Member Snapshot: Corinne Kalasky

by Corinne Kalasky

Do you dream of quitting your job, moving to Paris and owning a bookstore while writing short fiction? Learn what else you have in common with your fellow Writergrrl, Corinne Kalasky.

Where do you get your news?

When I’m feeling ambitious and worldly, The New York Times. Niney-nine percent of the time, however, it’s The Stranger, The Daily Show, and The Onion.

What’s your order in a coffee shop?

I’ve always been partial to simple drinks, owing much to my yearlong stint as a barista, no doubt. On weekdays, I’m usually a tall drip with room. Sometimes, though, I like to pull out all the stops and order a dry cappuccino. On the weekends, I go totally wild and order a tall 2% coconut latte from Rooster’s in Wallingford, an order that (undeservedly) provokes a lot of derision from my coffee snob friends.

If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

Quit my job, move to Paris, and open up a bookstore while writing short fiction on the side. I suppose I’d actually have to be fluent in French for that to work, but this is a fantasy, right?

Where do you get your ideas for writing?

Clichéd as it sounds, I get most of my ideas from observing other people, usually strangers. Every once in a while, I get a great idea for a story from someone I’m already acquainted with, but typically, I find that anonymity allows for greater creativity. Plus my friends are boring. Just kidding! God, I hope they don’t read this.

I once read about a famous author who got his best ideas during his morning shower, but since my biggest accomplishment in the shower is usually being able to keep my eyes open, I can’t claim it as a particularly inspiring location. Driving is what does it for me; specifically, the number of opportunities it allows for being able to observe people without them realizing it. Other drivers, too, are a great source for characters. I’m always amazed at how unguarded people are when they’re alone in their cars. Sometimes all it takes is a certain expression, impromptu dance move or offensive bumper sticker to get a story churning.

How did you learn about Writergrrls?

I was an intern for three months last summer at the Seattle Housing Authority’s newspaper, The Voice, and Charles Redell, the paper’s editor, suggested that I check it out.

I was primarily interested in getting some writing cred under my belt in the form of clips and this site seemed like the ideal place to start. Also, I just thought it would be nice to meet other people who spent entirely too many childhood summers cooped up in the library.

Describe your writing routine.

My routine - if you could call it that - usually involves a lot of either staring at a) a blank screen for what seems like an eternity or b) off into space, also for an eternity. After the staring, there’s usually a brief period of frenzied thought, sometimes followed by writing. I’m awfully good at procrastinating, however, which makes the mere concept of a writing routine kind of impossible to grasp. But, like everyone else who writes, I guess, when I finally get what I’m after, I can write for hours without stopping.

What are you currently reading?

I’m playing a bit of catch-up lately, so I’ve got Tobias Wolff’s The Night in Question and Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love on my night table at the moment.

What’s your favorite book this week?

Besides the above two, I recently got the second edition of Writers on Writing, which is an anthology of essays compiled by The New York Times about, well, writers on writing. It’s oddly comforting to learn that successfully published authors possess the same uncertainties as never-published authors.

What’s your best quality?

Probably my ability to cheer people up, usually via some display of idiocy on my part. I’m also pretty sensitive, which has proven to be both one of my best and worst qualities in equal measure.

What would you change about yourself?

I suppose I would be more disciplined about writing and actually establish a workable routine for it rather than waiting for inspiration. Writing’s tricky like that, though. I feel like half of it depends on idealism and daydreaming while the other half is all about practicality. It’s a tough balance to strike.

Corinne spends her days proofreading and editing brokerage documents at a breakneck pace and her nights ogling local rock stars and shattering the notion that keytars are SO over. If she had her way, she'd be a full-time writer with a timeshare in Provence and an iMac, but for now, she'd settle for a working laptop and a nice duplex on Capitol Hill.