Madeleine Minks’s writing background spans across many different genres. During her time as a writer, Minks (‘24) has explored prose, poetry, screenwriting, podcast writing, creative nonfiction, and much more.
“Basically everything but journalism,” Minks joked when explaining the different styles of writing she’s been interested in during her time at Champlain College.
Writing Style
In her writing, Minks enjoys playing with a contrasting tone and mixing wholesome stories with horror elements. For example, Minks described a novella she wrote last year that tells the story of a lady falling in love with a ghost. However, during the story, this same woman kills a man and hides the body.
“[I like] Mixing the sweet and the mundane with more fantastical, sometimes horror-esque stuff,” stated Minks.
Minks’s capstone work is a collection of short stories told by different people based in one location: The Cosmic Brew, an intergalactic tea shop. As described by Minks, this space-fantasy collection matches her style of works that are “fun and cute,” while also getting “more serious.”
Creative Process
Minks draws inspiration from a variety of sources like podcasts, music, and television. She highlights one television show above all others as one of her biggest places of inspiration: Gravity Falls. Minks cites this show as a major reason she chose to concentrate on screenwriting because of how the writers of the show balance tone throughout the series.
“[The show] Balances comedy and drama…I think that’s something I’m always striving for,” explained Minks.
Minks often listens to music when writing. She often has tone-specific playlists that match what she’s working on. However, Minks explained that her process changes depending on whether she is at home or college. In college, she explained, there are obstacles like classes and meetings that stop her from focusing on just writing.
“My ideal process when I’m home when there isn’t as much distraction is to just sit down and write,” she said. But in college, it’s kind of like writing when you can.”
Advice for New Writers
“I can’t in good faith be like ‘write every day’..,” stated Minks when asked about what advice to give to new writers. “Write when you can, and don’t agonize over what you’re writing when you’re writing it.”
Minks explained that the first drafts of any piece of writing are “meant to suck.” She believes you should worry about the details later.
“First drafts are going to be what they are, and you can always make them better,” expressed Minks.
