12 or 20 (second series) questions with Michelle Sinclair

Michelle Sinclair worked as a policy analyst onhuman rights issues for many years. She studied international development andsocial work at McGill University, and completed an MFA at Chatham University inPittsburgh. Her original work and Spanish-English literary translations haveappeared in The Antigonish Review, LindenAvenue Literary Journal, and other journals in Canada and the US. Her firstnovel, Almost Visible waspublished by Baraka Books in September 2022, and received The MiramichiReader’s “Best Books of 2022” award for fiction. She lives in Ottawa with herhusband, three children and three pets.

1 - Howdid your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare toyour previous? How does it feel different?

I’ve only published my debut novelso far. I was nervous about how it would be received, but I’m trying to go withthe flow. I’m also learning how wonderful it feels if a reader connects with anidea, theme or character.

2 - Howdid you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?

I always read fiction and it wasmy first love. I wanted to write like my favourite authors.  I suppose I may have been frightened ofnon-fiction and poetry - it seemed easier to “hide” behind fiction. I like toexperiment and try new styles and genres and there’s so much one can do withfiction.

Ceridwen Dovey said this aboutfiction: “In a secular age, I suspect that reading fiction is one of the fewremaining paths to transcendence, that elusive state in which the distancebetween the self and the universe shrinks. Reading fiction makes me lose allsense of self, but at the same time makes me feel most uniquely myself.”

3 - Howlong does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writinginitially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear lookingclose to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?

I have bursts of inspiration - acharacter or an image or even an atmosphere, and I’ll write it down. But theplot work is the slowest (and most challenging) for me. I need to know thecharacters well and then I can work out what will happen to them. UnfortunatelyI have to think, plan, percolate (and ask my family for plot ideas) for a longtime!

4 -Where does a work of fiction usually begin for you? Are you an author of shortpieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a"book" from the very beginning?

If the idea is to explore a momentor a feeling, or if I’m looking to play with words, then I know it should be ashorter piece. If the idea is to really let characters live a layeredexperience, then I’ll know it’s a book. So far I’ve only written one bookthough, so we’ll see if I can do it again! I think I might be working onanother book, but sometimes it threatens to be a novella. 

5 - Arepublic readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sortof writer who enjoys doing readings?

I am the type of person who hashoped that some calamity will befall me and prevent me from being able to doany public speaking. In my former work I had to do it all the time and it nevergot easier (as they promised it would).

However, public readings haveproven to be quite fun. I was nervous for the first one, but the crowd waslovely and supportive. While I’ll always prefer sitting on the sidelines tobeing the center of attention, in the end readings are good for me to connectwith others and to challenge myself.

6 - Doyou have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questionsare you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the currentquestions are?

I tried to answer this question in my own words, but I thinkGeorge Saunders (in A Swim in the Pond in the Rain) sums it up well when he discusses the classic Russian shortstories:

“The resistance in the stories is quiet, at a slant, andcomes from perhaps the most radical idea of all: that every human being isworthy of attention and that the origins of every good and evil capability ofthe universe may be found by observing a single, even very humble, person andthe turnings of his or her mind.”

7 – Whatdo you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they evenhave one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?

Writers have many roles - they inform,entertain, distract and educate. They can evoke empathy and compassion. Theyask questions about the human condition. The fact that writers can conveyphilosophical concepts in imagined stories brings us closer to feeling aconceptual issue - rather than thinking about it (I suppose the same could besaid about art in general). I think the role of the writer is to bring us to acloser understanding of ourselves.

8 - Doyou find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential(or both)?

I really enjoy working witheditors, and appreciate their perspectives. I almost always enjoy working withothers and love getting feedback.

9 - Whatis the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to youdirectly)?

When I was beginning my novel, my mentor warned me that it might take mea decade to finish. He was essentially telling me to chill out, but I washorrified. I wanted to finish the work quickly. He was teaching me that writingwill take the time it takes, and he was absolutely correct. That novel tookeleven years to finish!

10 -What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? Howdoes a typical day (for you) begin?

I have struggled to keep a routineand failed miserably. I write when I can. I have three children, three pets, ajob outside the home and a number of volunteer responsibilities. Sometimes Ihave to remind myself that making it through the day is enough.

11 -When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of abetter word) inspiration?

I read an author I admire and hopethat their words and talent will somehow, by osmosis, make its way into me.Poetry will often inspire me.

12 -What fragrance reminds you of home?

Lilacs.  I’ve never had one home (we moved a lot), butI always seemed to be with my mother whenever I encountered a lilac tree, so Iconnected lilacs and my mother. She passed away almost twenty years ago but sheseems present when I smell lilacs, which is both sad and comforting.

13 -David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any otherforms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?

Nature and music are probably thetwo most influential (other than books and words). I find great solace andinspiration in nature. Music is tricky because I can’t listen to music while Iwork, but certain pieces of music might inspire an image or an “atmosphere”that I want to evoke through writing.

14 -What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your lifeoutside of your work?

I think this is the most difficultquestion of all! I love any writer who challenges the status quo - particularlyBlack and Indigenous writers.

There are too many to name here,and I keep discovering new (or new to me) writers that give me a newperspective - of craft or sentence structure or theme. Writers who areimportant for my work are those who are courageous or push boundaries, becauseI feel I have permission to try to do the same.

15 -What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?

I want to write a play. Seeingone’s work interpreted and acted on a stage is an exciting prospect and thecollaborative effort is appealing because it is less lonely than writing onone’s own.

16 - Ifyou could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or,alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been awriter?

I worked as a policy analyst formany years and enjoyed my job, but I feel fortunate to be able to focus more onwriting and reading. That said, I want to find a way to further connectliterature and social justice efforts. In my MFA program, I was able to workwith community programs - in one instance at a rehabilitation center formothers with addiction. I want to keep writing and publishing and eventuallyfind out how to partner with others in these kinds of pursuits.

17 -What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

I felt compelled to try. I lovereading and I love playing with words, and I knew that it could be somethingthat might become easier with time and practice. I’m also painfully aware ofthe things I cannot do (and there are so many)!

18 -What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?

I have fairly eclectic tastes, butI really enjoy stories with introspective, perceptive characters. I justfinished Martha Schabas’s My Face in theLight and loved it. Each paragraph contains a lovely, thought-provokingperspective that illuminates some emotion I’ve considered superficially butnever fully contemplated. I didn’t want it to end. I had to read slowly tosavour it.

I’ve been watching a lot of moviesabout musicians lately. I recently enjoyed “Summer of Soul”, about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. It includesinterviews and live footage of performers like Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jacksonand Nina Simone, and is informative about the social and historical context ofthe festival.

19 -What are you currently working on?

A few different projects, and I need to focus!  I had two ideas for novels, but I’m wonderingif one of them could be turned into a play. I also have a few ideas for shortstories and I’m recently coming up with poems. I don’t know where they’recoming from, but it’s fun to work on shorter pieces and closure feels moreaccessible.

My kids have incredible imaginations, and would like me towrite a book for kids. However, they’re such good writers, I’m hoping I canedit their work. That would be the best project!

12 or 20 (second series) questions;

[image error]