Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Georgina Key. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Georgina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My writing is always personal in some way. I tend to weave in not only experiences from my own life, but also very specific observations or ideas that work for certain characters and places in my work. My debut novel tackles the subject of loss and healing, which was a journey my family had to take when we came close to losing our son at only five years old. It forced me to dig deep but ended up being very cathartic for me, and I hope for my readers too. My current novel revolves around a hurricane that resulted in the destruction of an entire community. We lost our own beach house during Hurricane Ike, along with so many others—a loss on a different scale, but devastating nevertheless.
Georgina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve taught writing for many years—it gives me such satisfaction and joy to empower others to celebrate their own unique voice. I also provide feedback for finished manuscripts so that writers can envision the best version of their work in progress. I know how to bring out a writer’s strengths and to target areas that may need attention, and I respect the story they are wanting to tell in their own way. As a writer, I tell intimate stories that my readers can relate to on a deep level. I want them to see, hear, feel everything my characters do.
In your view, what can society do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
It has to start with kids. Some are fortunate to be raised in a creative household, but for those who aren’t, schools need to step up. The arts are always the first to be cut. This is a sad and dangerous solution to budgeting. Sadly, our schools have become testing centers rather than places that nurture creativity and self-expression. Kids must be empowered to express themselves creatively without judgement. I can’t tell you how many adults hate writing, think they can’t do it well. Sadly our education system has much to answer for. Kids are inadvertently taught to feel insecure and inadequate creatively as they grow older. I’ve taught many students to overcome those doubts and rediscover their voice. One student, for example, is a musician now who writes his own songs. When I first started teaching him, he hated writing. Watching that confidence bloom is my favorite part of being a teacher.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I was 55 years old when my debut novel was published. I thought I was far too old, that it was too late to try and find a publisher. Even though I had written my entire life, I never thought to share it, whether it was journaling, poetry, scraps of story ideas. But Shiny Bits In Between was a story I not only had to tell but wanted others to read. I was determined to get it out in the world. So I began networking and querying until I found a place for it with Balance of Seven. Now I have an audience who loves my work and wants more. This is just the beginning of my journey. It’s NEVER too late.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.georginakey.com/
- Instagram: @Keygeorgina
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gkeyauthor/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCiGa-saIAakcXxwoBj3oyWA