8 Questions for... Alice Kuipers
Confessions & Coffee
Alice Kuipers is a writer, mother and dog-lover supplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. She’s published fourteen books (HarperCollins, Chronicle, McMillan, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers etc, in 36 countries), worked as a ghost, and taught writing all over the world. She now works for The Novelry as a writing coach. She says, “Words steady me, moments of quiet we can share. In Confessions & Coffee, with words, we take a coffee break in your wild, wonderful life. Let's stop to smell the roses in the hurly burly of it all. Together.”
1. Why Substack?
I was curious as I'd heard a few writers mention it. As it grew on my radar, I spent a little time thinking about moving my previous newsletter list over. The more I read on here, the more I felt that Substack would be a wonderful fit for me, and then the actual move of my old newsletter list to start anew was simple and swift once I made the decision - perhaps last March, now.
2. How long did it take you to find your groove?
The newsletter that I'd been running for ten years - ish - was always something that I enjoyed but didn't quite have a handle on. I like talking about books, but not really my own, and I was never sure what to create as content. I did some great interviews with writers, some reviews, but it was always a bit random, and then it fell off the radar. I'm still finding my groove on here because I work and teach writing with a wonderful place called The Novelry already. So, I'm not teaching writing on here which left me wondering what I wanted to share for readers. For me, the answer always comes through the actual writing, so I wrote and played and wrote some more. Now, I love writing Little Life Lists and I'm starting a new section called Short Death Stories, which I'm enjoying thinking about. The more I write from a place where I feel centred, curious and compelled, the better the space works for me. All this to say, I'm finding my groove and enjoying the adventure!
3. How has it changed you?
I've taken myself off my other social media for a break that happened to coincide with Lent, but which continues, still. That's because of Substack and it means I've slowed down to focus more on the writing, less on everything else. More importantly, I've been inspired by some amazing new people on here- writers who I love to read, people who are generous and open, like Luisa Skinner and Sarah Fay.
4. What mistakes have you made?
Lots, but I've learned as a writer that being edited is the best way to get better. And I'm working with the mindset that I can edit this space and make it better for readers only if I try things out. I've lost subscribers and posted messy, imperfect work. I'm trying to be okay with not knowing exactly what I'm doing but knowing that I love it!
5. To pay or not to pay?
I have paid turned on as an option for people so they can support independent writing if they choose. When new people come to read my work, I'm always pleased, but I've learned not to get too caught up in numbers and results - that's probably from years of being a writer and learning that results can make you go crazy (will anyone buy my book? how about a good review? but what about...) The best part of all this for me comes from the writing.
6. What artistic and technical choices have you made
Originally the space was called All These Little Missing Pieces, which was fun, but didn't say much. The more I wrote, the less it meant! As I hone the content that I'm writing, I find myself being about to be more thoughtful about the overall space. What's interesting to me is how community gets involved and how I can write in a way that fuels me AND fuels readers. The space I'm creating feels more intentional and focused now, but I know there's a lot of work to come and I'm excited. I plan to change the name (from Confessions & Coffee) in about six months because it still doesn't quite sum up what I'm doing, but for the moment, it's got something that works okay. Mainly, I think about what I'm writing - I've been thoughtful about content and have loved writing longer pieces like this one:
7. What’s been the effect on your writing?
In general, I think far less in short form posts - I was starting to spend time in my life thinking about what was happening around me and translating it into an Instagram update. My cute kid said this today and it made me think about my novel...#mumlife
I would find it embarrassing to confess that, but I know most of us are doing it far more than we want to be - and I wasn't good at it. I'm not super visual and I'm crappy at self-promotion and I spent a lot of time writing not-well on there. So, that's changing. Here, when I think about community and writing, I think in terms of essay ideas. It's very fulfilling, and it puts the reader and me at the heart of my writing life. I've always written a lot - writing calms me and soothes me - and I have a second book coming out later this year, and one I'm working on, but this space feels different. For me and for anyone who wants to read what I'm working on.
8. In it for the long haul?
Absolutely.
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Your "little pieces" reference am reminded me of this experience. I was walking out of a library in Santa Fe one day and saw a small woman bent over a table looking at a thousand pieces or more of a jigsaw puzzle. Part of it was filled in and she was staring at the puzzle, intently concentrating. I stopped and watched her, keeping quiet for a few moments, and I saw her finally fit a piece into the large puzzle. I said softly, "That looks very complicated." She looked up at me, smiled, and said, "It's just like life, a lot of little pieces." I offered a thank you and walked away, thinking about what she said. That was 10 years ago and I am still thinking about it. And, fitting the pieces together one at a time.
Loved the interview. I still can’t fathom writing that many books Alice!! I really enjoy your newsletter Alice, the experiments too! Thanks Eleanor for this.