“I believe that so much of writing comes from living life, from being in the world–observing it, experiencing it.” —Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Jenny Tinghui Zhang is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Four Treasures of the Sky (Flatiron Books), translated into 12 languages and named a New York Times Notable Book, Good Morning America Book Club Buzz Pick, and Idaho Book of the Year. Her work has appeared in The Cut, The New York Times, Texas Highways, and The Rumpus, among others. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree and has received support from Kundiman, VONA/Voices, Tin House, and the University of Wyoming, where she completed her MFA. Her second novel Superfan is forthcoming from Flatiron Books.
On Wednesday, October 9th, Jenny is teaching a class for the WLT called “The Personal Essay: Writing a More Connected Self.” In this class, you’ll learn to use the body to ground your personal essays, giving them physical stakes, realities, and connection to the world, and you’ll get to explore alternative forms and entry points for your pieces.
Here’s what Jenny had to share with us:
Scribe: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you write? How did you come to writing?
Jenny Tinghui Zhang: I’ve lived in Austin for about 24 years, with a brief stint in Laramie, Wyoming, where I did my MFA in Creative Nonfiction. I love writing both short and long-form fiction and nonfiction, and am currently at work on my second novel. I came to writing through a love for stories and the need to connect; I’ve kept a journal since I was in the third grade, and storytelling has always been my outlet for feeling less alone. It still is!
Scribe: In your own work, how do you approach overcoming the challenges that come with writing, be it writer’s block or craft or business-related challenges?
JTZ: When I experience writer’s block, I find that it’s typically due to the fact that I’m too focused on only writing. I believe that so much of writing comes from living life, from being in the world–observing it, experiencing it. When it feels hard to write, I actually like stepping away from the writing itself and immersing myself in other people’s art, whether that’s film, poetry, music, dance, etc. A day quietly strolling through a museum, for example, does wonders for my creativity.
Scribe: Has there been a moment of epiphany in terms of your work, when you thought, “This is it! Now I know what I’m doing!” How long did that feeling last?
JTZ: I find that this feeling usually comes in the latter phases of revision, when I’m reading over my work. When I’m deep in writing and worrying day in and day out about plot, character, prose, whatever else, it can be easy to feel negative about everything I’m doing. It’s not good enough, I constantly think. But then, there will be moments when I’m reading back my work to myself, and I find myself enjoying the writing, the story, the characters. I find myself feeling moved or outraged or sad, reacting to the work as if it’s not a story I know inside and out. That’s when the epiphany happens for me and I think: perhaps I have done something that might be good.
Scribe: What piece of advice do you find yourself giving to writers again and again?
JTZ: When it comes to revision, the greatest thing you can do for the work is walk away and let it breathe, then come back to it. Time and space are amazing agents of clarity and answers! I do not believe in grinding at a piece without rest. Rest can be productive, generative, even.
Scribe: What is one thing that people will take away from this class?
JTZ: For most writers, for most people, it’s scary and hard to write from a personal place. It’s terribly difficult to interrogate the self, much less share that self with others. I hope that this class lowers that barrier to entry and makes personal essay writing something that can be enjoyable and fulfilling.
—
Thanks, Jenny!
Click here to learn more about Jenny’s upcoming class.
