Interview with Author Courtney Welu

Courtney Welu's story "Visitation" gives us a glimpse into the internal pain of grief in a context of external extraordinary events. Read our interview with the author, who shares what she hopes readers will get out of the story, her writing advice, and her opinion on small talk.

What makes you keep writing, even when it’s hard?

I know from experience that I’m happier when I’m writing something that I care about. I’ve been writing from about age nine—my cousin and I would write plays together—and I’ll go through periods that I don’t write anything creatively, and I know that I’m less satisfied with myself and my life when I’m not flexing that muscle. 

Advice on creating that you’ve learned by trial and error?

In my view, there are two hard parts about writing: deciding what happens next and actually getting the words down on paper. I have to do these tasks separately or I’ll never write anything. I will outline a chapter complete with dialogue before I sit down to write it. 

What’s your favorite underappreciated novel or short story (a work you never hear

anyone else talking about)?

I love everything that Daniel Lavery has ever written. He has such a distinct style and voice, in his published work as well as on his Substack. His memoir-ish book, Something That May Shock and Discredit You, is an all-timer. At least once a week, I think about “Captain James T. Kirk is a Beautiful Lesbian, and I’m Not Sure Exactly How to Explain That.” 

Do you have a favorite book on writing or creating that’s been a helpful resource?

Weirdly, I think Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried fits the bill, especially the essay “How To Tell A True War Story.” I think there are meaningful lessons to take from it regardless of what subject you’re writing about. The only way to tell a true war story is to keep telling it. 

What are your short-term writing goals?

I recently finished the first draft of a novel. Although it’s the third I’ve completed, I didn’t send the other two out to agents because I knew they would need a lot of work to get to a publishable condition. That was four years ago, and I feel much more confident this time around.

What’s your favorite musical instrument? Why?

I played the clarinet when I was in high school. One of my uncles and my great-grandfather played the clarinet professionally, and I can always recognize when a song uses one.

One sentence soapbox:

Some thoughts are inside thoughts and don’t need to be shared out loud.

What is your writing strategy? Do you write every day with a rigid schedule, or are you

more flexible with your practice?

I have to set aside full days to write. It’s too difficult for me to write in the evenings after I’ve had a full day of work, because my brain shuts off after about 7 p.m. I can outline or edit on weekdays, but any meaningful progress needs to be on the weekend. If I have 3-4 hours to sit and bang it out, I can usually get around 5,000 words. 

Have you ever had a supernatural encounter?

I haven’t had a truly supernatural experience, but I’ve had many lucid dreams about dead loved ones that feel real, with the sensation of touch and feeling my footsteps as I’m walking. I had a dream recently about my uncle, and I realized midway through that he was dead. I started to wake up, but he literally yanked me back into the dream to talk to him.

Do you know any magic?

Right now, I’m reading the autobiography of the twentieth-century writer John Cowper Powys. In the first chapter, he says his lifelong dream was to play the part of The Magician, which he says means “to exercise a certain supernatural control over my destiny of that and others.” I don’t think that’s really possible for anyone. We all lose control, at some point or another, of the shape and momentum of our lives. Writing fiction is the only real way that you can play that part, for your characters as well as your readers. Given the massive volume of novels he published during his lifetime, I think Powys might agree with me.

What do you hope readers gain from your work?

For this particular story, I hope they think about what first contact means for them, and how it would—or in the protagonist’s case, would not—affect their lives. 

What’s the one problem with the human condition you wish could be fixed?

I wish everyone had basic empathy for one another.

What is your favorite museum or gallery?

I love the Tate Modern in London. I also worked for three years at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas and have only wonderful things to say about their collections and the people stewarding them. 

Unpopular opinion, go:

You should learn how to make small talk with people that you don’t know very well. It is an essential life skill.

Courtney Welu (she/her) is a writer from the Black Hills of South Dakota. She currently lives in Austin, Texas where she works at a community college. Her previous work can be seen in publications including Gone Lawn, Prosetrics, and Bag of Bones Press.