Interested in literature and writing, maybe even dreaming of becoming an author? We interviewed Jasmin Kuusela who studies comparative literature in Turku University. Jasmin is clearly thrilled about writing because she passed a very competitive exam to study creative writing as a minor. She is currently a vice-chairman in Kammio ry, which is a subject association of creative writing. Also, one indication of Jasmin’s talent as a writer is that she got in to the finals of the prestigious writing competition Pikku-Finlandia in 2016. In this interview she shared some insights about writing, reading and inspiration. Jasmin encourages people to widen their reading horizons.
What have the studies given to you?
My studies, comparative literature, have made it possible for my life to be all about literature. I can read and analyze the books with others who read. I get a lot of feedback from other writers about my writing. Before, I had to think who has time or even wants to read my texts. Now my reading scape is much larger. I read a lot of different kinds of literature. My studies are a dream come true because I can read and write and learn to make a living from it.
What is easy in your studies? And what is difficult?
Doing the exercises is enjoyable and I like to read without an exception. The fact that the exercises can be time consuming is the tricky part mainly because there’s so much to read and analyze. I feel like there’s many people who don’t appreciate literature as a university subject and don’t know or understand about the huge work that it requires to analyze texts. You can concentrate in a variety of things and compare literature to society and reflect the world to the literature. The focus is not just in the world of books but also in reality.
There’s a lot of books in the world. Which are the most important ones? That makes me wonder about the value of books. Which books are so-called junk literature, and should we focus on those as well? Is there a difference between classics and junk literature? What bothers me most in this field is how I’m going to get a job and if it is possible to have a career as an author after my studies. The school is at least teaching me how to become an expert in reading. The skill is becoming even more important and relevant due to the fact that people read less literature.
What is your relationship with writing?
Writing is one of the most important things in my life. Through writing I can undo all that I have experienced, read and thought. During the process of writing my thoughts come alive which awakens a conversation between my thoughts and the text. Writing makes everything possible. You can write about anything you desire. All you need is a good imagination and the act of writing yourself to whatever situation or place you want to experience. For example, you can imagine a pet dragon for yourself and make it feel real because of your imagination.
The school has taught me a lot about the writing process. In the process of writing first and foremost you must write everything that comes into your mind. Any censorship or concealing of the flow that comes to you is a harm that disturbs the writing process. You can start the flow by writing a poem that sucks, do whatever works for you. After all the things you want to say are down on paper can you start to work on it. Criticize and edit it and make others read it if you want to take the text to a next level. Authors don’t just write a great book at one session and then publish it. They edit it very much and gather opinions when others read it and then give feedback about the text.
What is creativity to you?
It is thoughts that come to you so fast that you don’t have the time to write everything down. Especially in terms of customization or other ways in which the subject is carefully defined I need more time to think when I write. I get the most inspiration from music and literature. Inspiration is not as common as some would think, especially in creative writing. Writing can be very cruel, you must get words down on paper. Sometimes you can get a block and yet get out of it as soon as possible. There’s a great deal of books about starting writing and good exercises when you get a block or just need a bit of inspiration. I personally like to go for a walk because I get a lot of good ideas and thoughts while I am outside.
Any reading tips to share?
Read different texts as much as you can. For me one of the best lessons that I have learned is that you don’t have to like every book you read. Literature can make you mad, sad and ashamed even, which are all difficult emotions. Literature is also entertaining but it can give you more than that. Many people stop reading a book because it was not to their liking. Valuable reading doesn’t always have to entertain but it can raise other feelings as well. You can expand your literature landscape by reading a genre that you are not so keen about. Also, higher quality literature awakens more feelings than just amusement. That makes them educating.
Poems are often thought as difficult literature to approach. I absolutely recommend everyone to read poems. They are short and quick to read. What makes poems aversive to some is the thought that they should be understood in some way. Don’t let that thought bother you. There’s no need to always ‘get’ them or try to catch some hidden meaning. You can rather feel the poem and try to think what emotion it brings up. Enjoy the language and the art of words. What does it sound like? Not many people are afraid of Donald Duck, though in a way poems are as easy as the cartoon.
I also read children’s books and other books with a lot of pictures. They should not be avoided nor mocked but to be read with courage and pleasure. One of my favorite books are the Moomin books written by Tove Jansson and the Abarat series written by Clive Barker. Both have pictures in them. Pictures add to the story an extra element to enjoy. I’m not concerned about imagining something different than the artist has interpreted it. Then you can play a little thought game by comparing your and the artist’s interpretation. What characteristics were different and why? What does it tell you about yourself?
Nonfiction books are also creative. Those books should not be interpreted as school books but as art and stories. It is very interesting to study who is the protagonist of a nonfiction book, as they do have a protagonist, storyline and atmosphere. How is it created? People like to read about people. If the book is about abiotic things or has no humans in it, they must bring the human in the story somehow to make it interesting.
Photo by: Jasmin Kuusela