1. Katrine Deniset
2. Aaron Simm
3. Jared Story

There’s no shortage of people with talent in this city. The rare finds, though, are those that have a work ethic, drive or attention to detail that matches their natural gifts.

Sitting down for a chat with Katrine Deniset, it’s quickly evident that she understands this.

“If you don’t love it, don’t do it” she says of trying to make a career out of writing.  

“Words are important to me. I would never hand something in - either an article or a book I wrote...if I hadn’t edited my stuff, or read it over like 30 times.”

Although her educational and career trajectory has her on a path headed for journalism, Deniset works on her own creative writing projects as well. Her recent focus is a collection of fictional short stories she’s writing in French, which is due out in April.

“School is not going to make you a better writer,” she advises. “It’s a very intuitive process...when you have time on your hands and you choose to use that time to write, you’re an invested writer. You’re someone who wants to improve.”

Developing original ideas is always a challenge for anybody interested in creating anything, there’s always that fine balance to walk: tipping your hat to your deepest influences, while working on ways to discover your own unique voice.

Deniset is currently reading a lot of Richard Brautigan and finding ways to harness her own creativity.

“You know when you’re lying in bed and you get a great idea? Or you think it’s a great idea because you’re in a trance, hypnosis kind of place? I’ve been forcing myself when I think of something in that kind of trance...to wake up and write it down,” she laughs, explaining that it may not always yield the best material but that it’s a good exercise nonetheless.

Part of the series: The Uniter 30

Published in Volume 68, Number 14 of The Uniter (December 4, 2013)