Amy Lilwall
Amy Lilwall teaches Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. Her first novel, The Biggerers, was published by Point Blank in 2017. Amy has written for Lithub, The Lit and The Tilt: An anthology of new writing published by The Literary Platform. Amy is a lead contributor to On the Hill podcast and co-producer of On Silence podcast. Amy lives in Lincoln, UK, with her husband.
Amy started writing seriously when she studied for her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Kent. She went on to do a PhD in the same subject and was lucky enough to have her thesis novel published. Amy has written short stories for various journals and co-produces On Silence podcast.
Q: If you could travel back in time, which of the great writers would you like to meet and why?
A: I would probably like to meet one of the classic female writers. Maybe Jane Austen or one of the Brontë sisters. I would love to know how they managed to carve out their place in a world that viewed women as inferior.
Q: Do you have a lucky writing talisman? If so, what is it?
A: It’s not so much a talisman but I am obsessive about my USB key. It has its own special place where I keep it and I often check that it’s there even if when I know I haven’t used it for a couple of days. All of my writing is backed up, but I would be lost without my USB.
Q: Do you have a favourite quote? (From a book, film, song, speech…)
A: I do! Elizabeth Gilbert once said ‘I will always be safe from the random hurricanes of outcome as long as I know where I rightfully live.’ What she means is that as long as you love what you do, then you will willingly keep at it no matter what. I think it’s a very reassuring quote.
Q: What is the least interesting part of writing for you?
A: The least interesting part is probably the most interesting part, but it only becomes that once it’s done. The least interesting part is writing down a first draft of the story! Sometimes it’s a real slog. But reading it back, shaping and editing, is absolutely the best part.
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