Writer’s Corner
Peter Elkington

Last summer, a writing competition sponsored by the Columbia Writers Studio caught the attention of local, Jill Zacharias. Urged by a friend, Jill decided to enter and came away with 2nd place in the nonfiction
category.

REVED - What got you started in writing?

JZ - From a very young age I kept a journal. As a teenager I wrote for
creative writing classes and then, when I was 16, I taught myself how to
play the guitar. I wrote many folk songs until I was in my late twenties.
While in university, during a time of being a passionate, idealistic
student, I wrote constantly – for the student newspaper, for myself and in
my journal. Much later, the Revelstoke Women’s Writing Group was
fantastic for getting me to write creatively again after a long hiatus.

R - What motivates you as a writer? Where do you find your
inspiration?

JZ - Inspiration and motivation to write surrounds me. I think the key for
any writer is to be a keen observer so you recognize what is great about
an everyday story, so that it leaps out at you.

R - What sort of rejections have you had? Did they set you back or
prompt you to persevere?

JZ - I really haven’t sent many queries out. I entered the Salmon Arm
sonnet contest once but didn’t really have any expectations. I sent a
poem to a Vancouver magazine (my first rejection letter), and a couple
of poems to a woman’s quarterly (my second rejection letter), but that’s
about it. I guess I’ve always just considered myself a ‘recreational’ writer,
so rejections weren’t all that important!

R - What is your favorite writing style?

JZ - In reading other writers, I will pretty much read anything that’s
fiction and in novel form. I’m not a big fan of short stories (they end too
quickly), and poetry is OK in small doses.

R - Which do you prefer writing: poetry, short stories, travel,
spiritual...?

JZ - For myself, I definitely go through phases. As I mentioned, I went
through this intense song-writing phase, then for many years I wrote
poetry. Then I started writing little fictional vignettes, which I still love
doing when I have time. Lately, it’s been all non-fiction: essays, reports,
newspaper articles etc. One thing that is interesting is that I haven’t
written in a journal for years.

R - What is it like having your short story selected out of hundreds
of others, to win a contest?

JZ - It was great! I was so surprised! It was very rewarding. Like a
confirmation that after all these years - I actually can write!

R - Have you won contests before? How many have you entered?

JZ - The only other contest I’ve won was years ago in Victoria. The
challenge was to write a story of 50 words and I entered and won.

R - How did you ‘learn’ to write: self-taught? schooling?

JZ - I do have an English degree, but during the years of the Women’s
Writing Group we held numerous writing workshops which were
invaluable. I feel like I really fine-tuned my writing skills at that time.
When creatively writing, one thing that I heard stands out for me: “Never
write like you’ve got your mother looking over your shoulder”. You just
have to spit it all out and not think of the consequences.

R - Can you remember a pivotal moment in your writing career?

JZ - Two moments – 1) We had a book opening for the Women’s Writing
Group book, The Fourth Tuesday, and I read for the first time to a large
audience. It was wonderful! and 2) A few years ago a group of women in
town organized Revelstoke’s own version of “The Vagina Monologues”. I
wrote and read a piece about giving birth to my daughter – it was
amazing to share that with an audience. Reading your writing to an
audience is like a visual artist having a gallery show – it’s a validation
and sharing at the same time. HL

[Spring 2006 Article]
[Winter 2005/06 Article]
[Summer 2005 Article]

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