Local Author Spotlight: Judith Davidson

Local Author Spotlight

Judith Davidson 

Please describe your writing routine. Is there a time of day or place that is most productive for you?
I write first thing in the morning in my journal—no plan, just whatever emerges. I do that work at the kitchen table with my first pot of tea. I usually work on my creative writing–fiction and nonfiction–in the afternoon. I do that on my computer in my home office. I have had different schedules depending on what else I have to do. I emphasize regularity and repetition as opposed to a best time or place. 

Is there anything in Lowell or in the surrounding area that has inspired your work? Such a place to take nice walks or a piece of artwork?
I love my backyard–green grass, big old oak trees, and hedges. I feel so safe, enclosed, and green there. I am also very partial to nice coffee shops. 

What do you believe are the most important elements of writing? How do you incorporate it into your own work?
To me, writing is a form of exploration and self-reflection. For those reasons it never gets old. There is always more to delve into. 

What advice would you give to a young writer and/or a writer starting their first creative work?
Keep writing, write regularly, don’t be overly critical, read-read-read, join writing communities.

What were your favorite books when you were a child?
I loved fantasy–E. L. Nesbitt (Five Children and It) or Edgar Eager (Half Magic) were two of my favorites. 

Do you have any reading recommendations?
I am in the middle of an excellent book on writing titled “What If?: Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers” by Anne Bernays and Pamela Painter. The copyright is from 1990, but it is still so pertinent. 

Judith Davidson is a trustee of the Pollard Memorial Library and Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, College of Education, Research Methods and Evaluation in Education Ph.D. Program. Her writing includes academic research, creative non-fiction, and memoir. She posts about writing on Instagram @judith_a_davidson.  Her academic publications are available on Amazon. Her first literary publication, a micro-memoir-essay, can be found in a journal called Bear Paws. She is currently in the process of looking for a publisher for a memoir.