Poet, Author, and Professor Victoria Redel on How to Become a Writer
P.C. Pexels
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of chatting with Professor Victoria Redel from Sarah Lawrence College about her work and the creative writing process.
Victoria Redel is an acclaimed poet and author. Her stories, poems, and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Elle. Redel has published four poetry collections: “Already the World” (1995), “Swoon” (2003), “Woman Without Umbrella” (2012), and “Paradise” (2022); and five fiction books: “Where the Road Bottoms Out” (1995), “Loverboy” (2001), “The Border of Truth” (2007), “Make Me Do Things” (2013), and “Before Everything” (2018).
Redel’s debut novel, “Loverboy,” was adapted into a 2005 movie directed by Kevin Bacon, with performances from actresses Sandra Bullock and Marisa Tomei. She never wrote the story expecting it to become a film, which was “such a cool experience.” However, Redel sees the book and the movie as separated entities. Whatever happens behind the camera does not affect her writing — it’s its own form of art.
As a first-generation American born to immigrants, Redel communicates those personal stories through her writing. Refugee, a poem from her most recent collection, “Paradise,” details the last month of her father’s life. “Writers always have that tension within themselves. It’s their experience, whether lived or observed, that draws them to the page.” She notes that writing about feelings can sound like whining, humorously recalling her “moody” attempts of poetry in middle school. Yet, Redel embraces that intimate writing style. “A writer’s job is to be a witness — writing is a beautiful opportunity to carefully observe the world around you.”
From a professor’s perspective, Redel notices that what lures students to writing is simultaneously what scares them about it. She emphasizes the importance of stepping aside from the fear of its reception and outside opinions, especially when writing abstractly: “Don’t just try to sound pretty on the page — trust your craft and your language to be clear and true to your experience.”
Redel admits she is not a huge believer in writer’s block. “Let yourself go and just write something bad.” Her favorite remedy for creative slumps is tapping out of the brain and into the body. Sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen is quite familiar for her as a writer, so she enjoys walking and working out to defog her mind. Redel also remarks that inspiration can strike at unexpected times: “I was at the grocery store getting peanut butter, and the idea came!”
Redel sympathizes with perfectionist writers. She retells a memory of seeing an author editing the writing on an open page with his pen, even though his book was already published. “I write something and I think it’s solid material to work with… but the next day, I wake up, I read it, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is just terrible!’ The nature of a writer is the desire to continue revising.” Redel compares the creative writing process to Play-Doh: “You’d make your little craft with the Play-Doh, think it’s amazing, then smash it. And then you try to make something new with the exact same amount.” Her advice to self-critical writers is to keep it playful, rather than perfect. “Writing is not about trying to ‘get it right’, but messing around with your work. That creative activity is what opens the door for underlying opportunities and stories you couldn’t even imagine.”
