Jill Kelly, PhD, is the author of a memoir, Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman (iUniverse, 2008), which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award, which annually honors the finest accomplishments in literary excellence by Oregon writers. Jill lives in Portland, Oregon, where she works as a text and developmental editor and coach for writers and other creatives. She is currently finishing her second book, a novel entitled Witnessing the Creation.

My life as a creative writer

I've always been in love with words and sentences. As a child, I wrote scripts for my favorite TV shows (starring me!) and riveting tales of stewardesses, nurses, and girl detectives. But as I grew older, I pursued all kinds of other interests and eventually became a teacher, doing little writing of my own. Then, in 1990, I began journaling each morning following Julia Cameron's suggestion in The Artist's Way. Little did I suspect that that practice was the way back into my childhood dreams.

Ten years later, I attended two different writing retreats that reawakened my love of words and story-telling. With the support of a writers' group, I began crafting tales from my past into polished pictures of what it had been like, what happened, and what it was like now. Originally though, these very personal writings were just for me.

By then, I'd been working for a decade as an editor and coach for fiction and nonfiction writers, and each step in the process of shaping and finishing my own book taught me things I could use with my clients. At the same time, I'd begun reading my stories to writers' groups and saw that my experience offered a different perspective on addiction and long-term recovery. So I decided to publish a series of the stories in a memoir.

My writing process

I've found that having a structured writing life works well for me. I journal every day for about an hour. On Fridays when I'm in Portland, I spend the day writing on my latest projects with a terrific group of women, and every few months, I go away for a week's writing retreat, usually with another writer or two. I love writing in the company of others whether it's in a retreat center in the woods or an urban coffee shop. I'm best when I have a specific project so I keep a list of ideas and several things in the hopper at once. I like it best when my characters tell me what to write next about them, as they have done in Witnessing the Creation. My three cats are equally helpful.

PS The art work on this site is also mine. If you're interested in seeing more of my work,

Click here to watch a PBS interview with Jill on Sober Truths.

Catch my blog at http://thewritingwheel.blogspot.com/