Interview with Jonisha Lewinson

Khayrun Gure: What was your writing process like? Was it easy or hard? And are there things you would change?

Jonisha Lewinson: I would say the writing process was fairly easy and spontaneous. It was a piece I wrote that was supposed to be a novella for a previous class. I kind of wrote it last minute and it ended up being good. I would say it was fairly easy because words came easily but a bit difficult because they were characters that I hadn’t written before. I usually write funny characters and the character I wrote for this piece is a hitman so it is very different from my usual writing.

KG: What is your favourite genre to read?

JL: My favourite genre to read is dystopian fiction. I will read anything in that genre.

KG: What is a book that made you cry and why?

JL: A book that made me cry was The Fault in the Stars by John Green. Honestly, I don’t know who can read that book without crying.

KG: What do you think is the common mistake writers make when writing?

JL: I’d say especially when writing a first draft they get caught up in too much detail and I’m known to do that too. Rather than refining it, I feel author’s often focus more on getting it perfect the first time.

KG: What do you require in your writing space to stay focused?

JL: A good pair of noise canceling headphones and music without lyrics. I find complete quietness agonizing but if I’m listening to music with lyrics I’ll be singing along with it, so those would help me stay focused.