Questions (9)
Jane Messer
Great question. As of right now, it's the mystery of my German Jewish grandmother's life that has led me to research and write my current manuscript, titled Raven Mother.
Jane Messer
Horror is so very much not my genre! I do like reading a bit of gothic horror though.
Jane Messer
I've recently signed a contract with New South Publishing for my nonfiction work, Raven Mother. It's my first memoir/nonfiction work and is based on my German Jewish family story. The idea came for it many years ago, but has taken lots of research and the getting of wisdom, which takes time.
Jane Messer
Tricky question because ideas come from all over the place, from life, from ideas riffing off other ideas or books or situations. But the really serious writing, the writing that I'm committed to, comes from aspects of my own life that I want to explore and develop - either fictionally or through nonfiction.
Jane Messer
My memoir biography, Raven Mother. Thankyou to the Australia Council for the Arts for funding for this important book.
Jane Messer
You're learning a craft and techniques, it's not magic, it's practice. All writing can improve with practice. Read widely, and thoughtfully, read like a writer with keen attention. Live your life to the fullest. Takes notes, but don't be self conscious. Writing takes time, many years, keep at it. All writing is rewriting. Don't rely on getting drunk on red wine to write, don't tidy the house first.
Jane Messer
Living vicariously. Time moves, I lose track of it. Working from home, or the train or the cafe or the park seat. So flexible! The imagined world is so powerfully ... fun and interesting. Working with words and punctuation. Having friends who're writers too.
Jane Messer
It's not something I have much experience with. If I'm stuck working on a piece or a chapter, I'll go on with another piece of writing instead. I've kind of learned to gladly wrestle with those difficult times.
Jane Messer
I'd be heading into Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials worlds. For sure. Get on one of the canal boats, sit on the rooftop with Lyra, explore.
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