Every Sunday, dailywaffle.co.uk brings you a quick 60 second interview with a different member of our writing team. This week we bring you our latest recruit, Sarah Quince (@Saraharah)
What / Who inspired you to write?
My Mum introduced me to reading when I was small and I’ve never stopped loving it. My local bookshop knows me by name when I go in to re-order yet another book I’ve dropped in the bath. I thought if I love reading, why not try writing? It started as poetry, and now I dabble with everything. I love blogging, for me it’s a swirl of thoughts that can become something meaningful. Plus I like writing and talking about myself.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to take up writing
Always try, try, and try a bit harder. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a scribble on the back of an envelope or a novel, you wrote that, and you should be proud. Take criticism as it is intended, constructively, and learn as you go. Don’t be afraid to be honest in your writing, people will respect that. I owe a huge amount to my friend Kirsty for her wisdom, kindness and encouragement. She reads my early work for me and her advice is priceless.
Name 3 people who inspire you
My inspirations are the writer Anna Maxted, she’s my favourite novelist and for my money, one of the funniest women alive, the comedienne Joyce Grenfell, for opening the door for funny women and being a superb writer, and David Bowie, for being different, and making music that I listen to every day.
Give me one fact about yourself
One fact about me is I used to be a ballet dancer. I love the look on people’s faces when I tell them this! Yes, despite having a figure like a vase I used to dance. I can still do the splits!
What’s the worst comment you have ever been left and how did you respond?
The worst feedback I’ve ever had is that my writing is merely “attention seeking”. Goodness knows why I got so upset, of course I’m an attention seeker! This comment was made on a really personal post and I was disappointed to read it. I didn’t respond at all because people are entitled to say how they feel about your writing, and if that was how that person saw it, that’s okay. However, for every 1 person who doesn’t like it, maybe they’ll be 2 who do. I am very lucky to have a very supportive network of family and friends (particularly on twitter) and their lovely feedback keeps me smiling all day.
