{"id":16054,"date":"2025-12-27T08:08:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T21:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/?p=16054"},"modified":"2025-12-27T08:08:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T21:08:20","slug":"interview-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/interview-insights\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview Insights Into Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Over dinner last Saturday night, I was talking with a friend about the creative life. Although we\u2019ve known each other for fifteen years, she hasn\u2019t been particularly interested in the topic until now, given she works in government and her husband\u2019s an engineer \u2013 they just don\u2019t walk in those circles. And it can be hard to appreciate, or even envisage, a lifestyle that\u2019s so very different from your own, without a point of reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Times change, however, and now their son has started a creative degree at university. I always knew he would. Us creatives recognise each other. And this has indeed given my friend a reference point. She can now see the long hours and mental gymnastics it takes to prove yourself in the creative world, regardless of talent or ability. It\u2019s not just a question of being dedicated or passionate. It\u2019s not just a matter of working hard or networking. You can do, and be all that, and still not stand out from the crowd enough to get the public\u2019s attention \u2013 which all creatives need if they\u2019re going to succeed. After all, it\u2019s the public who buys the art that pays the creative!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is where talking with or listening to other creatives can help those starting out. How do creatives manage their time between creating and earning a living? How do creatives keep going through all the rejections? Sometimes it\u2019s like applying for a job and being turned down every day! Social media often only shows the positive side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is why I give interviews wherever I can \u2013 to share my creative life with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re fascinating not only for other creatives of course, but for those who enjoy what I personally create. Interviews offer up a very special kind of insight, which you can\u2019t get any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I thought I\u2019d put together a list of recent interviews, all with different types of insight into my creative life, for you to enjoy and share. Let me know which interview is your favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Interview: AUSTRALIAN BOOKLOVERS<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Talking about when to call yourself a writer, what I\u2019ve learnt about myself while writing over the years, worldbuilding and writing techniques, central threads, writing routines and goals, how to write authentic characters, advice for aspiring authors, where I find inspiration, and more! Recorded with author Madeleine D’Este.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview: HYBRID AUTHOR<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How to monetise a creative career, how creatives might make money with emotions via the Japanese concept Ikigai, how I\u2019ve applied earning money through emotion in my author career, advice to authors struggling to tap into the emotional aspects of their work, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Interview: STUDIO 42<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Is anyone<\/em> capable of writing a book? How hard is it for writers to get noticed in today\u2019s over-saturated book market? How did the first ten years of my life shape me? How did poetry help me navigate the journey from child to young adult? Was there ever a point when I didn\u2019t want to be a writer? What did I think of my move to Australia? And more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview: TALKING WITH THE EXPERTS<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Talking about the mechanics of writing your first book and unleashing your inner storyteller, sharing insights on what the publishing world looks like today, how to create and run a successful creative business, how to motivate yourself (and others) to write with confidence and purpose, and how storytelling isn\u2019t just about books but offers a powerful way to connect, lead, and grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview: WORDS & NERDS PODCAST<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Discussing the pros and pitfalls of writing for different ages. From co-authoring a middle grade book to writing YA and adult novels, I discuss how I adjust my writing style to suit the audience, what considerations and adjustments I have to make when writing for different ages, how to know where my story or article fits, the power of sharing the writing journey to create the foundation of a long-lasting and successful writing career. Recorded with author Kristin Darell, and yes my name is misspelt :0)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interview: NARRATIVES LIBRARY<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Discussing the dangerous yet thrilling World of Palude<\/a>, my novel ‘When Dark Roots Hunt<\/a>‘, and how we can all remember what it’s like to be a teenager!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Interview: TAWNY FROGMOUTH<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A quick fun interview about a hobby of mine: drinking hot chocolate!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over dinner last Saturday night, I was talking with a friend about the creative life. Although we\u2019ve known each other for fifteen years, she hasn\u2019t been particularly interested in the topic until now, given she works in government and her husband\u2019s an engineer \u2013 they just don\u2019t walk in those\u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[2578,2319,2695,2693,2590,2696],"class_list":["post-16054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-news","category-writer-advice","tag-hybrid-author","tag-interview","tag-talking-with-the-experts","tag-the-creative-life","tag-the-tawny-frogmouth","tag-word-nerds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Zena-Shapter-Interview-Explaining.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16054"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16069,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16054\/revisions\/16069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenashapter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}