Writer’s Block: Suzy Krause

All Lit Up: What’s the toughest part about being a writer?

Suzy Krause: The toughest part is the fact that you can’t control creativity. You can’t make yourself have a good idea or decide to get in the zone. But there are deadlines; there are people waiting on your creativity. I feel like I’m a rain salesman most of the time. Like I’ve sold someone a thunderstorm, and now I’m standing in a field staring at the sky hoping I can deliver something that doesn’t feel at all dependent on me. It feels incredibly lucky every time it works.

All Lit Up: Is there one stand-out moment or experience you had that helped you realize you wanted to become a writer?

Suzy Krause: When I was in high school, I had this English teacher who didn’t like me. One day at the beginning of class she read something I’d written out loud, as an example of good writing. I had super low self-esteem and generally didn’t accept compliments very well, but having someone who didn’t like me admire something I’d written felt like the truest compliment I’d ever received. It takes a huge amount of self-confidence to get published—you need to believe in yourself enough to write a query letter to an agent, to pitch a book to a publisher, to promote your work to strangers, and, hardest of all, to talk about your book with people you actually know in real life. It’s kind of an ironic thing to say that I credit that self-confidence to someone who disliked me, but it’s true.

All Lit Up: Do you have any rituals that you abide by when you’re writing?

Suzy Krause: Because I have two young kids, it’s hard to have rituals—they get thrown off so easily, so I try not to rely on them. The only consistent thing, but a very important consistent thing, is drinking coffee while I write. I think I’ve wired my brain to associate the taste of coffee with creativity, and if I don’t have it while I’m writing it feels like I can’t fully settle into my work.

All Lit Up: What are you working on now?

Suzy Krause: I have three books on the go at the moment—one collection of short stories, and two novels!

All Lit Up: Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

Suzy Krause: I like to use myself as a jumping off point for my characters—it’s interesting to use something I don’t like about myself as inspiration for a character that is meant to be likeable, or something I do like about myself as inspiration for an antagonist. I like to give them my hard questions and my fears and my insecurities. It keeps characters three-dimensional and doubles as therapy.

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Suzy Krause is the bestselling author of Sorry I Missed You and Valencia and Valentine. She grew up on a little farm in rural Saskatchewan and now lives in Regina, where she writes novels inspired by crappy jobs, creepy houses, personal metaphorical apocalypses, and favourite songs. Her work has been translated into Russian and Estonian. Suzy lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.