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Name: Zoe Whittall

Age: 31

Occupation: Writer

"It’s hard to deal with rejection and to make a living while trying to get published."

—Zoe Whittall

A writer’s life isn’t for everyone. There’s financial instability, criticism, rejection, writer’s block and, of course, endless rewriting — all things that might make you think twice about pursuing the dream of becoming a published author. Unless, of course, you’re Zoe Whittall.

Whittall, 31, began her writing career in her 20s after moving to Toronto from the small Quebec town of South Durham. Taking a writing class, which resulted in a piece of published work, sparked her calling.

This year, she published Bottle Rocket Hearts (Cormorant).  Two volumes of poetry, The Emily Valentine Poems (Snare, 2006) and The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life (McGilligan, 2001) found their way to print prior.

Flattery from The Globe & Mail followed: “(She’s) the cockiest, brashest, funniest, toughest, most life-affirming, elegant, scruffy, no-holds-barred writer to emerge from Montreal since Mordecai Richler,” it proclaimed. 

“I almost peed myself,” Whittall recalls of the compliment. “I was beside myself with joy. I screamed.”

Praise, however, doesn’t necessarily pay the bills. Hence, Whittall’s reliance on a second job.

“It’s hard to deal with rejection and to make a living while trying to get published. These are the hardest obstacles, but I’ve stayed the course despite many hurdles,” she says.

Sticking to her craft entails taking her laptop to a café and abiding by word counts and deadlines.

Finding a good literary agent, editor and publisher are also key, but cyberspace is making it easier to self-publish these days, too.

“Thinking too much about the audience can really trip up the organic writing process,” observes Whittall. “You can get really warped by thinking like someone who works in marketing. Bad news.”

For those with books bottled up in their brains, Whittall’s advice is simple: Stop procrastinating. “Make yourself do it. Just finish it.” 

You can read up on Whittall this month at www.openbooktoronto.com.

An award-winning and multi-faceted media personality, Lawrence’s career spans journalism, television (hosting, acting, producing) and public relations (event management, publicity). Log onto lawrence-chau.com for more buzz.

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