Unfolding Secrets: Jill Christman Reveals the Hidden Truths Behind The Heart Folds Early
JC: My path through a book is always messy. I’ve been writing memoir and essays for 30 years and I co-edit two magazines: River Teeth and Beautiful Things. I’ve had a lot of practice. You’d think I could be more efficient! But every project makes its own rules. It takes a lot of time and writing for me to know what an essay or a book is about. It’s excessive, but I think of it as using all parts of the animal when I’m drafting and revising. The Heart Folds Early spawned multiple essays and even a whole short book — Borrowed Babies — that I cut from the manuscript in revision. I pay attention to what wakes me up at night. I’m always looking for new connections, friction and energy.
