Interview with:Cindy Callinsky [cindycallinsky]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? As a child I remember my father reading us the The Littles. I adored those books. As a tween the first book that is really cemented in my mind is Phantoms. It was the book that would open the door to my reading addiction for many years to come.
I have always had a passion for music. I started out writing words for songs. My writing then progressed into poetry and stories.
My mother was always the first one to read anything that I had written. |
| What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it? |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? Wow. I don’t have a process. I just feel the need to do it. As for what happens before I sit down to write... I make an espresso. HA! |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? Opening up and sharing your deepest fears, regrets, and emotions is what it’s all about. It’s not necessarily the story, it’s in the way it’s told, the rawness that it’s given. It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or non-fiction. If you delve into the deepest parts of yourself and share freely, that’s the ingredients of a fabulous story. If you don’t feel the emotions as you are typing away on your keyboard, how is your reader going to ever feel them? |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? I will read either. I prefer reading and writing in first person. I feel that first person is typically more reflective for the reader. When it is done right, I believe it offers a deeper connection between the author and the reader. |
| Are you equally good at telling stories orally? I’m actually not a very good verbal communicator at all. I tend to get all tongue-tied. I will often get my mords wixed up. Heee. |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? Definitely. If I go too long without writing I get very cantankerous. One of my good friends, Mike Barer, pretty much told me, “Cindy, I believe many true artists are such because they feel such pain.” |
| Does reader feed-back help you? Absolutely, unequivocally, YES. When you are writing non-fiction it is very easy to leave out minuet things that are pertinent to the story. You may not even realize that you’ve left them out. I had a few people that read the story throughout my writing process. They got it unedited and raw. I’m a creative writer, not an English professor. My grammar sucks. I know many of my weaknesses. All I can do is try to make up for them by finding someone that is great at what I suck at and then ask them for help. |
| Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for? Let me look around…
Wait, what am I looking for? I never lost it. HA!
Really though, I have a voice. It just changes slightly with age and different experiences. |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? When I’m working on a project I always set end dates. I wrote the first draft of my book in about a month. After that it was rereading, changing, adding and removing. If I don’t set a date, I’m afraid that something else will peak my interest and the project will be put to the side and never finished. I have to be a little unrealistic with my dates; if they are realistic I may give up. I have to feel constant pressure. That can be a bad thing because if often causes more mistakes. It’s just the way it is though. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? Espresso and music. Lots of music. I used music to tap into different times in my life. When I needed to remember memories of my mother it was Gordon Lightfoot. When I needed to remember Jimmy it was stuff like The Smiths, New Order, and The Cure. Dad’s CDs made a lot of money off me that year. I also used Sirius a lot. (O; |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? I write and correct on a PC and/or laptop. I printed a few copies of different sections of the book for people to pre-read. I found working through the script much more challenging because there are so many technical things. It has to be done this way or that way. Don’t do this, do that. I had to print that a good deal of times. I do recycle and I reused as many of the sheets as possible in one way or another. |
| What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information? I have a facebook under a different name so that I can keep in touch with those who are very close to me. I have a myspace that’s under my real name. Other than that I use my own sites and blogs. |
| What has been your experience with publishers? I am stubborn. I didn’t want to work with a publisher. Sounds mean, but I wanted to do it my way. I wanted to drop the F bomb where and when I wanted. I wanted to design the cover. I didn’t want to delve too deep into intimate times. I think some things should be left to the imagination of the reader so they can connect more, make the story more their own. It’s not that I can't write some Harlequin stuff, because I can write sexy stuff with the best of them. That’s just not the direction that I wanted this book to take. I wanted to capture the innocence’s of a certain era in my live so the reader could feel it evaporate as time went on. |
| What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone? Dust them off, and give them to someone that you trust. No regrets and no fear. |
PERSONALITY
| What hobbies have you got? I have many hobbies and not nearly enough time. Of course I love to write. I guess that’s a given.
I love to make jewelry. I am very attracted to gemstones. I love creating something exquisite and unique with them. The whole process is very meditative for me.
I adore photography. Capturing a moment in time that may otherwise be forgotten is simply a must for me. I take a digital camera with me everywhere I go, and my son does the same. I will often pull over on the side of the road to take a photo of something that many people are just too busy to notice.
I love to learn new things. I don’t believe there is anything anyone can’t do, especially with the wealth of information that is at everyone’s fingertips. I don’t always get it right the first time, second, or third time around. It doesn’t bother me too much because I believe there are only mistakes if we choose not to learn from them.
I have always been interested in psychology and mental illness. I have been known to read college course books regarding such things even though I never went to college.
I don’t like to be confined to any one thing for very long because it may lose its appeal.
I am interested in mystical things. I truly take pleasure in reading tarot/oracle cards and tapping into a different place.
I love designing websites. I know that seems kinda outside the realm; however, it is a very creative process for me.
I have a fetish for automobiles. I love classics and run out to see fast car movies whenever one comes out. Gone in 60 Seconds is one of my favorites.
I am a movie/documentary junkie. I tend not to watch much television, but you will always see a mix of extremely odd Netflix movies scattered across my receiver. If I really love it, I will write something about it and post it to my blogs and website.
I love music off all kinds. I grew up just south of Seattle and was going to underground clubs before Nirvana ever hit. I’m still known to be seen in a mosh pit here and there. I even worked in conjunction with an artist, Gene Gregory, and produced a soundtrack for the book. That was an enjoyable and interesting experience.
I'm not sure what I will be doing a year from now. Who knows? |
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[cindycallinsky]
Cindy Callinsky
Burdine, KY
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