Shades of Blue — Author Interview with Ingrid Rojas Contreras
INGRID ROJAS CONTRERAS was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. Her memoir, The Man Who Could Move Clouds, was named a “Best Book of Summer” by TIME. Her first novel Fruit of the Drunken Tree was the silver medal winner in First Fiction from the California Book Awards, and a New York Times editor’s choice. Her essays and short stories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Cut, and Zyzzyva, among others. She lives in California.
Ingrid is a fantastic writer who seamlessly weaves her experiences and real events into her work. Her pieces are always so compelling, and reel readers in for more. Below, we run through her emotions regarding her pre-release, where she draws inspiration, insight into her writing process, and advice for young/new writers!
Following your stunning debut novel, Fruit of the Drunken Tree, your memoir is about to release in less than two weeks! How are you feeling?
IRC: I’m very excited, but I’m also terrified. The stories in the book are stories I love, I can’t wait to share this with readers and everyone. Also, the moment a book comes out, it feels so vulnerable because things are still in the making and you don't know how it’s going to be received. But I also feel reassured because of the people who resonate with the book… so I’m feeling good, but also nervous.
I was fascinated with the way you wove identity into your pieces so elegantly. Your stories are always so lush, where do you pull inspiration from?
I pull inspiration from stories that move me. I usually keep a running list on my phone containing things I want to write about. If I'm remembering a good story I was told, I'll write a little line summarizing that. It’s really helpful for me to look back at the notes on my phone and see this running list of stories I want to write. Sometimes even just looking at that reminds me of what stories can do and I find inspiration that way. Also just reading a lot, listening to music, and going to art shows—are ways to feed yourself.
What does your writing process look like, compared to the past?
I have a very set process that has been the same for a number of years— I guess it’s changed a little bit. But the key to my process is I wear this specific tone of blue when writing— I refuse to wear that tone of blue when I’m out for fun, or for anything else. I keep that tone for writing, so whenever I want to write, or I’m getting ready to write… I’ll wear that color. My theory is that you can build an association of writing with a color. Since I’ve started to do that, I experience a lot less resistance to writing… I can do it more immediately, and I’m ready to sit down and write.
What advice would you give to young writers?
Young writers… it’s both about finding your people and finding yourself on the page. Like the way you want yourself to sound, etc. Every writer has this well of things they always want to write about and will inspire their stories for the rest of their careers. These kinds of subjects will feel so tense to you that you can’t help but feel drawn to them again and again. I think part of it is discovering, once you find those subjects how you want to sound, and what feels natural to you. I think for me, the journey into that was thinking about how my family usually tells stories orally. . .and using their structure as inspiration.
Another part is just finding your community. Finding friends who are writers, ones who really understand your work, and being connected through books you resonate with. Build that community as you develop your work
Then the writing blossoms.
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It was such an honor to interview Ingrid! Her memoir, The Man Who Could Move Clouds releases tomorrow June 12th, 2022, below are some ways to support her.
Find her on Twitter: @ingrid_rojas_c
