Profile: Emily Mills

As someone who dreams of being a writer, I enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives on the profession. Emily Mills is someone who has done more than dream. She has taken steps to turn her literary aspirations into reality. Her articles and video interviews can be viewed online. Currently Emily is honing her skills in Ryerson University’s post graduate journalism program. Recently I sent her a few questions…

What do you think makes a successful writer?
Persistence. Faith in your abilities. Curiosity - about lots of people, places and things happening in the world. The desire to improve your craft, at each stage of your 'career'. Lots of reading and no reservations about picking up a good dictionary. Willingness to do a lot of thinking - and working - through the process of what you want to say and how you want to say it. Trust in your gut... that it will take you where you need to go as a writer and that your instincts are usually right.

What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?
I do many things besides writing. When I’m not writing I’m still communicating. Via email. Via phone. By interacting with people in person. Lots of reading and going places and being with people to get ideas. And just to see what's going on in a life besides my own. In terms of work, I’d probably be doing PR, something related to the music industry or some kind of consulting between the underground communities ('visible minorities', youth, urban professionals in Canada) and the mainstream (government, big press, schools etc.).

What do you enjoy the most about writing?
It helps me to get things off my chest. To expose issues. To make sense of life on paper. To share information. To reflect. To offer my two cents to the mix.

What do you think is the most challenging thing about being a writer?
Knowing what's right... What's the focus of this story? Is that my opinion or the opinion of others? Did I tell the story the best way I could? Is my personal feeling too apparent in the story or too absent? Questions like that. The other biggest challenge is: how can I live off this writing gig?

Is there anything you don’t like about writing?
It’s very subjective. Certain things are supposed to be standard or expected, but I’ve had work critiqued as shitty and superb at the same time. Hard to make sense of it all. That’s why you've gotta know yourself and when you've done all that's needed and then trust your gut. Take advice and guidance, but in the end, you make the call. (Or if you plan to get paid, your editor does.)

Who or what would be your dream interview/story?
Can’t tell ya... I have a few stories I’d like to tell but I’m not ready to write them yet. You’ll know when I’m there. But it's a good idea for writers to dream and then, in time, to make their dreams a reality. It’s tough but I’m trusting that it's not unrealistic.

Where do you see your writing taking you? Would you like to write a book?
Again, I try not to advertise where I’m going. Partly because I’m still figuring it out. But also because sometimes it's better to just do it.

How would you like to be remembered, in terms of your career?
[That] sounds bit morbid since I don't need to be remembered - I’m right here! But I don't know... I guess as someone who was trying to move things in a different direction. To push the envelope. Not just in terms of what I choose to write but in terms of the environment in which people can communicate. I try to tell stories that seem so obvious yet not enough people bother to tell the stories at all. For example, my essay on interracial relationships attracted so much interest that I was getting an email a week from people wanting to read it. One of my undergrad professors wanted to nominate it for a university-wide essay award and the publisher of a women's anthology was all over it. To me, it wasn't anything ingenious. It was a unique piece but again, it was just a story nobody had told that way. I won't bother to explain the [employment] environment stuff, but suffice to say, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get young black writers paid. And in the mix called the Canadian media.