N. Shannacampo

Question 1

Letting poems percolate

Answer 1

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Waits​

And then writes all at once in bursts​

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Not a planner

Question 2

Planner vs. Pantser​

Answer 2

Planner​

Creates a plan​

Follows it​

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Pantser​

Flies by the seat of their pants​

Discovers what they are writing as they write it

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Both have strengths and weaknesses​

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Neither is better​

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One is better for you​

One is better for a particular project

Question 3

Deadlines and positive stress

Answer 3

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He works quickly when faced with deadlines​

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Not everyone works like this​

But publishing works like this​

So it is worth getting comfortable being able to do this​

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Teach yourself to make stress positive

Question 4

Writing practice

Answer 4

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Writes by hand​

Edits when he types a poem out​

Edits it three more times​

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Tries to avoid editing more than 3 times​

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Works with an editor

Question 5

Realism/research/stereotypes

Answer 5

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He is working on a realistic representation of pre-colonial Indigenous society​

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Has to think differently about things to do this​

Has to throw out/refuse stereotypes and received ideas

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If you don’t know, you inevitably fall back on received ideas (likely stereotypes)​

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Research puts you in contact with the reality of settings/people/cultures​

Research (actually knowing things) is the key to avoiding stereotypes

Question 6

Shifting genres

Answer 6

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Wrote a story that became a long poem​

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Sometimes a piece of writing wants to be in a different genre​

Learn to recognize this​

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When you are stuck, try shifting genres​

Question 7

Reading

Answer 7

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He doesn’t read much poetry or much at all​

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Everything will work for someone​

This works for him​

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He is very much an outlier​

This will likely not work for you

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Reading is like research​

Reading liberates you from stereotypes, cliches, etc.