Reading time: About 3 minutes
Cid V Brunet says it’s always important to have time away from my desk to let the writing simmer on the back-burner….
Cid V Brunet published their debut memoir, This Is My Real Name, with Arsenal Pulp Press in 2021. With recent poetry publications in CV2 and Eavesdrop magazine, they are currently completing an MFA in creative writing at UBC and working as Editor of Reviews at PRISM international literary magazine. When they’re not writing, Cid enjoys crafting, weightlifting, and caring for an ever-growing collection of houseplants.
I was excited to talk to Cid about how they approach writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
Two to four hours, five days a week.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Working within my optimal creative window allows me to show up and write. I am most creative in the mornings, so if I haven’t made it to my writing desk before noon, I’ve likely missed my window for that day. Knowing this, I try to stick to a routine where I wake up, make coffee, and get to my desk before life gets in the way.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Primarily it’s the need to work for money that interferes most with my writing. Writing is a timely process, one I enjoy getting lost in. I regularly feel the tension between working on my (unpaid) creative projects versus needing to make money to live. It’s a difficult balance.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
On days I really really don’t feel like writing, I don’t write. On those days, it’s usually because there is some life-stress or difficult task that I’m dealing with (or avoiding). Plus I need time away from my desk to let the writing simmer on the back-burner. However, I will try some basic ‘automatic writing’ techniques when I want to write but find myself sitting in front of the dreaded blinking cursor on an empty page. Lately that’s looked like asking myself to write one page from my character’s perspective just to get my fingers moving on the keyboard. That is usually enough to help me move through the stuckness and decide on what I want to write once my one page is finished.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
No particular quote comes to mind, however I’m regularly inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s reflection on her writing process. As I was scrolling through a repository of her quotes, I felt a lot of affinity with this gem, “Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself.”
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
I’m currently researching and writing a first draft of my novel, which is quite uncomfortable and tedious. I often feel overwhelmed and stressed by how much I have to learn and know. By contrast, my favorite aspect of the writing process is editing and polishing. I love finessing my writing and other people’s; nothing feels better than when a peer lets me know my edits helped them clarify their writing.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years? [If you can’t narrow it down to one, please don’t give any more than three.]
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters stands out. It is exceptionally written historical fiction that takes place in the UK during the second world war with a cast of almost entirely queer characters. The details and the sense of place and time Waters was able to achieve is mind-blowing.
Q. What book are you reading right now?
To help me understand the context of the world I’m writing about and my characters, I’ve been reading historical fiction/nonfiction by children’s authors and/or with child-aged protagonists; essentially, books that take place from a child’s point of view. I just finished Orphan at My Door by Jean Little and am now re-reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. If you’ve enjoyed a book with a child as the main character that is written for adults, please dm me on Instagram @cidvbrunetwrites I’m always interested in recommendations!
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
Sometimes, I hear new writers worry that they have to wait until they are ‘ready’ to start writing. I wish I could tell them that there is no better time to start writing than right now. You don’t need to wait for anybody or anything to happen. Inspiration may come and go, but consistency and dedication to craft make it possible to complete writing projects.
To learn more about Cid V Brunet, check out their website.
