.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
.W.o.W. #29
Rissa Miller
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
My inner writing voice is typically wracked with insecurity. Despite many successes over my entire life, I can still hear those little girls on the playground that called me “dumb and ugly” and really, my own fear is the obstacle. However, there’s also compulsion. If I’m not creating something, my dreams become overwhelmingly lush. They are almost too much to handle, and I don’t mean nightmares (those, too, sometimes). I have to find ways to work through the storytelling that happens in my dreams. Otherwise, they scream at me. This is the loudest inner voice and often wins over my fear and insecurity.
What is a book you wish someone would write?
A few years ago, I had a dream about telling the story of someone’s life through the eyes of animals that knew them. Not just pets, but all the animals that knew them—like the squirrel outside the window looking in or the mouse that lived in the attic. It would be a number of different perspectives of the same human, from many animals’ points of view. It’s a book I’d love to read—if you cross paths with such a thing, let me know!! :)
Who is your greatest writing influence?
If you asked me this at different points in my life, I’d answer differently. Today, as I sit here, I’d say my critique group from Maryland Writers’ Association. The current members are Ali V., Ali N., Melisa, and Robin, but it also included Mark, Susan, Peter, Eileen, Nancy, and another Susan. The reality is, I love being part of this group and though only three are published authors of full-length books, each one offers/offered me deep insight into my work and myself.
Rissa’s many storytelling mediums include writing, photography, dance, food, and tasseography. She contributed the CNF “Vampire” to Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. V, No. 1, RESILIENCE, about her experiences with ulcerative colitis. And most recently, she wrote “The Ring,” which was included in EMERGE: Coming Into View. Both publications are available in the Yellow Arrow bookstore.
You can find her prerecorded reading of “The Ring” on Yellow Arrow’s YouTube channel. You can also find Rissa on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or connect with her at rissawrites.com.
