Meet Jesper Soerensen

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jesper Soerensen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jesper, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

As a creative writer, I’m in the habit of observing the world around me with a keen eye. I find inspiration everywhere, even in the most mundane situations, but my mind is more receptive to new ideas and solutions to problems when I’m actively writing or researching. Finally, I tap into my creativity by reading both fiction and nonfiction every day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a book author and essayist living in Miami Beach. I was born in Denmark where I have lived most of my life, until moving to Colorado in 2020 with my husband who is a researcher for the University of Colorado Boulder. We have recently moved from Denver to Miami Beach and are determined to make this beautiful place our permanent home.

In 2023, my first book, “Charles Dickens – The Stories of His Life,” was published by UK-based Olympia Publishers. It is a very accessible introduction to all of Dickens’s novels and a full biography of the great novelist who is my biggest inspiration as a writer.

I also enjoy writing essays. While I was in Colorado, I was honored to be included in the print anthology “We Are the West: Tributaries,” featuring writers from Colorado and Wyoming. My contribution was a humorous essay titled “Iconoclast.” It is about the famous Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining,” and how it successfully uses the iconography of Stanley Kubrick’s movie adaptation in its branding. More recently, I had an essay about my favorite Danish author, Svend Åge Madsen, published in Michigan Quarterly Review. The essay, “Seven Ages’ Madness,” is accessible online for free, and I encourage all lovers of literature to check it out and learn about this profoundly original and witty writer.

Currently, I’m working on a book about another literary hero of mine: G. K. Chesterton. In addition to that, I have been doing a lot of humor writing, with pieces published in Weekly Humorist, Slackjaw, Little Old Lady Comedy, Robot Butt, Roi Fainéant Press, and others.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would say Passion, Integrity, and Consistency. If you are passion-driven in learning your craft, you will come a long way without feeling the strain of the effort. Integrity for me means having a good work ethic, no matter what type of work. My love and respect for literature make me take great pains with my writing. Lastly, I would say consistency is key to getting things finished. I would advise anyone to try to show up for your project every day, even if you have only half an hour to spare. It will keep you in creative mode and the work adds up quicker than you think.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

If I were to pick one book, it would be G.K. Chesterton’s “Charles Dickens” (1906). This biography and a critical study is regarded as one of Chesterton’s major achievements and is widely considered the best critique of Dickens ever written. The book gave me a deeper appreciation of Dickens and taught me what made his literature great and how to apply it to my own writing. The main points Chesterton made are, first, that the greatness of Dickens lies in his fragmented writing, i.e., the accumulation of truth in all his superfluous details and characters whose actions are irrelevant to the plot. Second, his humor was the medium with which he could get to the heart of things and strike a precise blow against injustice. The book is in the public domain and can be read online for free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://olympiapublishers.com/authors/jesper-soerensen
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soerensen.jesper/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soerensen.jesper/
• Twitter: https://x.com/j_soerensen
• Other: https://medium.com/@soerensen.jesper

Image Credits

Fadil Inceoglu

Twenty Bellows