QUESTION 1: What or who inspired you to become a writer and poet?

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LISA: When I was at school, I always loved reading and writing. I would write poetry and short stories for fun and I enjoyed reading them out to my Grandparents, when we visited them. As I grew older life got busy, with work and family, and I drifted away from writing but I continued to read, avidly.

In October 2019, I fell ill with a virus and I never recovered. I was diagnosed with the chronic illness ME/CFS. In early 2021, I started a blog to raise awareness of ME/CFS and I wrote a few poems, which were very well received. A good friend suggested I start sharing my poetry on Twitter, which is where I discovered the daily writing prompts. In January 2022, I started my poetry account and I’ve written every day since.  

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QUESTION 2: What do you like most about writing?

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LISA: I love the way that writing can take you anywhere. For me, the whole creative journey is so exciting and unexpected!

It’s wonderful using the daily word prompts on Twitter for inspiration. I’m learning new words every month, which is fantastic, and I end up writing in all sorts of different styles and forms. I also relish the daily challenge of trying to create a vivid and impactful poem within a maximum of 280 characters.

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QUESTION 3: What projects are you working on?

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LISA: I recently took part in an online writing retreat which focused on the surreal, so I’m having great fun working on a number of surreal poems at the moment. You can really let your imagination roam free and I’m also finding it exciting to be writing some longer poems (although one of them is four pages long, so I think I might be getting a bit too carried away!).

 

QUESTION 4: What other writers would you compare your writing style to?

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LISA: I don’t feel qualified to lay claim a particular writing style, as my poetry is so varied. I’ve had comments from people comparing specific poems to those of Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman and Dylan Thomas, which I find incredibly humbling. I suppose I might still be finding my voice, at this stage, but if I were to describe my writing style at the moment, I would probably have to categorise it as being very random!

 

QUESTION 5: What is your process for writing?

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LISA: I usually write my daily poem for Twitter while I’m having my breakfast. I write it as a Tweet, on my phone, while I eat my porridge. Once the text is ready, I’ll handwrite it in my notepad, drink my green tea (to warm up my vocal chords!), and then do the audio recording. Once I’ve Tweeted my poem I’ll get on and start work for the morning.​​

 

QUESTION 6: What's your favourite book of all time?

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LISA: This is such a difficult question because I never like to commit to having a favourite anything!

The book I’ve re-read the most is The Diviners by Margaret Laurence.

 

QUESTION 7: Who is your favourite poet or writer and why?

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LISA: I love reading anything and everything written by Maggie O’Farrell. Her writing really pulls me into the narrative, every time. Whenever I read one of her novels I simply don’t want to put it down. She’s an incredible writer. . I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death blew me away.

 

QUESTION 8: Where do you see your writing taking you in five years’ time?

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LISA: It would be amazing to be spending more time writing and I would hope to give regular poetry readings, too. I think there’s something special about hearing poetry read aloud. It brings the lyrical side of writing to life.

I’ve found it an incredible experience to hear my own poems read aloud by other writers. The reader invariably adds their own interpretation to the words and that’s such a magical thing.

 

QUESTION 9: Tell us a little something about yourself that you are proud of?

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LISA: When I was younger, I did a charity abseil 200 feet (61 metres) down the side of Buckinghamshire County Hall.

I’m proud because I’m afraid of heights.

  

QUESTION 10: If you weren’t a poet and writer, what career would you have loved and why?

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LISA: I’m so new to writing, that I’m still very much at the point where I would love to have a career as a poet, please!

I’ve primarily focused on motherhood for the last twenty years, and I’ve worked in different jobs that have fitted in with the needs of my family. I’d always planned to focus on developing my career at this stage in my life, but then I fell ill. I had been looking at becoming a counsellor, because I’m a very good listener and I’m passionate about helping people but we’ll see how the writing goes and where life takes me next.

 

QUESTION 11: What one, key writing tip would you share?

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LISA: When you’re at the editing stage, it can really help to read your work out loud and listen to the flow; especially with poetry.

 

QUESTION 12: What would you say to educate and inspire new poets and writers?

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LISA: Just give writing a go. Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to share your poetry on Twitter – you never know where it might lead you!