Pondering One’s Journey as a Writer with Christine Weimer
On the eighth episode of Pondering Prose: An Author Interview Series, host April Stults talks with Our Galaxy’s editor-in-chief, Christine Weimer, about what it means to show up as a writer and stick with the creative path despite life’s challenges.
As Christine mentions in her interview: “I need to make sure nobody else goes through what I went through in shelving something that was always meant to be theirs."
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify now.
About Christine Weimer
Christine Weimer is an award-winning author, publisher, creative content writer, and spoken-word artist from Queens, New York. She is honing all the guts and glory of motherhood while promoting and supporting women writers as the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Our Galaxy Publishing.
Christine is the author of three poetry collections; Tainted Lionheart, which won the Gold Medal Poetry Award for Readers’ Favorite 2021, I Got to Know Nature, and Claiming the Throne. She is a contributing writer for Her View from Home whose most recent work is published in The Order of Us and Venus Rising anthologies along with Sunflower Station Press literary magazine. Christine is also the Publishing Advisor for Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the importance of STEM education to today's youth.
Think of her as your Fairy Bookmother, guiding you through all stages of writing and publishing a book. Christine knows with the right tools and guidance, you can make informed decisions about how to elevate your author platform and exceed your publishing goals.
Pondering Creativity with Christine Weimer
Each week, we ask the authors we interview a series of prompted questions about their creative journey. Their responses are not edited and intend to continue the conversation about what it means to live and write creatively.
What does the word "creativity" mean in your world?
Creativity is any way I choose to express my thoughts and ideas. Creativity can look like organizing an excel spreadsheet for my finances or picking up a paintbrush and working with acrylics on canvas. The essence of creativity is the choice to take your inventiveness and imagination and do something productive with it.
Define your version of "success" in writing and pursuing creativity.
The first time I ever felt like a successful writer was the day I stopped doubting that I was one. The best version of success I’ve ever had with creativity was choosing to commit to it, embracing it as a part of me, and never turning away from it again.
What is the biggest thing that keeps you from your creative goals?
The pressure to have goals stops me from pursuing my creativity. I want to create, write, and share because of how much it invigorates me and is a necessity in my world. I don’t want to always be creating for the sake of achieving something. Sometimes, I just want to create because it feels good. So, when I feel like I have to “get somewhere” with my writing, I tend to procrastinate and a rebellion against myself ensues.
How do you hope to contribute to the literary community through your craft?
I hope to continue to offer a platform for writers to publish their work and build their author platforms. I want to be a vessel for stories to be told, and amplify women in publishing by empowering and educating them about the industry and the writing craft.
What would you say to someone who wants to pursue creativity but lacks confidence?
You didn’t start writing because you wanted to feel confident. You started writing because of how it made you feel. Focus on what feels good because that’s the thing that will support your confidence, above all. You don’t need confidence to write. You need the desire to write and the commitment to show up with the craft. Do that first. The confidence will come along with it.
About Pondering Prose
Pondering Prose is an author interview series cultivating conscious conversations about the challenges and triumphs around pursuing the creative writing craft. It’s not about the book, but the process by which we create—or don’t.
You can watch the series on YouTube, listen on Spotify, or follow our Blog for exclusive interviews with various women authors.
Our Galaxy Publishing is a New York City-based, women-owned, and operated independent press with a nationwide team serving aspiring authors the tools to write and publish. Our seamless publishing experience focuses on action-based tools and resources to publish, exploration of all core storytelling elements, and empowering an entrepreneurial mindset. Whether seeking to self-publish a book or find a traditional publisher, work with us for book publishing, book editing, book marketing, and writing mentorship to publish a successful book.