Beth Meko
Oyster River Pages: Why do you write and/or create?
Beth Meko: There are so many reasons! One big reason is because I think writing has the power to transcend the everyday. On the page, we get the opportunity to play with ideas and let our inner voices talk, and we can share that in all its oddness, beauty, and complexity with the rest of the world. Writing is also a means of connection—for most of us, there's just not another way to say what we are trying to communicate through our stories and our art.
ORP: What is the most challenging aspect of your artistic process?
BM: Finishing anything is a major hurdle, and I know I'm not alone in this. I find myself writing scenes that come very quickly and naturally, and then struggling to connect those scenes into a finished product. Some of the stories I've sweated over the most but eventually abandoned involve scenes that have been written and rewritten, scattered out over a series of documents. But, I might come back to these scenes months or even years later and suddenly see how to connect them (this happened with my story “Mama in the Clouds” which was eventually published by Oyster River Pages), so all is not lost.
ORP: What do you think is the best way to improve writing and/or artistic skills?
BM: Not to be simplistic, but there's no other way but to just keep practicing it. Writing classes and workshops can be valuable because they teach you different approaches and allow you to see your work through the eyes of others. But nothing helps you develop your own voice except simply writing, writing, and more writing.
ORP: What does vulnerability mean to you as an artist and/or writer?
BM: I think that showing our vulnerability through art is one of the greatest gifts humans can give to one another, and to me, preserving my vulnerability while also developing resilience to tough blows has been a delicate dance. It's well known that any kind of artist or writer has to grow a tough skin. You can't let yourself be destroyed if (or "when," because some degree of rejection is inevitable) things don't turn out the way you envisioned. You can't control who will read your work once it's out in the world or how they will treat it. But you CAN control who you personally allow to see and respond to your work as you draft it, and I've learned to guard my vulnerability closely at that stage.
ORP: Do habits help or hinder creativity? Why or why not?
BM: Habits help! But, well, also hinder. The only way I ever finish anything is by establishing a set time in the evening, and sometimes in the morning, when I sit down and write (ideally) every day. But I find that when I stick to my schedule TOO stringently, I have less of those random idea moments that always seem to happen when I least expect it. I grow too fixated on giving writing its time and place and getting words down, rather than leaving my mind open for ideas. I'm still trying to find a balance, but I lean much more heavily these days on the power of habit than the adrenaline rush that comes with sudden inspiration.
