Author Interview, Katherine Mayfield

Interview #59, with passionate truthteller: Katherine Mayfield!

Describe yourself in 5 words:

Idealistic, fun-loving, passionate truthteller.

Share a short excerpt and blurb of your work (10-100 words):

“I think about how art and music heal the holes in the human soul that we create with our own dysfunction.…

My lifelong goal is to create a beautiful mosaic of a life from the broken bits of a traumatic childhood, a light-filled stained-glass window fashioned of the shattered shards of the self I’ve excavated.

I wonder: does everyone try to fit the pieces of their lives together as if they’re working on an unfamiliar jigsaw puzzle? Or only those of us who were so disassembled that most of the pieces don’t even match?”

— The Box of Daughter, Katherine Mayfield

Share an excerpt of your favorite poet’s work (10-100 words):

“The body never lies.” – Alice Miller

Comment on the writing versus publication process, in your experience:

For me, writing is a passionate terror, a terrible passion, a burning need to express myself and the ideas that rush through me from wherever they originate. Some days, I love it more than anything, and other days, I want to tear my hair out in desperation to find the word or phrase that expresses exactly what I feel.

The publication process, on the other hand, is much more logical and orderly — not without frustration, but it’s a more linear process for me than the process of writing, which is somewhat like living in a blender with a meditation room attached.

What is your definition of “good writing”?

Meaning that touches the heart and soul, words that heal, thoughts that inspire.

Please share your #1 tip for poets/writers:

Another line from my memoir, The Box of Daughter: “I often wonder if the alternate meaning of writer’s block is ‘Somebody in your psyche is getting in the way of your being able to express yourself.’ ”

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in listening to the old voices and writing the “right” thing that we think we can’t write anything at all. In my mind, the best cure for writer’s block is writing wildly and madly about anything and everything, especially about whatever you’re feeling.

Your websites/blogs/etc:

I blog on Dysfunctional Families on my website: http://www.TheBoxofDaughter.com

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Much thanks to Katherine for stopping by! Katherine kindly hosted me for a recent guest post (part of the Teen Guide blog tour). Be sure to check out her memoir, The Box of Daughter — the story of her journey to recover her authentic self after growing up in a very dysfunctional family.

* UPDATE: Katherine’s 2013 QnA and guest post on recovering from being bullied!

 

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