Lillian
V. Grant is the author of The
Discombobulated Inner Workings of the Female Mind: My Mental Mayhem. This interview was first published in November
2007.
I
was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
What
was it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?
I
started writing when i was about 9 years old. I remember my teachers played a
big part in my love of writing. Every class I had, I remember we would have to
keep journals, or have what they called "Free Write" time. During
this time we had to open up our journals, or notebooks and write whatever came
to mind. No thinking aloud, just write. Sometimes we had to turn them in,
sometimes not, but it taught a very good lesson to me. That writing is therapy.
Writing is fun. And that writing is a very powerful communication tool.
There
are so many, I don't know where to begin. First, I'll mention Jill Scott. She
is...amazing!! Very intellectual. Her writing is moving, very emotional. I
admire her greatly, because you can tell that she lets her gaurd down in her
writing. She doesn't hold back. And, I see myself in her. She's a great
example, and I really really admire her.
Another writer, poetess, that I admire, and
really influences me, is a local poet, Nikki Blak. Nikki, is equally thought
provoking, and an inspiration for young writers. And I say young because she's
younger than me, and has accomplished a lot in her years. She sheds life on
issues that aren't the average persons everyday concern. And I admire her for
that. She has a wonderful stage presence, and she's definitely a poet worth
looking for.
On a novelist level, I have to say that I
enjoy writings by Kate Chopin. She's also an amazing writer. My mom introduced
me to her. And even though I favor murder mysteries and dramatic writings, I
decided to give her title "Awakening" a chance. I was completely
sold!! I wont give away the story, but being a woman, a young woman at that, it
made me reanalyze how I live, how I want to live. And what I need to do to stay
true to myself.
I
love writing poetry. It just comes more naturally for me. I write short
stories, and have even started a novel. But writing fiction requires more
thought and technique. You have to paint a picture with words. And all really
good pictures have detail. So if your story is lacking detail, then its not a
story at all.
Oh
so many things!! I've ventured into technical writing. So I'm developing my
copywriting skills. And am slowly turning that into an entrepreneurial effort.
I'm also working on an e-zine that sheds more light on the poetry world. I'm
also wrapping up a manuscript that has been in the works. And I'm continuously
looking for new ways to market and promote my first book "The
Discombobulated Inner Workings of the Female Mind - My Mental Mayhem".
Hmmmm,
my writing day has no start or finish. I write whenever i feel the urge. I keep
MS Word on my phone at all times!! That way I can pen whatever I need, whenever
I want.
The
most exciting thing about writing is that its a look into my own mind. I'm not
an extrovert person. And growing up I was more introvert than I am now. But
being able to write down my feelings, and verbalize it on paper in a way I
would never be able to vocally, keeps me awestruck. I never thought of it this way
until someone said to me "You live inside your head." That statement
stays with me, because it’s very, very true.
I
think the most frustrating is that I can't write faster (laughs). My thoughts come
at a rapid pace, and can barely keep up!!
What’s
the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?
When
I published "The Discombobulated Inner Workings of the Female Mind",
I was afraid people wouldn't understand it. That they wouldn't see the humor.
They wouldn't get the feeling, or thoughts behind it. But everyone who has read
it has came to me, or passed the message, that they can relate. They completely
understand because they've gone through it, and they love it.
Do
you write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your
own creativity?
I
think a little of both. When I first started to write, it was a release for me.
So, yes, I was just satisfying my own creativity. But after I gradually started
sharing pieces of myself to the world, I realized I wanted more because they
wanted more. I decided to publish Discombobulated because I knew it had a good
message. It was open, it was pure, and woman and men alike, young or old, can
take something away from it.
Do
you have a homepage? Do you have any short stories or poems published online?
(If so, please provide the URLs):
My
work can be found on my blog page at: http://www.myspace.com/discombobulated_lvg
