Jodi Egerton holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas at Austin and is the brains behind Write Good Consulting, a writing mentoring and editing service in Austin. Jodi is teaching a class for the Writers’ League on January 17, called “Jump Start Your Creative Mind.” Read the interview below and visit the class page to learn more.
Scribe: In your opinion, what is the most important part of the writing process?
Honestly, it’s writing. Actually sitting down and doing it. Giving yourself the time and space to write. Respect your work and your process, and honor it with dedicated writing time.
Scribe: How has your improvisation helped in your writing?
My improvisation background encourages me to say yes to my ideas, even when I kind of want to say no. Saying yes opens up big spacious avenues for more ideas to bubble up. I know that allowing myself to keep going even when I want to shut an idea down will eventually lead to tastier, richer ideas.
Scribe: Out of the many different creative outlets you partake in (writing, improv, ghostwriting, editing, etc.), is there a favorite among them that you just love the most?
I am head over heels in love with my work with Typewriter Rodeo. Three friends and I craft custom poems on vintage typewriters. We type at weddings, museums, corporate conferences, school fundraisers, and more, and we just have such a blast. People offer us a word, a phrase, an idea, something they’d like a poem about, and we write them a poem on the spot! I love watching people who don’t feel much connection to poetry suddenly burst out laughing, or tear up, as they read their poem. Typewriter Rodeo activates all my creative energies–writing, improv, connecting with people. It’s fun, it’s surprising, and it’s bringing a whole lot of goodness to the world. Visit typewriterrodeo.com for more about us.
Scribe: What’s your advice for a writer just starting out?
Write! And give yourself a small challenge or use a writing prompt to open up each writing session and get your creative energies flowing. A quick one I love is to grab a sentence you see on a common household item, and use that as the first line of your writing. Set a timer for five minutes, and just write from there–allow yourself to write without editing or judging yourself, because no one’s going to see this. Just like warming up our bodies allows us to run farther and faster, warming up our brain with an intro writing exercise allows us to dig deeper into our own work.
Thanks, Jodi!
To register for Jodi’s class, click here.
Click here for a full list of upcoming classes.
