Writers on writing

When I wrote Daughters of Shandong, my biggest challenge was finding a way to convey, in full force, the gravity of what my characters overcame.

- By Eve J. Chung

In that sense, I was terrified of failing to do them justice. Writing is not something I'm accustomed to thinking about it's impulsive, a gravitational pull like rolling down the hill. Words spill out. They aren't necessarily good, in fact early on they're awful, but that first layer of frenzied sentences is akin to an ugly slab of clay. Once it's down, I can mold it.

I have little formal training in creative writing, but I have spent years of my life trying to use words to generate action. As a human rights lawyer, I write every day. However, I usually must do so in a way that focuses on facts. Human rights issues are politically sensitive, so it's important to be precise and accurate with accusations, without exaggeration or inflammatory speech. This precaution often takes the emotion out of writing.