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The Cardiff Review interview Rhys Owain Williams

interview, Poetry, poets, Rhys Owain Williams, That Lone Ship, The Cardiff Review -

The Cardiff Review interview Rhys Owain Williams

JAMIE GILLINGHAM

What do you find are the most enjoyable and most challenging aspects of writing/being a writer?

RHYS OWAIN WILLIAMS

I think most writers struggle to switch off, and perhaps we never completely do. Everything we encounter in life has the potential to provide that flash of inspiration. Feeling attuned to the world around you in that way is such a positive experience, giving you those moments of absolute creative thought, but it can also be a huge strain on your mental health. The screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan said that “being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life.” I completely agree with that. Writing often feels like a task that needs to be completed, with rewards if you do and repercussions if you don’t. The challenge is to try to leave that mindset behind, and give yourself time off from the part of you that’s a writer. Not too long, but just enough so that when you next lose your trail of thought to a new idea it’s not an unwelcome experience.

Read the interview in full on The Cardiff Review website

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