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Interview with Amanda Johnstone
Interviewed by LA Judge
This month I had the opportunity to speak with VC Associate member and writer Amanda Johnson. Hailing from Australia, Amanda explains here muse and how she tries to breathe life into each of her characters
LA.: Greetings Amanda welcome to the VC interview chair. Please introduce yourself to the VC Magazine readers.
Amanda: Thank you, nice to be here. Introduce myself hmm ok, I'm Amanda, a VC associate, a writer, and this is going to be an interesting interview because under ordinary circumstances I don't like talking about myself. Lol
LA.: Well this should be fun then - probing into your personal side. Tell me if you would a bit about your writings...poetry? Stories? What?
Amanda: I have written poetry before, but it was when I was younger, very juvenile and also very interesting, as I don't remember ever writing a single poem. I have pages and pages of it though written in my own handwriting. These days I write stories, mostly trashy horror, but more recently, I am working on something a little bit deeper.
LA.: A bit deeper? Sounds interesting - what would that be?
Amanda: It is a story about a young woman who finds herself seduced into a world of sex and debauchery. Very dark and I am hoping in the end it will also be insightful. However, it ends up it is proving to be a test of my creative ability.
LA.: Sounds interesting, but then again, lol, so do the trashy horror stories. Tell me about them as well. Surely, you are not adding to that classic vampire stereotype.
Amanda: I must admit that I am. I love that old story. Vampire stories are the best monster stories out there. I believe that the vampire story gives the writer the ability to delve into the darker nature of the human heart. Classic vampires scare us not because they are inhuman monsters, but because we recognize the humanity in them.
LA.: Well good to see that you understand that they are a classic monster genre - not a portrayal of a real beings. And yes, it is good to recognize those darker parts of humanity which we all hide so well. Tell me what is it than inspires your writings?
Amanda: I'm not really sure. I like to think that there is a muse sitting over my shoulder whispering in my ear, and sometimes I am sure that that is the case, as I have no idea where my ideas come from. Sometimes I take parts of my life and use that. Other times other writers and books will inspire me.
LA.: Elaborate a bit on that other writers / books part of your inspiration...is it the actual words or more of an energy connection - a "feeling"?
Amanda: It is a combination of both, all writers have a "feel" to them, quite often if you know an author well enough you can tell their writings without being told, simply by how it feels. I believe this comes from the energy they are putting into the words. Certain phrases or passages will intensify that feeling and if you’re lucky you can sometimes absorb it and use it.
LA.: That is true of most art. In the act of creation, the artist binds with the creative work some of their own personal energy. It gives the work an energy signature unique to that artist. And yes, in small ways it can be used as an energy source. Music of course is the most direct - but it works for all art forms. How can you tell if that is happening as you read and do you seek to include that type of energy in your writings?
Amanda: Of course. When you are reading and the characters come to life for you, or you forget that you are reading and are swept away that is when you know that it is happening. It is the same when I am writing. I hope to bring not just my characters but the whole story to life. It is a little bit like playing god.
LA.: You mentioned earlier that your current writing pursuits are testing your creative edges and abilities - how so? Are these charters harder to bring to "life"?
Amanda: My current writings are testing me in ways that my past pursuits have not. The stuff I am writing at the moment delves into feelings that are extremely close to me. Feelings of unworthiness, distrust and self-loathing. Emotions that I thought I had left behind. The newer characters are harder to bring to "life" in one way because they are very close to me, but I think that once I have managed to do this I will be able to more easily breathe life into all my characters
LA.: Many writers say they put a bit of themselves into their work including the parts that they may not find so savory.
Amanda: Yes. That’s always been the case for me. All my characters have a small (and often a not so small) reflection of myself in them. Until recently though I have sort of skimmed over the parts of me that are hard to look at, as a result I feel that many of my characters lacked depth. Something I am hoping to be able to fix by delving deeper into myself and facing the darkness that is within me.
LA.: Writing that way must take a great deal of energy. How do you find that it affects your personal energy levels?
Amanda: It varies, when inspiration strikes and I write with barely a thought to what comes next, I find my energy levels go up. It is intoxicating to be able to create and know that it is all coming out as you seen it in your head. Other times when the words don't come, which happens more often than I would like, and I can feel the story in my head trying to get out, but it just wont come, at these times my energy levels plummet,
LA.: Is there something that you do to lessen that energy drain or recover from its impact?
Amanda: I meditate, or just take a walk, there is a beautiful flora and fauna reserve near here, sometimes getting away, and replenishing your energy and then coming back helps a great deal.
LA.: Well thank you very much Amanda for being so candid here - I am sure it will help and inspire others in their creative pursuits. Is there a place where we can read some of your writings?
Amanda: Not at this time, although I hope that, that will change in the very near future.
LA.: Lol - Surely you will be sharing some with the VC Magazine readers at some point?
Amanda: LOL yes, just as soon as I find something I deem worthy of the ‘zine.
LA.: Cool! Thank you again for joining me here - this has been fun.
Amanda: Yes thank you, it has been.
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