Welcome back to the Literary Copywriter spotlight where I feature professional writers with creative pursuits. Today I interviewed Alina Cohen, a writing instructor and MFA candidate in fiction at the University of Montana. She previously worked as a Staff Writer at Artsy.net and has published cultural journalism in outlets including The New York Observer, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, and T (The New York Times Style Magazine).
Let’s hear from Alina!
Literary Copywriter: Tell me about your writing journey. When did you first realize that a.) you are a writer, and b.) you want to make a living off of your writing?
Alina Cohen: I still have trouble acknowledging that I'm a "writer," whatever that means. I began keeping journals around the third grade, and ever since then, writing has offered a way to process my experiences and the world around me. I took a couple writing courses in college and in New York City (where I moved after graduation), but I still didn't feel like a writer. For better or for worse, I thought it would help my own self-image if someone was paying me to write. So, after working for a year and a half at a public relations firm in Manhattan, I left the job and began pitching culture stories to various publications. Bylines and checks (small and irregular though they were) helped me feel more like a writer. Eventually, I wound up with a Staff Writer gig at an online marketplace + digital publication called Artsy.net. So, at least on LinkedIn, I am now a "writer." The PR gig taught me that anyone can pitch an editor, and that making at least a partial living off writing is doable.
L.C. So much of your journalism covers the intersection of historical narratives and female empowerment. You write of women filmmakers, artists, leaders, etc. who've managed to hold their own in the chaos of this world. From personal setbacks to war, they've alchemized hardship into a sense of freedom. Has this influenced your fiction in any way, or do you draw from other forms of inspiration?
A.C. In my journalism, I love highlighting underappreciated artistic figures and narratives. Telling women's stories is particularly exciting, though I'm eager to explore the work of anyone who's developed a unique creative voice that really speaks to me. My fiction, on the other hand, generally starts from some internal place of shame. Journalism forces me to engage with the world, while short stories require me to turn inward.
L.C. I love supporting professional writers who are also hard at work on a creative, personal project. This could be a novel, memoir, poetry collection etc. Tell me more about what you’re working on and what you hope to gain from the experience (book deal, more publications, career change, personal growth, etc.). Feel free to share how you balance work, life, and writing. It’s okay, if you’re struggling with this. It’s all part of the process!
A.C. I'm writing short stories (mostly about flailing young women... no connection to my own experiences, of course) and have put some longer projects on the back burner for now. I'm lucky enough to be funded at an MFA program in the mountains, which is pretty blissful. Only mildly ashamed to admit that I'd love to get published, receive some incredible book advance, and never have to work again! I will then buy a villa in Italy and spend my days eating pasta and sailing the Mediterranean. Until then, I will continue my routine of writing in bed on the weekends, baking when I get stressed out, and enjoying my time chatting with friends new and old.
L.C. Writers are needed but often undermined/unappreciated. Especially those of us with literary goals in mind! If applicable, could you speak to how you’ve faced/overcome challenges in your career? It’s okay if these challenges are ongoing (they often are). Feel free to share any words of wisdom you may have from mentors, literary heroes, etc.
A.C. My challenges are certainly ongoing. I had to apply to MFA programs three times, over the course of six years, before I got into one that offered me a good enough deal to accept. After dozens of applications, only one school (Montana) ever let me in. But I'm here now, and I love it. I've still never had any fiction accepted for publication and doubt, all the time, whether I ever will. Two instructors' words of wisdom on this front have stuck with me. One told me that "successful" writers aren't necessarily the best writers—they are just the ones who keep doing it. Another told me, "if you don't write, nothing happens." The world does not stop, and no one cares if you stop writing. But also, nothing happens for you and your own creative journey. I'm taking a class on Samuel Beckett right now, and I've been thinking about the philosophy that pervades his books as well—that creativity is the opposite of death. Only art allows us to transcend the mortal, individual self. A nice, low-stakes way of looking at things.
L.C. Say someone much younger than you says, “I want to be a writer, but I’m afraid I won’t succeed.” What would you tell them?
A.C. I think anyone who wants to write has to define what success looks like for them. So much of the writing "career" stuff... getting into an MFA program, getting published, making money... seems pretty far outside a writer's control. It seems like a good idea to get well-acquainted with rejection and try not to take it personally (I'm getting better at this, slowly). Comparing yourself to others mostly leads to despair. I think you just have to keep writing and finding your own voice until some stars align, or until you find something else that makes you happy. Try not to make yourself too miserable in the interim. Find a good shrink.
More from The Literary Copywriter
L.C. Spotlight: An Interview with Alicia Jones
A Guide to Publishing in Literary Magazines
L.C. Spotlight: An Interview with Evan Brown
If you’re a professional writer with literary ambitions, I’d love to hear from you
Your Friend in Craft,
Emily