Embedded Files
Kate Elizabeth Russell
Kate Elizabeth Russell
Kate Elizabeth Russell's Writing Routine:
Kate Elizabeth Russell's Writing Routine:
"Definitely coffee shops and libraries. I write best when I get out of the house, especially if I'm struggling. I find getting out of the house, and being in a coffee shop especially, I feel more compelled to work or obligated to work if I'm in a coffee shop because I feel like people can see my computer screen, not that anyone's looking at me. I just feel like if I'm messing around on social media, people will see, whereas it gives me more accountability, I guess, and also liking the background noise. Also, once I was really, really deep in the writing process, I would just set up on the couch and write all night. That was the best. That was the best feeling, the feeling of not wanting to sleep because the writing was going so well. I really miss that. I can't wait to get back to that point when I'm writing again. Anyway, coffee shops are always my go-to place. And there's food and drink there."
My Dark Vanessa, 2020
Read Feb 2021, Jan 2022, Apr 2023, and Dec 2023
Why I Chose Kate Elizabeth Russell:
Why I Chose Kate Elizabeth Russell:
I have read Kate Elizabeth Russell’s debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, an embarrassing amount of times – four, to be exact. I first read it in my freshman year of college, and ever since, I’ve gotten the urge to open it back up every few months. It’s a story that follows Vanessa Wye, and it takes place in two separate time periods – in the first time period, Vanessa is a high schooler at a boarding school in Maine, and in the second time period, Vanessa is an adult woman who works at a hotel in Maine. In high school, Vanessa becomes entangled in a relationship with her much-older English teacher, and in the future timeline, Vanessa begins to grapple with the effects of the relationship, particularly in the context of the MeToo Movement happening around her. Russell writes about the complex emotions that come with experiencing abuse as a young woman so eloquently, and the reader grows a deep connection to Vanessa throughout the novel. I recommend this book to anyone interested in its themes of processing and overcoming abuse, and I’m anxiously awaiting her next publication.
Russell’s writing puts you right into Vanessa’s head. At times, her writing contradicts itself. Vanessa remembers things in the present day differently than how the reader knows they actually happened, and the reader grows to understand that this is the way her brain has allowed her to suppress grappling with the abuse over the years. Her teacher convinces her that she has the power in their relationship so that he will not be blamed, and the reader regularly is made uncomfortable by his treatment towards her. Russell bravely shares a story of perseverance, and she beautifully writes of the complex experiences that come with being a young girl forced to face situations she is not yet equipped to handle.
Passage from Kate Elizabeth Russell's Writing:
Passage from Kate Elizabeth Russell's Writing:
"Somehow I sensed what was coming for me even then. Really, though, what girl doesn’t? It looms over you, that threat of violence. They drill the danger into your head until it starts to feel inevitable. You grow up wondering when it’s finally going to happen" (Russell, My Dark Vanessa).
Writing Data:
Writing Data:
13
13
how I felt about the quality of my writing over the course of the four days, out of a possible maximum of 20 points
1144.75
1144.75
average words written per day
51.75
51.75
average minutes spent writing per day
How the Experiment Went
How the Experiment Went
I love a trip to a coffee shop, so I had a lot of fun working in public as opposed to in my apartment this week. Two of the four days, I went to Misfit Coffee Co., one of my favorite coffee spots in Ann Arbor, and got an oat milk cortado to fuel my writing energy. Both days, I was able to snag a booth and sit next to the comfy pillows decorating the shop, which I was happy about. One day, I went to Canelle, a coffee shop located in downtown Ann Arbor that makes me feel like I’m in Europe, and I got an oat milk cortado there as well. The final day of my writing week, I went to the law library instead of going to a coffee shop. The law library is one of my favorite places on campus to really lock in. On this particular day, I was having trouble motivating myself and staying focused on my work, so I thought heading there, where everyone is working hard, would be a good choice. Over the four days, I wrote a total of 11.5 pages on my computer (4579), which is far more than in the past weeks. I wrote somewhere between 900 and 1400 words each day, and writing took me between 45 minutes and an hour.
Similarly to Kate Elizabeth Russell, I feel a compulsion to be extra productive when I’m in a public place. Working at a coffee shop pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way because I didn’t have the temptation to stop writing and lay in bed or on the couch like I had the past few weeks. There is also something very satisfying to me about writing as I drink my coffee for the day. It makes me feel, in a strange way, like a real writer, doing my work for the day.
This experiment brought me back to writing on my laptop as opposed to on paper. I had really enjoyed the past two weeks writing in my notebook, so I was expecting to dislike going back to technology, but I ended up liking the change. I am able to write a lot more words in about the same amount of time on my laptop, which I like a lot, because my fingers are able to type as quickly as my brain is able to think. However, I missed the slowness of writing on paper a bit. When I write on paper, I am able to focus on each word, whereas, on my computer, I speed through writing a bit more. I also was slightly more distracted than usual because I was already looking at a screen, so clicking to check my messages was much easier than grabbing my phone to do it when writing on paper, but I fought this temptation more than I thought I would be able to.
To the left is my data for this experiment. Overall, I enjoyed this week, and I think once this experiment is complete, I will make more of an effort to leave the house to do my writing, at least every once in a while for a change of scenery (and a delicious coffee). This week pushed me out of my comfort zone by making me take the characters I’ve grown to hold very close to myself out into the world, and I feel like my writing was better because of it. Something I’m learning during this experiment is that I think some scenes in my novel are better suited to writing on paper, and some are better suited for writing on a laptop. I hadn’t considered the possibility that both mediums could be beneficial for me in different ways, so I will be sure to use what I’ve learned in the future.
Page updated
Report abuse