Name: Hannah Taylor
Age: 19
University: New York University Abu Dhabi
Nationality: USA / U.S. American
TEMPO: Who is Hannah C Taylor?
Hannah: I am a student at NYUAD studying Social Research and Public Policy and Psychology. My addictions are beautiful words, beaches, and caffeine delivered in any form. I love to express myself, and my favorite mediums are dancing, writing, and photography. I hope to make the most of my time at NYUAD and in the UAE by engaging with the community as much as possible through more amazing opportunities like the Flash Fiction contest.
TEMPO: How and when did you first learn of your love and passion for writing?
Hannah: I’ve always loved to write. It is the one thing that can get the jumble of thoughts from my head into a coherent form that I can actually process and sometimes communicate with others. As someone who stumbles over their words, writing is a way for me to connect with others and to try and offer empathy and/or entertainment. I’ve never studied any creative writing, though in high school I took whichever classes were heaviest in reading and writing. Since coming to NYUAD, I’ve started writing a lot more. I worked on The Gazelle, a student-led publication, and wrote articles for them. I’ve also written poetry at an increasing rate and have had several poems published in a journal of student creative work. I hope to take a creative writing class before graduating!
TEMPO: How were you able to come up with your piece? What inspired you to write it?
Hannah: I didn’t write the piece until the day before the deadline. I’d never written a short story before, and wanted to submit something when I saw the call for submissions, but when thinking about “separation” nothing came to mind. I didn’t want to write a sappy love story ruined by distance, though that’s what I ended up doing. When I tore a post-it note to leave my roommate a note in the morning, I thought, well that’s separation in the simplest sense of the word. Coming un-stuck. So I sat down and tried to put myself in the post-it’s place, and the story came together.
TEMPO: Name top 5 traits that each aspiring writer should have.
Hannah: I don’t know if I am qualified to answer this, but I would imagine daring, open to criticism, observant, self-loving (everyone needs this!) and positive (this too!).
TEMPO: For sure you have experienced what they call a “writing slump” where you get stuck for hours, not knowing how to continue… how did you manage to overcome this situation? What tips could you provide to get over that phase?
Hannah: I usually make a tea or coffee and go for a walk, trying to focus both on what I want to write and on everything else. Sometimes you just need a little extra inspiration, and the world will always provide that if you let it. Perhaps a character or action can be inspired by a blowing blade of grass, a child running through the street bravely, or a post-it note.
TEMPO: Which writers inspire you and why?
Hannah: For novels, two favorites are Arundhati Roy and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I love Roy’s writing style and her bravery in playing with literary devices and very unconventional ways of story telling. For Marquez, I love how blatantly honest he is with characterization; you can tell by his writing how observant he was about people, relationships, and the world. The same is true of Roy, and both communicate very intimate ideas through their writing.
TEMPO: Describe a normal day in the life of Hannah C Taylor.
Hannah: Coffee first, always. Then I try to have a big breakfast, catch up on news and social media, and start my day. The day itself really depends on classes, work, or meeting with friends but I am always in bed early and always well-fed.
TEMPO: Any future plans that you would like to share with the community?
Hannah: None, yet!
TEMPO: How can people get in touch with you? Any websites and/or social media platforms you’re into?
Hannah: I often write for The Gazelle (http://www.thegazelle.org/issue/author/hannah-taylor/) , I am on instagram at @hantays and I am pretty active on LinkedIn under Hannah Taylor. I love to email and if anyone wants to reach out I can be contacted at hct245@nyu.edu.
TEMPO: Finally, what’s your message to aspiring writers out there?
Hannah: Be brave and be honest in what you write. Bare your soul in some way – make a claim, make an observation, make sure to say something about the world. This will allow you to connect to others and to actually make an influence by writing. Just make sure you have fun doing it!
Check out Hannah’s winning entry: “A Notable Life”
