Exclusive Interview: Jennifer Crystal Reveals the Shocking Inspiration Behind One Tick Stopped the Clock
Jennifer Crystal: Thank you. That means a lot, especially coming from you, because I worked with you in the beginning. You really got me going on this book. So, I really appreciate that feedback.
MB: Well, I had fun working with you on it. It’s exciting to see it all here in a book. So, you started it in 2011.
JC: 13 years.
MB: Why do you think a book takes that long to write? I’m not saying like, “Oh my god, what took you so long?” But they often do take that long.
JC: I think there are a couple of reasons. There’s the practical reason – usually writers can’t just sit and write. They have to do other work. I do other things, and other parts of my life that take up brain space. I started the book in grad school, but even then, I was taking other classes and reading other people’s work. But I think the larger issue is that it takes time to gain perspective on your own story. Even if I had finished a full draft when I was in grad school, I wouldn’t have been able to have as much reflection in there. I just wouldn’t have gained enough perspective on my own story. It took many revisions to get to that. Speaking to the larger story of chronic illness, that really got folded in during the pandemic.
