Sarah Kirkham Chauncey
I call myself a ‘word whore,’ because I’ll write whatever pays the rent. In the past, this has ranged from ghostwriting for a supermodel and a major pop diva to writing a column about sex-related news – all three simultaneously. I’ve been an entertainment columnist twice and written dozens of celebrity profiles as well as how-to articles for music, audio and lighting trade magazines. I’ve also written both long- and short-form television – "rockumentaries," promos, interstitials and a single sitcom spec. I was a theatrical stage manager for several years, so I'm also a theatre geek. Currently I’m a part-time film critic for Hollywood Entertainment and
Reel.com, and I pick up freelance work wherever possible.
My passion is writing offbeat memoir, as you might have noticed from my
initial entry (#53). My primary project is a memoir about accompanying my 95-year-old father, known to some people as
"that SAT guy," on a senior citizens’ cruise through Southeast Asia and the Middle East when I was 33. I have a novel-in-progress about two motherless sisters that’s been on the back burner for a few years; it’s painful to write, and it’s the most literary work I’ve ever attempted. Two other full-length WIPs are both set behind the scenes in the worlds of music and television, respectively. I’m constantly torn between writing to my strengths and stretching beyond my comfort zone, so I do a little of each.
I write because it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do (aside from a brief aspiring-astronaut phase when I was three), and I’ve never doubted it’s what I’m meant to do.
I love different aspects of different authors’ work: Marilynne Robinson’s metaphors, Grace Paley’s dialogue, Kazuo Ishiguro’s language of class, Jamaica Kincaid’s use of language itself as a metaphor, Toni Morrison’s use of entire novels as metaphor, Ron Hansen’s sparseness of language (Specifically
Mariette in Ecstasy). My favourite classic author is Hemingway; my favourite contemporary journalist is Jon Krakauer. I often listen to singer-songwriters like Jann Arden, Bob Kemmis and David Wilcox, because I’m amazed by their ability to tell a full story in such a short time.
As for advice, I pinned a Post-it to one of three bulletin boards in my office; it says: “Go deep!” By that, I mean expose parts of yourself – myself – that are intimate and unique, because guaranteed, those are the things readers will relate to the most.
My next-step goal is to break into major-market magazines. Though my primary experience is in entertainment, I'm also particularly interested in mental health issues.
My long-term dream is to live on horse farm in the mountains (preferably a forest), near a large body of water, with a couple of dogs and cats and, if I find the right person, a partner. If not, a collective with a few close artist friends (and the occasional booty call) will do. I would love to be able to just write – books and essays – and be outdoors as much as possible.
My nickname, Firehorse, comes from Chinese astrology for the year I was born. Baby girls born in the year of the Fire Horse – every 60 years – were traditionally killed because they were considered too strong, too smart, too willful and therefore unmarriageable. Except for the unmarriageable part, I love that description.
I include my middle name not to be pretentious
, but because there are a couple of other writers (and a model, apparently!) with the same name.