We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful KERRIE DROBAN ZHIVAGO. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with KERRIE below.
Hi KERRIE, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
As a multi-published true crime author, I’ve definitely “done time for the crime,” jailed at times in my own “cell-[writer’s] block tango.” My only escape, repetition, “rattling those chains every day until they broke free.” I made writing a habit, like drinking coffee or doing pull-ups (wait, did I really say that?). Painful but necessary. I set daily goals: 500 words, 1 page, 60 minutes. And after a year, (21, 600 hours of putting my ass in the chair over and over) I produced 182,500 words, 365 pages (a whole book). In addition to making writing a habit, I also overcame writer’s block by watching films for inspiration, or reading character-driven psychological thrillers or romantic suspense. Sometimes just changing up the “tools” of writing helped; going ‘old-school’ with pen and legal pads, or dictation. Finally, when I’ve been really stuck on character development, or motivation, I’ve administered the “MMPI” personality test!
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?
The true crime genre perfectly complements my skill set as an attorney as well as my core values of truth and justice. Being an attorney has enabled me to employer those less fortunate and help them not only survive but thrive after crisis. Whether it’s family law or criminal defense I focus on the narrative. I look for the story within the story, the origin. What happened in a person’s life that led them to this point in their lives and how can I best help them navigate conflict. As a writer, I do the same thing, consider the pathology, strategy, conflict and resolution. I cal it ‘diving into the lava’ going deep to go wide. That’s the only way to truly discover not only what happened but why and how the client or character can triumph. Writing is a calling, something I was born to do. I’m passionate about being a voice for the voiceless, empowering people to be their own rescue, to rewrite their narrative, change the ending to one that is forward thinking and inspiring. Everyone has a story, not everyone has a voice.
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’ve been most influenced by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s words, “let everything happen to you, beauty and terror, just keep going, no feeling is final.” It’s such sound advice and it puts all experiences in perspective. Everything that has happened in my life has been growth, is the story within the story, and has shaped me into the person I am now.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Vivian Schilling’s masterpiece, Quietus, has had the most influence on me as a writer. Her psychological thriller raises provocative questions about fate, mortality and what lies beyond. In my work as a true crime author, I’ve always been intrigued by what “makes a murderer”– the criminal pathology behind the monstrous acts. It’s a haunting question but one that makes for compelling narrative because it begs the question whether a person is born evil, or “becomes” evil based on environmental and family factors. If the former is true then are some people simply “fated” to intersect with others and what becomes of rehabilitative programs, lenient sentences or even mercy? The book powerfully informed my work both in the legal arena and in the true crime genre–I write to understand the “why” of the “who” and “what” can be done to prevent these kinds of crimes in the future (if anything)?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kerriedroban.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrie_droban/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKerrieDroban
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrie-droban/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0SkPxWAQD71B7JQPg2WHw
Image Credits
The Factory by GoldyLocks Les Manness
