On writing (and finding your voice)

Besides Dancing from the Inside Out, Westina Matthews has written three books in the Have a Little Faith series. She reflects on the writing process — and finding her writer’s voice:

“I love to read. I love words. I write best when I’m lonely, angry, hurt or in pain. I don’t read my essays out loud. I email them to myself, read them, then revise.”

“A lot of my writing happens on the plane on my iPhone. I sit there and thumb away. I get inspired by a phrase or a moment.”

“Often I feel like I’m channeling when I write, but just as I think a piece is done, I’m up at 1 a.m. rewriting.”

“Write because you want to write. Don’t write because you want to write a book.”

“I write best in the mornings, after meditation and an hour of riding my bike or walking. I may write a piece in 20 minutes, but that’s 30 years of lived experiences.”