The Pulse of Curiosity

I knew when I began doing interviews for Author and Author2Author that I would invite writers of all genres to take part in these conversations. I didn’t want the authors I spoke with to be limited by my personal aesthetic. My reasons for doing so were many. First, my reading tastes were limited enough that I would soon run out of people to interview. Moreover, I wanted the magazine and the podcast to be for all writers, all creative people, without a whiff of the stench of prejudice or snobbery.

This decision led me to read a lot of books I would not have chosen to pick up on my own. Did my reading taste expand as a result? No, it did not. In fact, it has probably narrowed the older I get. But this narrowing has only highlighted what I came to find so interesting and inspiring about the conversations. Before I started Author, I believed, in a vague, utterly untested way, that I would not have much in common with a writer whose work I didn’t enjoy. There were, after all, plenty of people whose company I never sought. A book was a like a person, with its own voice and personality and direction, and the ones I liked were friends to me, entertaining me and keeping me company.

This is all true, but I soon learned I didn’t want to talk to the writers about their books, I wanted to talk to them about what they went through writing the book. I wanted to hear about their questions and concerns, their inspiration and discovery, about what they learned and what they loved about creating something new. The more authors I heard describing this process of facing a blank page and asking themselves what they would like to see on it, the more I understood that every story begins in the same place within all of us, and that we are all drawing upon the same great pool for our inspiration.

I have probably heard a thousand writers describe what it is to write, and it always sounds the same. And I never tire of it. It always inspires and delights me. I am not actually interested in our differences. Differences are the first thing I see when I meet someone—anyone. But if I look beyond the veil of appearance or wealth or labels like romance writer or poet or memoirist, I see someone much like me, that recognizable pulse of human curiosity, seeking its unique way in the world.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt available for pre-order now!
You can find William at: williamkenower.com