Writers on Writers-Bethany Nicole

I am a creative that enjoys other creatives. I love to sit with the work that others have put their blood, sweat, and yes even tears into and just…relax. Over the years I have been curious about how other writers go about their creative process. I wanted to be able to take a peek at the behind the scenes and learn. I came up with Writers on Writers as a natural evolution of the popular series Actors on Actors that you can find on Youtube or other platforms. In it, actors interview other actors on a variety of themes and topics. So…every month (probably more than once a month because I am that excited) I will feature someone whom I admire. It is my hope that you will appreciate what they bring to the table, their inspiration, how they go about writing…:)

First up,

Bethany Nicole

. We found each other randomly through social media and I have grown in respect and thoughtfulness through our intentional dialogue. (My questions are in bold and you can see Bethany Nicole’s answers below that.)

What made you first take up the pen? Is there a certain memory you can go back to?

A writer is one of the first things I ever wanted to be. I have always loved a good story. My daddy used to read aloud to me at night, and he has the most gorgeous and resonant reading voice. He would do accents for all the characters. And my uncle loved to tell stories to my sister and I. Mythology. Fairy tales. My matriarchs told endless stories of our family and our history. Every story I ever heard felt so magical to me. And I wanted to do that. I wanted to pull a narrative together like that. I wanted to make magic.I was also very inspired by Harriet the spy and her composition notebooks.We didn’t really read books with girl protagonists in school (except the diary of Anne Frank) and so I sought out texts that featured girls. I loved the way Harriet was depicted as simultaneously adventurous and smart and creative. Harriet was always listening. Always noticing. Always capturing. And the information in her notebooks was sacred to her. And I always loved that aspect of writing. The sacred, secretness of putting your observations on paper. It’s like showing your thoughts to yourself. Years later I would read a Joan Didion quote that said much the same:“I keep a notebook to remember what it was to be me: that is always the point.”

And womanism says that remembering what it is to be me is liberation. 

What is different about writing now, today, in these years?

Just the angst to be honest. I still have an unhealthy horde of notebooks. I graduated from composition to moleskins to a million other types. I’m still a sucker for a good story. I still believe in the magic. Truly. But these days, I think there is more pressure in a way. I have consumed so much good writing. I have consumed so much bad writing. I have produced so much of both. 

At my big age, I have baggage. And that is all there is to write about. Even when that’s not what you’re writing about. What’s in the bags? When did you pick it all up? How do you carry it all? Does anyone ever help you take a load off? Do you ever put it down? What strength have you found in your shoulders? Where are you walking to?The only thing different about my writing at 33 is I’ve learned a bit of how to carry water. (CC Lucille Clifton)

Who inspires you? Could be writing wise or in general?

You inspire me, actually. I don’t think I have ever seen your particular brand of vulnerability in a Black man before. It permeates everything you write. That kind of authenticity is amazing. Who on earth is the same level of authentic in a scholastic article they wrote (OKAY DOCTORRRR) as they are in a Thread? Dr. Robert, that’s who.  My Momma is my inspiration in all and in everything. She is the blueprint. The catalyst. The spark that lit everything up in the first place. She is God and country to me. 

My sister inspires me. She pushes and catches me. I am only a good person because of her gaze. Because of her love. 

And EbonyJanice. I wouldn’t have any womanist education without her. 

What is one image that sums up your writing?

Take us into a bit of your writing process? It’s ok if its scattered…how do you begin?

I have ADHD, baby. We just vibing. LOL

I came to Substack as an experiment. A commitment to play. I felt like I had been writing professionally for a long time and in a lot of different avenues (content creation, journal entries, internal company emails, instagram posts, workbooks, stories, yadda yadda) but it felt like I was using … not my realest voice. So. When I came to Substack I really gave myself permission to do whatever I felt like.

I have a note in my Apple Notes called “Substack Shit” and that is where the roughest form of my ideas go. It will be incomprehensible to anyone but me. For example the top three suggestions on there right now read:

- Chocolate City → “There are Black people in the future”

- Power greeting as a concept

- Overthink and underdeliver

But that makes perfect sense to me. I am instantly brought back to the conversations and thoughts that sparked those notes. And whenever I am at a loss for something to write, I look over the list and see if I feel a spark of interest. If I do, I open a Substack draft, and dump my thoughts and feelings in there. I’ll rework those into an outline, and then flesh the outline out.

But the process isn't linear. I have 7 drafts in Substack right now, all at various levels of “finished”. I have 33 ideas in my “Substack Shit” list. I have endless tidbits and half written essays in some notebook or other. I also write fairytales lmao. I’m all over the place.

We just go with the flow, and when writers block rears her ugly head…. I just let her do her thing until she gets bored and visits somebody else lol.

What keeps you writing?

I write for all the people I have ever been and will ever be. The Genius. The Fool. The Hood N*igga. The Bad Bxtch. The Little Girl. The Rebellious Teen. She and Her and They and Them. I write to make myself real.

Audre Lorde said “I was going to die, if not sooner than later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.”

Might as well, right?

Give us a piece that you wrote that you are proud of.

#softlife is not soulwork

Or

daddy issues

*Thank you all for coming along with this new series.*