Split
An Interview
with author Brenda Miller

Brenda Miller wrote "Split" during a 20-minute writing exercise with her graduate students.  The drill, to look at a random line from a poem written by Anne Carson and use it as a jumping off point, provided her with the symbolic and surrealistic voice used in this piece.

"It pretty much came out full-blown, then I revised the language, and added another few lines on the advice of my students,” she says.  “Most of my short pieces are written fairly quickly, because they need to happen almost in one breath, one sitting, for the energy to carry through.

"This essay felt like a ‘gift’ to me," Miller adds.  "The language led me where I needed to go, and the energy of writing in class with my students—the focus and steady concentration of that process—allowed me to really commit to extending the metaphor as far as it would go.  I also felt myself to be in dialogue, not only with Anne Carson's speaker in her poem, but with the other students in the room who were also writing within or against that poem's voice.  So it was quite an energetic experience."

Through writing, Miller is given the voice to reveal things about herself that she may not normally have the courage to uncover.  Yet, in "Split," she views the information that is communicated as a "partial truth”: "I certainly don't feel that way about my heart and my love relationships all the time (I hope not!).  I think that's what can be most difficult for beginning creative nonfiction writers: to know that truth is always in flux, and what we're doing is catching it on the fly.  You can write essays about the same subjects and contradict yourself, and that's not a bad thing."

Despite her numerous publications and four Pushcart Prizes, Miller still sometimes considers herself a struggling writer.  She notes, "There's always the blank page staring you down, nipping your ego in the bud." 

Yet, instead of getting discouraged, she tells those who are having trouble writing to go back to the basics.   Miller encourages people to do writing exercises, either alone or with others.  She suggests forming a strong support network of both writers and readers.  She also maintains that good writers must be well read. "Have a favorite poet or two to keep you company in the mornings."

Most importantly, Miller advises, "Follow your intuition, and don't close down an essay too soon; allow it to develop and extend into new territory that may be dangerous or risky." 

—Corey Ginsberg