{"id":1712,"date":"2020-07-23T20:53:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T19:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/?p=1712"},"modified":"2020-07-24T17:06:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T16:06:29","slug":"angie-abdou-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/angie-abdou-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Novelist And Creative Writing Professor Angie Abdou On Where Ideas Happen, What “Good Writing” Means, And The Only Reason To Be A Writer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who:<\/strong>\u00a0Angie Abdou<\/p>\n

Claim To Fame:\u00a0<\/strong>Angie Abdou is\u00a0the author of seven\u00a0books, including\u00a0The Bone Cage<\/a>,<\/em> which was a finalist for CBC\u2019s Canada Reads 2011 and the 2012 MacEwan Book of the Year.\u00a0<\/em>Chatelaine\u00a0magazine named Angie\u2019s most recent novel,\u00a0In Case I Go<\/em><\/a>, one of the most-riveting mysteries of 2017, and\u00a0The Vancouver Sun\u00a0called it a \u201cspectacularly successful\u201d novel. Her\u00a0latest, Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom<\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>is her first book\u00a0of nonfiction. Angie is also an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Athabasca University.<\/p>\n

Where To Find Angie:<\/strong>\u00a0Her\u00a0Website<\/a>,\u00a0Amazon<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Praise For Angie: <\/strong>“In Case I Go\u00a0is the gorgeous and shattering triumph of a writer at the very height of her powers. Each page pulls the reader through to the next \u2014 compelling, heartbreaking, and convincing, this book demands to be lived.”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Kevin Patterson<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

When<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0where<\/a>\u00a0do you like to write?\u00a0 Are you\u00a0regimented<\/a>\u00a0about your writing routine?<\/h3>\n

Yes, I\u2019m pretty regimented. I come to writing as an athlete, and I\u2019ve transferred the discipline, routine, and work ethic I used in swimming to writing. That\u2019s the only way I know how to do it. When I\u2019m working on a book project, I work every day. The momentum that builds from that (obsessive?) attachment to the work is key to my process. Ideas only arrive \u2013 and the story only comes to life \u2013 when I commit to daily time with the manuscript. I prefer to write first thing in the morning, then go for a run<\/a> (where the most creative stuff happens), and then come back to the page for another hour or so.<\/p>\n

With family and work commitments, I cannot always clear the morning so I have, in recent decades, learned to be flexible about the when<\/em>, as long as I can find a few hours every day.<\/p>\n

The where<\/em> \u2013 I\u2019m less consistent about that. I do have a great office at home, but sometimes I need to get out of the house to avoid the temptation to clean the fridge (or whatever other tasks suddenly seem so appealing in comparison with the deep work of writing).\u00a0 I like the background noise of coffee shops and have a few favourites. If I want silence, there\u2019s a quiet room in the Fernie Library that\u2019s been lucky for me.<\/p>\n

Do you have any\u00a0pre-writing rituals<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0habits<\/a>\u00a0before you sit down to write?<\/h3>\n

No, for me, the mid-writing<\/em> ritual is the most important. After I\u2019ve put in my time at the computer, I must go for a run (or at least a long solo walk).\u00a0 That\u2019s where all the ideas \u2013 the new scene, the perfect bit of dialogue, the poetic line, the crucial insight \u2013 come. I suppose the trick is not\u00a0trying so hard and leaving the subconscious mind alone to do its thing, and that works best when I\u2019m in movement and distracted by physical effort. I\u2019ve learned not to question the how <\/em>or why <\/em>too much. That\u2019s my best advice to writers: figure out what process works for you and stick to it<\/em>. Trust your process.<\/em><\/p>\n

What do you do when the writing isn\u2019t coming easy? Do you struggle at all with that dreaded enemy of writing:\u00a0writer\u2019s block<\/a>?<\/h3>\n

I believe Michael Ondaatje<\/a> said you have to show up at your desk for all the bad days to earn the one good day. I think of that a lot. I have bad days for sure, but I remind myself that when I commit to my process, the story eventually comes. So on the bad days, I put in a couple hours at the computer, then I go for a run, and then I put in another hour at the computer. Exactly the same as on the good days.<\/p>\n

