Off the Page: Featuring Swan Huntley
Conversations with Authors Exploring Writing as a Practice
Welcome to "Off the Page," an interview series with Lisa Weinert. We feature conversations with writers and practitioners about the writing life. We explore the transformative power of writing as a mindfulness practice and the routines, rituals, movements, and habits that nurture creativity. We also discuss how to find inspiration, embrace writer's block, achieve creative goals, and the healing power of writing and sharing work.
Lisa Weinert (LW): How is writing healing?
Swan Huntley (SH): I don’t write to heal. I write to entertain. But I end up healing anyway because that’s how writing works. Each of my novels tells a very clear story of the issues I was working out at the time I wrote it. We Could Be Beautiful could be re-titled Swan’s Fear of Intimacy. The Goddesses could be re-titled That Yoga Teacher Swan Met When She Was 17. Getting Clean With Stevie Green is about me coming out and getting sober. And this most recent novel, I Want You More, is a metaphor for all my bad relationships–and they’ve all been bad. To be honest, I’m not fully conscious of what I’ve worked out in that novel yet, because I’m still too close to see clearly. You’ll probably have a better idea than I do.
LW: What role does movement play in your writing life? Do you return to any somatic practices, mindfulness exercises, or other rituals before or after you write?
SH: I move a lot while I write, which is why I can’t write in public. Also, when I write in public, I start eavesdropping on the people around me and get way too invested in their storylines.
My routine is this: I wake up. I stretch while my water is boiling. I drink tea and journal by hand. Then I work. I am a morning person, so I capitalize on my morning time by saying no to A.M. plans and turning off my phone and night and not turning it on again until I feel I’m ready. Usually, this is around 10 A.M., when I feel like my body doesn’t want to sit in a chair anymore. I get up, turn my phone on, and move. The type of movement I do varies. Sometimes, it’s pickleball. Sometimes, I hike. Sometimes, I do yoga. I recently became a big fan of Lia Bartha and I do her videos a lot. She has a good vibe.
After my workout, I go back to work. While I’m working, I get up a lot. I like foam rolling. I like taking short walks. Movement is key to my productivity. I remember when my dad was alive, he said, “How are you getting so much done? You’re always going to yoga.” It seems counterintuitive, but I get more done because I take so many movement breaks. It’s during my breaks that I get the best ideas. Sometimes, I take multiple showers in a day only because I know that there are great ideas in the shower.
LW: Where do you find inspiration?
SH: Everywhere. I think that if we are curious, then everything is an inspiration.
LW: What writers have influenced you the most?
SH: Dennis Lehane was my professor in college and the first working writer I ever met. I think being in his presence showed me that a writing career was possible.
LW: What book are you excited to read next?
SH: Graham Moore’s The Wealth of Shadows.
BIO:
Swan Huntley’s novels include I Want You More, Getting Clean with Stevie Green, The Goddesses, and We Could Be Beautiful. She’s also the writer/illustrator of the darkly humorous The Bad Mood Book and You’re Grounded: An Anti-Self-Help Book to Calm You the F*ck Down. Swan earned an MFA at Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell and Yaddo. She lives in Los Angeles.
Thank you for reading! We look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions. If you have someone in mind that we should feature, please reach out to us at info@narrativehealing.com