Welcome to The Creative Council, where I interview creatives about their lives and work and what they struggle with most as creative souls.
Today’s interview is with Nimue Brown, who writes speculative fiction and Pagan non-fiction and blogs most days here.
Much of Nimue’s non-fic is published by Moon Books, and there are various fiction publishers, including Sloth Comics. Self-published things can be picked as eBooks here (free or pay what you want).
Nimue has been on the Druid path for many years, and animism informs much of her writing. She plays viola for Jessica Law and the Outlaws, is involved in all kinds of steampunk shenanigans, and lives in Gloucestershire, in the UK.
The Interview
Hi Nimue, I’m so excited you made time to answer my questions. Let’s dive right in with the first one:
· When did you start creating? Do you remember what pulled you in?
As soon as I could! My grandmother was a very creative person, so music and craft featured in my life from early on and I was writing as soon as I could manage to get words down.
· When did you start pursuing your current craft for real? As in, when did you begin to take yourself seriously as a creator?
I’ve been working in the creative industries since my twenties, with assorted things published. I started gigging in my teens, so I’ve been doing some of this for a long time. But pursuing it for real? That’s always been intermittant alongside other work and responsibilities. I’m trying to take myself seriously as a creator, but that’s very new for me.
· How long did it take you to complete your first work?
I don’t remember. I wrote my first novel when I was eighteen, in less than a year.
· How long does it generally take you to complete a work?
That varies a lot. I wrote a 75k novel in three months this summer because I was working as a ghost writer and I had a deadline. This autumn, I started trying to fix a novel I started more than 15 years ago and couldn’t finish. Those are the extreme ends and the rest of the time I could be anywhere in between.
· What do you struggle with most as a creative person?
The industry itself and how hard it is to get anything to work are major issues for me, and that all impacts on my confidence. I spend a lot of time wondering if any of this is worth it, but it’s also the only way I know to try and change the world.
· Have you always had that struggle or has it changed over time?
It’s got worse, honestly. As a younger person I had no idea how tough the publishing industry is, and it seems to get harder all the time.
· What advice would you give to creatives dealing with the same?
You have to do this for love because there really isn’t anything else. If you can let go of ideas of fame and fortune, it’s a lot easier. But at the same time, not being able to earn much money and needing to pay bills is aways going to be an issue for anyone who isn’t independently wealthy.
· What do you do to stay inspired?
I read, and walk, and go to gigs, and spend time around other creative people. I don’t really strugle to find inspiration – what I struggle with is motivation and belief in the value of what I’m doing. That’s something I’m trying to work on.
· What’s the best creative advice you ever received?
I had an English teacher who said ‘It’s ok to bleed on the page, but afterwards you have to mop it up and turn it into something.’
You can find Nimue and her work here and here. She’s also active on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Mastodon, and here on Substack.
Are you a creative and would you like to be interviewed next? E-mail me at marielle@mswordsmith.nl and we’ll make it happen!