Author Spotlight Announcement Website Slider - Debbie Okun Hill

Author Spotlight – Debbie Okun Hill

Debbie Okun Hill - Author Image
Photo courtesy Melissa Upfold for The Calculated Colour Co.

Where Did Your Writing Journey Begin?

My interest in literature and reading began with Dick and Jane, Sally and Spot, the main characters in the basal readers that taught me how to read. I always loved school and books so working with words and writing letters and essays were a natural progression for me. However, it was my appointment as the newspaper editor for the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive High School that planted the seed that eventually grew into a writing career that branched out into a variety of genres from journalism to public relations to freelance writing to creating fiction to poetry to blogging.

What Do You Like To Do When You’re Not Writing?

That’s a tough question as I seem to always be writing or thinking about writing! Even when I park myself in front of a Netflix show I am analyzing the script and if I watch a DVD, I am often more interested in the special features than the actual movie. However, as I get older, I’m making more time for such quiet pursuits such as reading, gardening, exploring nature, art, photography, and crafts.

Are There Any Rituals You Must Perform Before You Can Start Writing?

Yes! Turn on the computer.

Seriously, if I have a writers’ block, I just write/type words free fall until the ideas and words flow.

If I get frustrated, I turn off the computer, take a walk outside, and try again later.

Almost all of my rough drafts are composed onscreen, although I’ve read that writers are more creative if they write long hand. One day I may try that!

What Has Influenced You Most As A Writer?

Margaret Atwood’s earliest novels The Edible Woman and Surfacing. These books introduced me to symbolism, metaphors, and other literary devices.

Do You Have Any Advice For Other Writers?

Give yourself permission to be yourself. Motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia once wrote, “You are the only you . . . You are the best you. You will always be the second best anyone else.” So if you want to write, just do it, and stop comparing yourself with others. Even famous writers, like Margaret Atwood, have both fans and critics. Trust the magic (your spiritual essence) to take you where you need to be.

Download Debbie Okun Hill’s 2019 Author Spotlight

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