Loosely Speaking

Deborah Hutton

What words do you love? Do they have to be sesquipedalian to rate, or do you prefer more truncated expressions? Do you find the cachet of onomatopoeic phrases leave you punch-drunk or discombobulated? What about those you hate? Does trite wordage make you cringe? Or is it over-used jargon that causes you to squirm? Would your answers be different if you spent your workday sifting through a barrage of words and phrases? Whose writing would inspire you? And what would you need on hand to sustain that inspiration?

With these questions in mind, we asked working writers for their thoughts. Based on the idea of the Bernard Pivot Questionnaire (also used by James Lipton on “Inside the Actor’s Studio”), we asked individuals in the writing community to answer five writing-related questions. In this issue, we feature the responses of Jennifer Aikman, Stacie Smith, and Ana Torres. Though these writers work in different fields — electronic media, public relations, and magazines — their answers show a shared love of language and literature.

Jennifer Aikman

Jennifer Aikman is a writer and site editor for the CBC's cross-platform, late night arts and entertainment programme ZeD. She has freelanced for most of the major publications in Vancouver and knows full well she needs to step up her game and submit more often as it's been over a year since she's been published. Currently, she is attempting to get a Canada Council Grant for Creative Writing. Her plan is to write a great West Coast novel that can't be traced back to the UBC Creative Writing program.

What is your favourite word?
Comely.

What word do you hate?
Gitch/gaunch.

What is your favourite piece of writing?
My favourite book is Of Human Bondage. There are so many passages in that book that I find truly wonderful. I love when Phillip refers to Mildred as “an ill-tempered slut.”

Is there anything that you must absolutely have on hand when you write?
A computer. I really can’t write anything by hand anymore. Not even grocery lists. It’s pathetic.

If you could choose anyone to write your biography, who would it be?
It’s a three-way tie: Dorothy Parker, Martin Amis, or Anne Rice. In fact, I would love each of them to write one. Fun!

Stacie Smith

Stacie Smith is a communication manager with the Canadian Olympic Committee — a private, nonprofit corporation that provides financial support, services, and leadership to the Canadian amateur high performance sport community. Before joining the COC, Stacie was a member of the communication team for Toronto’s bid to host the 2008 Olympics. She also led media relations for the Canadian and North America Eco-Challenge in 2002 and 2003. A competitive adventure racer and a former member of the Canadian National Ultimate Team, Stacie has been able to combine two of her passions – sport and communication – and create a place for herself in the field of communication.

What is your favourite word?
Fiddly sticks. I have had to add this word to my repertoire since having a child. It replaces many other words that are now inappropriate to say in my house. It will probably only be my favourite word for another 15 years, then I will happily return to my previous favourites.

Working in sport requires a robust vocabulary and I need to learn to separate my work vocabulary from my home vocabulary.

What word do you hate?
Good. It’s overused and consequently has lost its meaning. Furthermore, it’s often used incorrectly, as in: “I feel good.”

A close second would be any word with “e” in front of it. I know the 90s are over and we are losing the e-slang; however, it was infuriating. People need to capitalize and use proper words. The dot.com days did some serious damage to grammar and spelling rules.

What is your favourite piece of writing?
I have a guilty pleasure when it comes to reading: fantasy. To make it worse, while I love Lord of the Rings, it’s easier to add a Harry Potter book into a busy workday. I am anxiously awaiting the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Is there anything that you must absolutely have on hand when you write?
When writing, I need a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of red wine at night. I obviously have some vices, but they seem to help a considerable amount.

If you could choose anyone to write your biography, who would it be?
Anne-Marie MacDonald. I would hate to suggest that my life experience is even remotely close to that of one of her characters. However, I’ve had my moments. I think she could capture the complexity and add enough drama to make even the boring aspects seem exciting.

Ana Torres

Ana Torres has worked in publishing for over seven years. She worked for Adbusters Magazine, was the coordinator of the Federation of British Columbia Writers, and edited the organization’s quarterly Wordworks. She has a Masters in Publishing from SFU, and was appointed the Executive Director of the BC Association of Magazine Publishers in 2002.This past summer, Ana interned with Raincoast Book’s Publishing Department.

What is your favourite word?
Art.

What word do you hate?
Deplaning.

What is your favourite piece of writing?
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Is there anything that you must absolutely have on hand when you write?
CBC Radio One.

If you could choose anyone to write your biography, who would it be?
Yann Martel.