Viannah E. Duncan is an editor and writer who wants to help authors and poets bring out their best work. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing with a focus on poetry, creative nonfiction, and small press publishing. Her clients range from individuals just starting their writing journeys to independent publishing houses to corporations and government entities. She believes in lifelong learning and is constantly striving to improve her skills. As a published author, Viannah knows what it’s like to send a piece of writing out into the world. Currently based in Baltimore, Maryland, she has also lived in New York City and Los Angeles. When not editing or writing, she’s likely reading for pleasure. She enjoys good food and good conversation, etymology, Japanese culture and anime, dystopian fiction, narrative poetry, and American history, among other things. You can find out more on her website, www.duncanheights.com and follow her on twitter @veduncan.
We’ll be sharing an article Viannah wrote on editing next week and wanted to introduce her to you first:
PLUME: When did you know you were a writer?
VED: I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was around 7 years old, and my entire life has been moving toward that goal, but I didn’t really know I was one until I woke up one morning in my thirties and said to myself, “I’m a writer. I’m a writer and no one can take that away from me.” It may sound silly now, but it was an epiphany at the time.
PLUME: Where do you get your ideas?
VED: Oh boy! What a question. I think a better one is: where don’t I get my ideas? I live in an apartment with a small balcony, and sometimes I’ll go out there to just look at the world as it is. The view doesn’t change, but the scenery changes all the time, and it’s great to sit out there with my writing and just contemplate and kind of meditate on it. I read a lot of other published works: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry as well as craft books. I write down the best ideas I get from books in a little book I keep with me everywhere I go. Sometimes I’ll get ideas while I’m cleaning my apartment or showering or dreaming. I get so many ideas in the shower, in fact, that one of my friends got me a little notepad of waterproof paper! I love the writing prompts in Plume and those that I get from other sources as well.
PLUME: How supportive is your local community for writers?
VED: The Baltimore area is great for writers, if I do say so myself! Every April, for example, the CityLit Project (http://www.citylitproject.org) hosts the CityLit Festival, plus we have the Baltimore Book Festival (http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/) in November and similar events in Washington DC, which is less than an hour away by car. It’s the home of the poet Edgar Allan Poe, after whom the Baltimore Ravens football team is named. For the writer who enjoys fewer (or at least smaller) crowds, the city and the surrounding area host a wide array of independent coffee shops, parks (for when the weather is nice!), book stores, and libraries where a writer can hunker down and get some real work done.
PLUME: We at Plume consider you a successful writer–How do you define “success” for a writer? For yourself?
VED: It depends on the day, honestly. Sometimes, I feel like every time I get close to “success” something in my brain moves the goal posts so I’m still not quite there (again). I struggle with anxiety and depression, so sometimes success is getting out of bed, grabbing a shower, and getting to work without having a meltdown. On good days, though, I feel like the world is my oyster, if only I would just reach out and take it! Of course, I want to be published and have other people acknowledge the work that I do, and if I change even one person’s mind with my nonfiction or give just one person hope with my poetry, then that’s success to me.
PLUME: Do you have a writing shero? A fellow woman writer from whom you get inspiration?
VED: Yes! In fiction, I love V.E. Schwab (author of Vicious among others); in poetry, Maggie Smith (author of Good Bones among others); and in nonfiction, Rebecca Solnit (author of Men Explain Things to Me among others). The two former writers have Twitter accounts that are great: @veschwab and @maggiesmithpoet.
PLUME: What are you currently working on?
VED: Currently, I’m working on three things. First, a collection of poetry that I’m shopping around to various small presses in hopes of finding it a home. Second, a memoir that deals with my time in college. And third, my editing business, which has been going strong for some time now, and I’m looking for new clients. If that’s you, please contact me! 🙂
PLUME: Tell me 3 things that you keep on your desk
VED: Hand cream (rose scented!), Metaphor Dice (https://www.metaphordice.com/ and https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1895958868/metaphor-dice-the-erudition-edition), my notebook of thoughts and scribbles.