What’s your name?
Diane D. Gillette
What have you written?
I mostly write short literary fiction with a tendency towards flash (1,000 words or fewer). My work has appeared in over 60 literary journals. I’m working on some longer projects as well, but short literary fiction will always be my first love in writing.
When do you write?
I’m a morning person. I like to start my day with a couple of hours of writing. I strive for Monday through Friday, but I adjust for life’s interruptions.
Describe your writing routine.
I let my mood and energy level dictate what my writing time looks like. Sometimes I sit and write the whole time, sometimes I spend the time revising or submitting my work instead.
What do you listen to while you’re writing?
I either listen to some white noise (rainstorms are my favorite) or some music that I’m already really familiar with. I can’t listen to new music while I write or I get distracted and start Googling lyrics and the life story of the artists. My favorite album to listen to on repeat when I write is Halsey’s “Badlands,” but I tend to listen to a lot of Tegan and Sara or even classic country music (because that’s what I grew up on) if the mood is right.
What are your tools?
I just need my laptop, Google Docs, and a WiFi connection so I can look up answers to those bizarre and random questions that pop up from time to time. I try to keep it simple.
What do you do when you get stuck?
I always have multiple stories in various stages of drafting and revision, so if I get stuck on one, I will usually just switch to another and let the first one marinate for a bit. But sometimes I find it helpful to talk through an issue with a story and so then I’ll reach out to my wonderful writing partner and ask for her perspective. She always asks just the right questions.
Do you do pre-writing or pre-planning?
I’m not a big planner because, for me, that takes away some of the fun. I like the story to unfold as I’m writing it and it’s exciting not always knowing where it is going to end up. I’ve tried planning things out in the past, but the project always loses some appeal when I do that.
Where do you write?
Pre-COVID-19, I was a dedicated coffee shop writer. I used to get up and go to a coffee shop as early as 5:00 a.m. on days I had to work so I could get my writing time in. I always struggled with all the distractions at home. But, like with so many other things these last few months, I’ve learned to adapt. I do most of my writing these days sitting in my giant bean bag in my office (because there is usually a cat in my desk chair) or out on the patio when the weather is nice.
Any rituals or superstitions?
Only when it comes to submitting my flash fiction for publication. I have one dream literary journal that I’d love to get a piece published in, and they’ve rejected me almost 40 times in the last 13 years. But then I usually get the piece I sent to them accepted elsewhere not long after, so every time I get piece I really believe in ready for publication, I send it to them first.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to get out of a stuck cycle?
Once when I’d gone months without writing anything because life had just been pretty cruddy there for a stretch, I was having so much trouble getting anything on paper. I decided I needed a really structured project to work on. So I just made up all these rules for myself about what I had to write. I wrote “memoir” where I had to write something that corresponded with each letter of the alphabet, but each piece had to be 100 words exactly. So I ended up with a 2600 word memoir. It turned out to be a very therapeutic writing project and helped get me out of my slump. I never did anything with the project as a whole, but I did end up getting one part of it published as a kind of prose poem in a local lit mag. Mostly it just helped me process all the things that had been going on so I could move past them and begin to write fiction again.
What is the best book you’ve read lately?
Oh wow, I’ve read so many great books recently, so it is hard to choose. But I think if I had to pick, I’d say “Deathless Divide” by Justina Ireland. It’s the sequel to “Dread Nation,” which was also amazing. She is so skilled in her character development and world-building. Her novels can get really intense, but I love how she’s not afraid to show the dark side of her protagonists. Really stellar writing!
What is one book you think everyone should read?
I think everyone should read “Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture” which is a collection of essays edited by Roxane Gay.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to when things might be safe enough that my mom can come to me in visit Chicago again. She was supposed to visit in March, but obviously we had to cancel the trip because of COVID-19 and now it’s hard not knowing when we’ll be able to see each other again. I don’t want to risk her health with so many people being careless right now, so we’ll continue to wait, but I really miss her.
