How did you become a writer?

As the only child of two English professors, I was lucky to see adults reading and writing from a young age. I made my first book on one of my mom’s legal pads, and from that point on I was pretty much always writing something, whether it was a play or a story or an outline for a fictional universe. The Bennington MFA program was where I developed my grown-up practice, reading other writers closely, and committing a certain number of hours each week to the work of writing and revision.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

The list is long and always growing, but the current headliners are Virginia Woolf, Elena Ferrante, Jennifer Egan, and Lydia Davis. My brilliant Bennington teachers—Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Alice Mattison, Amy Hempel, and Martha Cooley—mentored me generously at a really critical time. 

When and where do you write?

I mostly write at home, at my desk, but I’ve also gotten great work done at coffee shops, libraries, and especially writing residencies like the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. The key is having a good chair, few interruptions, and lots and lots of time. 

What are you working on now?

A journal of my daughter’s first year of life and a new novel that’s still finding its form. 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I would say there are periods when I write and periods when I don’t. This used to bother me, in a really existential way, but I’ve come to accept it as part of my process. It’s always hard to start after a period of not-writing, but I always manage to do it, mostly by reading excellent writers and letting myself write whatever comes out, knowing I can always throw it away later—and probably will.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

The real work of writing is revising. 

What’s your advice to new writers?

Read widely and deeply in your chosen genre—and also outside your genre—to figure out how other writers have done it. Seek out mentors and fellow travelers. Be patient with yourself: Failure is an inevitable and necessary part of any artistic process. Learn who to listen to, and who not to listen to, which is an answer particular to you. Remember that in the end, it’s your work, and you get to decide how to make it.

Katherine Hill is the author of two novels—The Violet Hour (2013) and A Short Move (2020), which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. With Sarah Chihaya, Merve Emre, and Jill Richards, she is also co-author of The Ferrante Letters: An Experiment in Collective Criticism (2020). She teaches creative writing and literature at Adelphi University.