Kim McCullough, the author of Clearwater, lets us in on a few secrets.
Tell us something
most people don’t know about you:
Not many people know I used to sing in the Sweet Adelines
barbershop chorus. I was a member of Prairie Gold, the Regina chapter. However,
my enthusiasm for singing far outstrips my talent.
How did you become a
writer?
I’ve been writing since I was very young – I have a basement
shelf full of half-completed, handwritten novels. They are all very angsty and
sentimental and factually incorrect, especially when it comes to romantic
endeavours. I didn’t share my writing with anyone, really, until 2007 when I
attended the inaugural Fernie Writers’ Conference, where I worked with Angie Abdou. She read my short story out loud, while I had to sit and listen, then
listen to the other students critique my work. It was mortifying, and it was
empowering. From there – more courses and workshops, and then the MFA at UBC.
Tell us about your
most recent project:
This year has been crazy – I’m not sure what to pick as my
“most recent.” My novel Clearwater (Coteau
Books) was out October 2. I am also working on my Masters’ thesis for UBC. It’s
another novel, one that is loosely linked to Clearwater. So this past year has been a combination of editing
Clearwater, while trying to create a new world in the thesis novel.
What is the most
valuable piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
This one has taken me the longest to answer, probably
because it’s both the easiest and most difficult question. The simple answer
is: write. Write every day. But the truth is, the best writing advice came by
way of writing lesson given by author Peter Oliva, one of my Fernie
instructors. I’m sworn to secrecy, so I won’t go into detail, but it left our
little workshop group devastated, some of us in tears, all of us cursing his
name. Peter taught me that there is always a deeper, darker, truer place to go.
And he taught me that if I think I’m at that scary place, look again. Dig a
little deeper.
Give us your Desert
Island Reading List (the 3 books you’d choose to be stranded with):
Old Friend From Far Away, by Natalie Goldberg – the writing prompts could help me while away
the time.
The thing you like
most about writing:
I like how the characters come alive. When things are really
clicking, they move through a fabricated world all on their own. Because they
seem so real to me, I know just how they would react in a given situation.
Setting up those situations is pretty fun.
The thing you like least: The time it takes away from
my kids.
Unusual work habits/routines/superstitions?
For Clearwater, I
had a certain playlist of music I would listen to when I was stuck – from classical piano from Debussy and Mozart
(one of my characters is a pianist) to ‘70’s and ‘80’s top 40. (Seventies
because, though the novel starts a decade later, the radio station in the town
where it is set was ALWAYS ten years behind.) I’d wrap up with a few nice, dark
blasts of Jeff Buckley and the tone was set.
What’s next for you on
the writing agenda?
Promotion of my novel. Teaching more Creative Writing
classes. Finishing my thesis.
About Kim
Kim McCullough has published reviews and commentary on a
number of literary websites. Clearwater
is her first published book. She is currently working towards her MFA in
creative writing at UBC. Originally from Regina, Kim now teaches in Calgary
where she leads various writing workshops for students of all ages, including a
writing class for women in recovery.
To find out more about Kim, please visit her website: www.kimmccullough.ca
To come: a review of Clearwater
No comments:
Post a Comment