Who are you?
Kaz Windness, artist-author-educator, Denver, Colorado.
What do you write?
I’ve wanted to write and illustrate children’s books for as long as I can remember. When I was little, we didn’t have a TV, and my mom read a lot to me and my little brother. That’s where it started.
I try to avoid swear words? Lol! But seriously, I gravitate to main characters with big personalities and especially animal characters because I love drawing them best. I also write for older kids and teens and am working on a series of spooky, creepy stories right now. I don’t write for adults, not currently, anyway, although I believe picture books are for everyone.
Where do you write?
I have a cozy office with deep green walls and a deep green velvet couch. I’m sitting here now still in PJ’s with a hot cup of coffee. I do both my writing and illustrating on a Microsoft Surface book. I will sometimes move to paper and pen or pencil if I’m getting screen-weary. There’s something magical about how the brain wakes up by making that pen-to-paper connection. I do my best thinking on paper.
When do you write?
My best writing time is in the morning. I get up before my family and put on my happy light (full spectrum light to combat seasonal depression) and open up a WIP that inspires me. Usually I can get in an hour of writing before anyone needs me. More on the weekends. Writing requires a lot of decision-making, and if I try to write later in the day, I’ve used most of that bandwidth, and it goes slowly.
Why do you write?
I’m usually trying to work out something difficult from my childhood and envision a world that understands and accepts people with differences. I also love humor and wordplay and find that fun and escapism to be just as valuable as wrestling with difficult topics.
How do you overcome writer's block?
I rarely experience what you might call writer’s block. The Pomodoro method of setting a timer for 20-minutes and free writing without expectation or editing usually works to get the writing flowing again. I also know I do my best writing in the morning with a cup of coffee. As long as I don’t check email first, the words flow.
I sometimes have creative blocks, and that is usually because I’m overworked and tapped out or stressed out. Allowing myself a fun day with a friend helps me fill my bucket again.
Bonus: What do you enjoy doing when not writing?
Drawing! My favorite activity is taking a sketchbook to the aquarium or zoo and drawing animals. I also love people-watching and sketching at a coffee shop. Drawing is soothing and stimming for me, and observing and documenting on paper helps me understand and appreciate the world around me. I also almost always come up with new characters and book ideas when I’m sketching.
My thanks to Kaz Windness for today's interview.