What is your process for\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0like?How does your approach to novel research differ from your approach to academic research?<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s a good question. Once at a festival, a novelist was speaking about her novel set in the 1970s (before she was born) and an older author from the audience asked \u201cWhat research did you do to make sure that you got the 70s\u2019 writing scene right? How did you ensure that your representation of that era feels true and authentic?\u201d The author answered: \u201cI don\u2019t really like to get too bogged down in the research.\u201d I might have gasped, and I\u2019m sure the author-in-the-audience was appalled. Maybe the answer was meant to be provocative. Still, when I feel myself getting pulled too far toward the academic route, I think of that line, give my head a shake, and announce \u201cI don\u2019t like to get too bogged down in the research.\u201d I aim to strike a balance between the appalled author-in-the-audience and the nonchalant author with her glib reply. It\u2019s true that writers could spend their whole lives researching and never get to the novel. It\u2019s also true that you want to leave room for the characters and story to come alive and if you\u2019re too anchored to the research that creative energy will be elusive. In academic writing, I have a very organized process: research, outline, finish research, write. In creative writing, the research comes woven into the process. I research enough to see if my idea will work and then I start writing. I research other details as needed <\/em>to make sure the story will work. I don\u2019t want to put readers off by having them realize the story would never actually happen in the time it’s set or that I\u2019ve gotten some major detail wrong about the group that I\u2019m writing about. I have a novel called The Bone Cage <\/em><\/a>about Olympic swimmers and wrestlers for example, and I wanted to make sure I did enough research that the story rang true for Olympic swimmers and wrestlers. Even though they\u2019re likely a very small portion of my readers, I don\u2019t want to be discredited by the very people I\u2019m writing about. That\u2019s the kind of research I do as I go: what kind of time would an elite swimmer do for 100 free in 2000? How many meters do Olympic-bound swimmers do per practice? What are the main Olympic weight classes in wrestling? How much weight does a typical wrestler cut to compete?\u00a0 Those questions come up in the writing and I research them as needed.<\/p>\n

Deciding on an idea to pursue writing about can be the most challenging aspect for a writer. How do you come to find the stories and lives that become the subjects of your books? Are there habits or daily practices you use to think about book ideas<\/a>?<\/h3>\n

Ohhhhhh. This is driving me crazy. I\u2019m at that stage now, looking for a new book idea, and it\u2019s all I can think and talk about. It\u2019s driving my family crazy too.\u00a0 An idea will eventually land on me. Novel ideas grow out of obsessions. The main idea has to be something I want to think about every day for a year or two years or more. Once an idea does land, I commit to it. Otherwise, I would eventually quit on every single idea because at so many points I decide: \u201cThis will never work.<\/em>\u201d Once I put pen to paper, I don\u2019t give myself the backing-out option. Oddly, usually that initial \u201cI think I have an idea!\u201d excitement also comes during a long walk or a run. I hear showers work well for some writers too. I take solace in that \u2013 if my Achilles ever goes, I can still think-write in the shower.<\/p>\n

You are also a professor of Creative Writing. How does teaching the craft help you in your own writing career? What are some\u00a0common mistakes<\/a>\u00a0you see aspiring writers make?<\/h3>\n

Teaching writing to others teaches me so much. Being in that guiding role forces me to articulate what works in a story and what doesn\u2019t, thereby clarifying the form (short story, novel, creative nonfiction essay, memoir) for me. I read differently as a teacher \u2013 to see what a writer can and can\u2019t do, what does and doesn\u2019t work on the page.\u00a0 Then, as a benefit beyond teaching, I apply those lessons to my own work. To be clear, it\u2019s not as if I figure out how writing works and then voila I\u2019m done. My idea of what strategies can be effective on the page always evolve \u2013 through my reading and teaching. That evolution changes what I try to write.<\/p>\n

As a teacher, I\u2019m a bit obsessed with writing at the level of sentence. A lot of aspiring writers forget that when we refer to \u201cgood writing\u201d we often mean at that most basic level. Readers will not get engaged in the story if they find writing cluttered with weak verbs, passive voice, predicable phrasing, tired images, dead metaphors, unnecessary wordiness, redundancy, and awkward phrasing. I tell aspiring writers: edit those sentences until they sing. Read your work aloud. You will find yourself tripping over the weak sentences.<\/em>\u00a0 Edit and re-read until you don\u2019t trip.<\/em><\/p>\n

Great writers tend to be\u00a0voracious readers<\/a>. What does your reading habit look like? Can you recommend some of your favorite writers and books?<\/h3>\n

