Alicia J. Rouverol says writing has been her primary means of making sense of the world since she was eight, echoing Flannery O’Connor’s idea of writing to discover what one knows.
She argues that the line between fiction and non‑fiction is thin, noting anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff’s term “homo narrans” to describe humanity’s storytelling nature.
Rouverol dismisses the notion of a persistent writer’s block, describing brief lapses as natural “fallow time” in the creative process. To re‑enter the flow, she relies on chocolate, tea or coffee, and instrumental music on repeat, and she often makes pacts with her inner “writer devil.”
When asked about her preferred writing schedule, Rouverol recalls setting a “magic hour” at 2 p.m. before having children, then shifting to writing during her kids’ naps and any spare moments between teaching and research duties.
She credits tutor Geoff Ryman’s advice to let characters dictate their actions, and she emphasizes listening—to one’s muse, to dialogue, and to good reading—as essential to the craft.
Rouverol is motivated by a desire to counter false narratives and “faux news,” believing that independent thinking is under attack. She hopes her words can make a difference, a sentiment she ties to the recent publication of her novel “Granite Rock” by Bridge House.