Rebecca Dempsey

Rebecca Dempsey. I live in Naarm / Melbourne, Australia. My free time is spent writing. Previously I've used free time to learn archery, and joined a 16th German Longsword club for a year.

Question 1: How have your past experiences influenced you as a writer?

Answering how the past influences me as a writer is difficult. The past crops up deliberately and unconsciously in my work and I can't describe the how of it. Sometimes the past stops me writing, sometimes it urges me on. I have let memory inform my writing, and sometimes I have relied on the emotional truth of my experiences to inform the description of entirely different, fictional experiences, ,especially when writing horror or science fiction. I wrote a story about volcanos set in a suburb I worked in. When people read the story they thought it was an allegory of 9/11. They saw two volcanoes as the twin towers. I literally saw the two volcanoes as the two dormant volcanoes I often visited in my youth. The thing is, readers aren't necessarily wrong, they just don't have my memories or experiences. Everybody brings their own past to what they read or create and the results and interpretations are fascinating.

Question 2: What have you written that you're the most proud of?

A recent piece I am proud of is a short story called Lunedi, and is featured in Relics, which is issue two of The Primer. The journal as a whole is a gorgeous, and profound multi-sensorial experience.

Question 3: What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?

'I got nothing'. It's a facetious answer but it's also true. Writer's block is task paralysis and fixing it might look like doing everything else but writing, or replenishing the creative tank in other ways.

Question 4: When did you first call yourself a writer?

I had a deal with my best friend more than 20 years ago. I couldn't call myself a writer until I had something published. Within weeks I had a story accepted and so I have called myself a writer since then.

Question 5: What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser but sometimes I get an idea about what I want to achieve and how I will achieve it.

Question 6: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?

You don't need to take all advice. I've had writers I respect tell me a story isn't publishable and then I've won a writing competition with it.

Question 7: What do you think is the best way to improve writing skills?

Write. Learn grammar. If you are lucky to get feedback from people who know their stuff, take it on board. But first, take a deep breath, and walk away. Then come back to the work and the advice, see it for its worth, and then apply it.

Question 8: Do you participate in writing challenges on social media? Do you recommend any?

I have taken part in NaNoWriMo once, and won it. I have taken part in Post it Note Poetry via Instagram, which is a lot of fun and takes place every February. Follow #PINP23

Question 9: Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?

There are many works and writers I admire but before I even knew about some of them I thought I would be a writer. At least since some point in high school where I resigned myself to the fact I would write.

Question 10: What do the words “literary success” mean to you? How do you picture it?

My literary success is based on a calculation. If at least 10 per cent of everything I submit in 12 months is accepted and/or published then I consider it a successful year. Last year the rate was 27 per cent, so it was an extremely successful year for me. A percentage means flexibility , as it doesn't rely on a set number of submissions or a set number of words written or pieces completed. If I submit ten works a year, or one thousand, I still rely on the percentage rate. This method of measuring success divorces it from other factors such as financial considerations, reader numbers, or social media followers and engagement, which have less to do about writing and more to do with marketing.