LOCAL ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Writer’s block? Kate Cayley came here to help
Do you fancy yourself a writer, the author of the next Great Canadian Novel, but can’t get past “it was a dark and stormy night?”
Kate Cayley might be just the resource you need.
Cayley was named the Mabel Pugh Taylor writer-in-residence for 20182019, which is a joint program of McMaster University and the Hamilton Public Library. She spent the past four months at the university and will call the Central Library on York Boulevard home for the next four.
From Toronto, she brings a wealth of valuable experience to the role, as a writer, poet and playwright. Her short story collection, “How You Were Born,” won the 2015 Trillium Book Award. Her young adult novel “The Hangman in the Mirror” won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction.
And what, you may ask, is a writerin-residence? An editor. A mentor. A sounding board. “If anyone has a book idea, or part of a manuscript, or even if they just want to chat, they can come see me,” says Cayley. Writing — at least in the beginning — is easy, she says. “It’s the rewriting that’s very difficult.”
The response, from students and the general public, has kept her busy. It’s been a wonderful experience, she adds, seeing aspiring writers return and drafts of stories develop. The back and forth relationship has helped her grow as a writer as well. “It’s made me think a lot about how to be open and not have resistance to suggestions,” says Cayley.
In a city with a growing arts vibe, it should come as no surprise that Hamilton’s writers have impressed her. “Sometimes I’m just flabbergasted by people’s stories,” she says. Many are personal tales, memoirs or novels that cut close to the bone, pulling back the curtain on the writer’s life. “It’s been very humbling.”
Cayley has some simple advice for new writers: to write what you love, rather than what you think you should write. “I feel like I wasted quite a lot of time in my life, not being sure how to proceed as a writer because of having an expectation of what I thought a writer ought to be or the subject I thought was fitting,” she says.
Equally important is the need to read, to experience a range of authors and broaden your perspective. “The only thing that ever shocks me from an aspiring writer is when they don’t seem to read very widely,” she adds. As well, all the resources are close at hand, accessed with a swipe of a library card.
Cayley cautions writers to not get too hung up on seeking to become that one unique voice among thousands. “I spend a lot of time wringing my hands about the idea of originality. The more widely you read, the more you realize there is no such thing. You kind of have to let go of the anxiety of copying, because everyone is copying.”
Like all creative pursuits, investing time is key, although she acknowledges it can be difficult to write every day given the demands on your time.
Currently working on a novel and another short story collection, she will continue to help local writers hone their craft. Cayley welcomes the interaction, given that writing is often a solitary undertaking.
To book an appointment, email Kate Cayley at wir@hpl.ca
“The only thing that ever shocks me from an aspiring writer is when they don’t seem to read very widely” KATE CAYLEY Mabel Pugh Taylor writer-in-residence