Storyteller. Public Theologian. Feminist. @priscadorcas
How do you conquer a creative block?
Prisca: I have found that living life is the biggest source of inspiration. When I am blocked, it is usually because I have sat alone for far too long, and as a writer that often is the place I find myself in: alone. I have to be alone to write, but I cannot be creative just by sitting alone. I need to feel feelings, the feelings of excitement when I see an old friend is inspirational. The feeling of letting go, that is super inspirational. The nervousness before meeting someone new, the edge of your seat feelings oftentimes take me down exciting new ideas and things to ponder. I write my best when I allow myself to feel the range of emotions that comes from stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Pick your top 5 and list in priority:
Prisca: Good company. Laughter. Sleep. Fine things. Dancing.
Do you have anyone that you love to collaborate with?
Prisca: I believe in manifesting so I am going to manifest, aside from getting to collaborate with sustainable fashion brands, I would love to work with PBS. I grew up with PBS, it was my primary teacher and also where I learned English when I first arrived in this country. They are something anyone can watch, and even their streaming service is free and you can watch all their content with the app. I want to work with networks investing in change, and maybe not making the most money but making a considerable impact.
I have to be alone to write, but I cannot be creative just by sitting alone. I need to feel feelings, the feelings of excitement when I see an old friend is inspirational.
If you could trade places with any person (alive or dead) who would it be?
Prisca: I would love to trade places with Alice Walker. I just finished reading her journals, its her newest book, and she has lived a life full of success, happiness, failures, romance, and owned homes all over the place! It has not been perfect, her journals will be very clear to say that, but it has been a FULL life and I want to be able to look back on my life one day and feel that way about my life.
Do you dream a lot? Does it influence your art? Do you have recurring dreams?
Prisca: I actually do not dream a lot, or at least I do not remember my dreams often but when I am writing a book my dreams are often doors that lead to new realizations.
When I was writing, For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, I struggled with the chapter on “Toxic Masculinity.” I would write it, and then Command+A *(select ALL) and delete the entire chapter, and those are massive chapters. But I had a huge mental block, I could not figure out how I wanted to say the things I wanted to say. This chapter was literally haunting me, and it took me a while to accept that this was happening. But then one night, I had a nightmare about this chapter and I woke up and immediately sat up and saw it was 2am. And I just knew exactly how I was going to write this chapter, I was going to write it as a scary story. Because this chapter was now haunting my dreams, I listened to what the chapter wanted to become, I allowed my dreams to guide my writing process. I wrote it in the same way, structurally, that I would tell a scary story around a campfire. I started the chapter with an ominous beginning, told this complicated and hard story, and ended it with a warning, which is the haunting reality of systemic issues. It was my favorite chapter to finish, because it was such a different approach to my storytelling, and the most raw. I cried through that chapter, and I still feel that agony when I read it back.
