Finding Creativity: Interview with Eddie Jen
Eddie Jen is a writer, dreamer, occasional (high heels hurt too much!) drag queen, and attorney, living in San Francisco. He's written for BrokeAss Stuart, The Bold Italic, and Quiet Lightning.
What does it look like when you write a first draft?
Typing my words, seeing the black letters appear on a blank white screen, racing my cursor forwards, and retreating backwards, my first draft is pounding out the first five hundred words. This is the seed that may, or may not, germinate into something more. Everything that happens after birthing this seed is a blurry, indistinct process. It works for me. The next day I may tinker with what I’ve written or continue on and pound out another 500 words. I’ll write, edit, delete entire paragraphs and sometimes import sentences and paragraphs from previous writings into the piece. Once there is enough text to trigger creativity, I just let my creative muscle memory take over. The key to starting a new piece is typing out the first 500 words, so I have something to play with.
When do you write?
Over the years, I’ve developed a routine, and I generally write in the evenings from 9-11 pm. Before the pandemic shutdown, I liked to write in the mezzanine of Twin Peaks, a historic gay bar in the Castro district. Without that option, I’ve done a lot of writing in bed and on the couch this past year. I am very much looking forward to resuming my solitary act of writing in public spaces while observing people once normal life resumes.
What does it look like when you are revising and editing your own work?
Editing is not a separate process for me. You always see Carrie Bradshaw in front of her Mac, composing, thinking, editing — all at the same time. I do the same. The key to editing, or any phase in the writing process, is to trust my instincts. Editing has been caricatured as a dominatrix role--because you’re whipping and cutting without mercy--but for me it’s about finding creativity. Sometimes editing is as simple as finding the most boring sentence in a paragraph: I remove that sentence, find a new way of saying it, dress it up in heels and makeup, and give it a personality. Often, when I put that sentence back into the paragraph, it sparks new ideas and adds a dash of vitality. And then I’m off to the races, my mind racing with new words and sentences, my fingers barely able to keep up.
How do you put your work out to the world?
I am not currently submitting pieces, or even pitching. I’ve had some success with local writing publications and literary readings, and I’m ready for something more. But in order for me to achieve that, I need to bang out a manuscript. I’m roughly a quarter of the way there. For this moment of my writing career, submissions and pitching are a distraction from what I need to be focused on.
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It’s Pride Season! Read interviews with more queer writers: storyteller Mo Bogues, poet Vi Khi Nao, entrepreneur Adam Blum, poet Marlee Miller, editor Erika Abad, novelist Sally Vedros, poet Jessica Folk, playwright Troy Rockett, pleasure activist Mkali-Hashiki, editor Julie Enszer, songwriter John Robertson, editor Kay Kassirer.
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