I've been mentioning her on and off, here and there, mostly because she introduces me to some good music and I like her writing style. Plus, lately I've been at odds with myself, trying to find my true passion/something I could be good at (writing? art/craft? nothing?), so I decided to interview her (my first ever) to get some secrets out. I think I succeeded. Here are some clever questions I asked Adeline. Enjoy.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
An archeologist. And then a fashion designer. Then I wanted to be Jo March from Little Women. And that was just when I was a kid.
[Winona Ryder as Jo March] credit
Nice. What books did you read when you were young?
My mom just heaped it on my brother and I. Everything from Peter & Jane to abridged classics to Ernest Hemingway. No kidding, she read us The Old Man and the Sea at bedtime.
Your mom's cool. What about them that influenced you, at the time?
I loved looking at the illustrated books the most. I painted over my own surroundings with the those pictures. They made ordinary life very fascinating.
What (kind of) books do you read now?
I like authors that have a straight-forwardness about them. I am not really interested in flowery language anymore (that's so 1997, haha). For dark humour, David Sedaris is my go-to man and I'm now getting into a little bit of Toni Morrison, she is (and I quote) "Shakespeare singin' the blues".
When and how did you discover your flair for writing?
No one really told me til I was 17 that I should pursue it seriously. My English teacher took me aside and asked me what I wanted to be. I said "truck driver" and he said "Why not a humour columnist?". After that I took up English Literature during A-levels and learned to really look at words and I've loved them even more ever since.
What inspires you to write?
Well, I suck at other ways of communication so when I write I feel more eloquent and in control of what's coming out. So any time that I feel I have to hash away at a complicated topic, I get writing.
That's good practice. Is there a specific state of mind to be in when one writes?
This is crazy but I think that ideas come when you're not consciously thinking about them. They pop by and it's just my job to yank their tails and pin 'em on paper. I usually lose many good lines because I don't write them down immediately.
I agree! It happens to me a lot as well. Anyway, what are your plans for the future, in terms of your work?
I'll use my internship months to steal as much skills I can get and then I'll take off running! No rat race, no rush hour traffic for me. My ultimate dream is to freelance. Write and sing. Very idealistic and frankly, a bit scary but I've learned that it's OK to be scared.
Awesome. I guess it's how you choose to deal with it. How did you discover your musical side?
I was a closet singer, I didn't even dare sing in the shower! I kept it under wraps for half a decade or so (haha) until I heard Fiona Apple. That was real singing. I read all her lyrics even though I had not heard all her songs yet. And that was what I could see myself doing.
[The very first Fiona Apple song I heard was Paper Bag]
Any wise words for those thinking of dabbling in writing or music?
You can't get better if you don't start.
Word.
Adeline blogs here. She is also one-half of Halfway Kings and you can discover her musical side here.
Much thanks to Adeline for making my little blog a little more fun to read. :)
peace+love
