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| Photograph by Robin de Vogel |
Rosabelle Illes
Age 26
Location: I am either in Aruba or the Netherlands
BA Psychology with a minor in English Literature – Webster University (2011), MSc. Social and Organizational Psychology – Leiden University (2012), PhD Candidate Social Psychology – Leiden University (2012-present).
The Writer
How long have you been writing?
I started filling blank greeting cards with poems for my family members since I was six years old.
Do you write full-time?
No, I have a full-time job
What is your ultimate goal as a writer?
If my pieces have made someone laugh or question the current state of humanity then I am satisfied.
What is your greatest challenge as a writer?
Time
The Work
Tell us about your work in Crack the Spine.
“Species” follows the numerous thoughts of a woman who is having lunch with her best friend.
What inspired “Species?”
This piece originated from an exercise in a creative writing class I took as part of my minor in English literature. The instructor took us to a nearby café in a department store and told us to choose a random person and write from his or her perspective. I picked a lady who was having lunch with a woman and just wrote everything that came to my mind.
Tell us about another project you have published.
“Stars for Sale: a Buck Each” (2013) is a short-story about a woman who becomes mentally ill because the baristas at her favorite coffee shop repeatedly misspell her name on her coffee cup.
What inspired this work?
When we were vacationing in Barcelona, my mother Betty stopped by a coffee shop to order a hot chocolate. The barista wrote “Berti” on her coffee cup. Since my mother’s name is common I did not expect the barista to misspell it. When it happened I told my mother “wouldn’t it be funny if you just snapped right now because they didn’t get your name right?”. When we returned home I began writing the piece.
Where can we find “Stars for Sale: a Buck Each?”
This short-story is published in Gone Lawn Journal’s 11th issue.
The Methods
What time of day or night makes you most productive as a writer?
I mostly write at night.
How many drafts do you generally go through before you consider a piece to be complete?
I am not sure a piece is ever complete. I think once the work is accepted for publication, the writer also accepts it in its current form.
How do you react when one of your submissions is accepted for publication?
I make a gesture with my fist, the kind basketball- or tennis players make after scoring a point and then I send the acceptance e-mail to my mother and father.
What is your best piece of advice on how to stay sane as a writer?
Embrace your insanity
The Madness
What is your favorite book?
De Elementen (The Elements) by Harry Mulisch
What is your favorite word?
Dushi (it means sweet in my native language of Papiamento)
What’s in that cup on your desk?
Green iced tea
Rain or Sunshine?
Aruban sunshine
Cats or Dogs?
Dogs
Pen or Pencil?
Pencil
Additional Reading on Rosabelle
Hahaha so much fun to get an insight into what drives Rosabelle…. looking forward to read more of her work 🙂
The Methods, second question; my fave answer 🙂 Proud to call this talented young woman my friend! Sweet!