I read every day, not only because I love books or because I read to learn as a writer, but also because I want to support other writers and the book community. I have a monthly column on CBC where I recommend books by Alberta writers. I interview writers at festivals. I post on Twitter and Facebook about books I admire and enjoy. I review books for journals. If we want to keep the book industry afloat, we all have to work to support each other\u2019s books.<\/p>\n

I read, also, to remind myself of the reason I\u2019m in this profession: because I love <\/em>books. My favourite writers and books change. I loved this year\u2019s Booker winner Girl, Woman, Other<\/em>. I\u2019m also loving the kind of books currently popular with so many readers: Sally Rooney\u2019s Normal People <\/em><\/a>and Conversation with Friends<\/em><\/a>, Jenny Offill\u2019s Dept of Speculation <\/em><\/a>and Weather<\/em><\/a>, and the auto-fiction trilogy by Rachel Cusk<\/a>. I like the way these writers capture the current zeitgeist, in all its complexity and anxiety, while focusing on personal\/domestic stories and getting the readers right in the heads of the characters. I also admire their stylistic originality and the way\u00a0that style\u00a0speaks to the times and feels so now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I also recently loved a book by John Gould called the end of me<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s a collection of very short stories (two to six pages) about death, but it\u2019s funny. Funny stories about death. Also profound. I like that collection from a place of pure admiration. I could never do what he does. I don\u2019t know how he brings a whole world to life in three pages.<\/p>\n

Oh \u2013 Five Wives <\/em><\/a>by Joan Thomas. That novel is a master class in empathy. Thomas never judges a character. I don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve ever read a book where the author feels so absent \u2013 and the characters come to life fully formed, free of authorial judgement. The story (about misguided missionaries) would easily lend itself to satire or even caricature. She resists that temptation. I learned a lot from that book.<\/p>\n

I could go on all day about books I love.<\/p>\n

What is your\u00a0advice to aspiring writers<\/a>?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019m going to quote from my recent book Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom<\/em><\/a> to answer this question: \u201cFame and fortune are exactly the wrong reasons to write. I tell my students: only be a writer if you really can\u2019t help it, if you love <\/em>writing. I\u2019m talking about the same kind of Aristotelian love that I hope draws Ollie to hockey. If you\u2019re drawn to writing like an apple is drawn to the ground \u2014 if writing\u2019s gravitational pull on you is irresistible \u2014 then write.\u201d<\/p>\n

___________<\/p>\n

Ready to create a writing routine of your\u00a0own?<\/h3>\n

Sign up now and receive our free guide\u00a0\u201c12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Learn from the routines of superstar authors\u00a0Stephen King, Gertrude Stein, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, and many more.<\/em><\/p>\n

Get the free guide\u00a0here!<\/span><\/a><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who:\u00a0Angie Abdou Claim To Fame:\u00a0Angie Abdou is\u00a0the author of seven\u00a0books, including\u00a0The Bone Cage, which was a finalist for CBC\u2019s Canada Reads 2011 and the 2012 MacEwan Book of the Year.\u00a0Chatelaine\u00a0magazine named Angie\u2019s most recent novel,\u00a0In Case I Go, one of the most-riveting mysteries of 2017, and\u00a0The Vancouver Sun\u00a0called it a \u201cspectacularly successful\u201d novel. Her\u00a0latest, Home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNovelist And Creative Writing Professor Angie Abdou On Where Ideas Happen, What "Good Writing" Means, And The Only Reason To Be A Writer - Writing Routines<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.writingroutines.com\/angie-abdou-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novelist And Creative Writing Professor Angie Abdou On Where Ideas Happen, What "Good Writing" Means, And The Only Reason To Be A Writer - Writing Routines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who:\u00a0Angie Abdou Claim To Fame:\u00a0Angie Abdou is\u00a0the author of seven\u00a0books, including\u00a0The Bone Cage, which was a finalist for CBC\u2019s Canada Reads 2011 and the 2012 MacEwan Book of the Year.\u00a0Chatelaine\u00a0magazine named Angie\u2019s most recent novel,\u00a0In Case I Go, one of the most-riveting mysteries of 2017, and\u00a0The Vancouver Sun\u00a0called it a \u201cspectacularly successful\u201d novel. 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