Laura Kirsten, A Family Drama Writer
Laura Kirsten was born in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. “I am 60-years-old and have been married for 40 years. I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren." Kirsten is a resident of Benoni, East of Johannesburg, South Africa. As a Hospice Liaison Officer in Benoni, her life and care is always in demand. When she is able to get away from work, she enjoys traveling, scrapbooking and photography.
At the age of sixty, Kirsten is not new to writing. In Junior High, she wrote an entire school magazine. Since that time, her writing has shifted from the school magazine to blogs and putting her creative intuition into short stories. “My short stories reveal the secrets that families have kept for years. My blog is about happy spaces. I write metaphorically about lessons I have learned and my posts make people think." Kirsten is currently working on three dramatic stories that she's hoping to publish soon. Stories that she says are "...grounded in family drama". She’s unsure if her first published work will be a short story anthology or a full-length novel.
Interviewer: Why did you choose family drama as your genre?
Kirsten: I am fascinated with bloodlines in families and generations of family problems that have severe consequences on future generations.
Interviewer: What took you so long to start composing your first novel?
Kirsten: I have always wanted to write but lacked the confidence to get going. I started a writing course in November of last year (2017), and that was the breakthrough I needed. I write daily now and that's all I want to do now. I LOVE writing.
No longer wanting to be the victim of procrastination, Kirsten says if you want to get it done, “Just sit down and WRITE. The rest will follow.” And after investing in a new electronic notebook and a writing course, the best money she admits to spending, she’s leading by example.
Interviewer: Which is your favorite of all the books you’ve written?
Kirsten: My favorite short story so far is about my own cervical cancer journey written in a novel.
Interviewer: Which do you prefer writing in, 1st person or 3rd person, and why?
Kirsten: In my blog, I write in the 1st person because these are my personal experiences. In my short stories, I prefer the 3rd person.
When it comes to creating characters, Kirsten says it’s difficult for her. “I don’t always know what they think of their own bodies e.g. self-images.” When selecting their names, she “…researches the lists of names online and according to their meanings, I name my characters and use the meanings in their characters.”
Kirsten says that the hardest thing for her to do is “Getting started every time before I sit down to write.”
Although she has yet to publish, Kirsten is aware of the negative review-effect on an author’s work, and about it, she says, “I sometimes feel a bit shocked, but then I take time to rethink the review and try to learn from it, or just ignore it.”
Interviewer: What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in creating your book(s)?
Kirsten: I learned to step WAY out of my comfort zone and realized the absolute freedom to create, direct and own these amazing characters and scenes.
Interviewer: What is your favorite motivational phrase?
Kirsten: From the movie ‘5 to 7’ and I paraphrase: Sometimes a story is written for only one other person to read.
To learn more about Kirsten visit her sites below.
