{"id":2451,"date":"2026-01-05T14:06:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/2026\/01\/jasmina-mihajlovic-being-a-writer\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T18:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:45:34","slug":"jasmina-mihajlovic-being-a-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/2026\/01\/jasmina-mihajlovic-being-a-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"Jasmina Mihajlovic: BEING A WRITER"},"content":{"rendered":"

When did you start writing \/ when did you become a writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Very late! Not before university. And my first works were scientific. I never wrote poetry or prose in my youth. I loved reading, that was all. I wanted to be near literature in any capacity available to me. <\/p>\n

I did not publish my first piece of fiction until I was forty! Before that, I had published exclusively works of history and literary science. My first book was essentially theoretical. <\/p>\n

Of course, those who study literature scientifically are also writers. Although, they are more commonly referred to as theoreticians, historians or scholars. <\/p>\n

\u0414\u0430 \u043b\u0438 \u0441\u0435 \u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u0446 \u0440\u0430\u0452\u0430 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0458\u0435? \u0414\u0430 \u043b\u0438 \u0458\u0435 \u043a\u0459\u0443\u0447 \u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043b\u0430\u0448\u0442\u0432\u0430 \u0442\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0442 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u0458\u0430 \u0441\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0436\u0435 \u043d\u0430\u0443\u0447\u0438\u0442\u0438? <\/strong><\/p>\n

I do not have a definitive answer to that! I am inclined to believe that a writer is born, but that is only the starting point, to be followed by a long period of honing one\u2019s skill, perfecting one\u2019s craft, practicing, making tremendous efforts and acquiring experience. I never took part in a creative writing workshop, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re taught there. I suspect it might be interesting. It might be the way to learn many shortcuts to things I had to discover the hard way. I don\u2019t know! <\/p>\n

Writing is, actually, gruelling manual labour! Very few people are aware of that. The level of exhaustion and tiredness are absolutely comparable to digging, a difficult sport, weightlifting\u2026 Your muscles and bones ache, your immunity drops, it is a spasm that causes bodily reactions, rather than just mental exhaustion. <\/p>\n

Favourite time to write? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Usually in the evening, or early at night. It makes sense. For me, at least. I can find peace then. <\/p>\n

Although, writers create at different times of the day or night. It is very individual. <\/p>\n

How do you write \u2014 do you have any rituals or routines while writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I have them. Mostly they are about concentration. Above all, the environment in which I work must be tidy and clean. I cannot stand chaos. Nowadays, computers go a long way towards ensuring your table is not cluttered with piles of books you use, bits and pieces of paper, notebooks, map\u2026 I like to keep it almost sterile. Just the screen and I. <\/p>\n

I also have one ibis bird from Egypt. It resembles a golden egg, with its beak sticking out like a sharpened pen. It is the symbol of scribes and writers. The god of wisdom, knowledge, the moon. Sometimes, I would hold that golden \u201cegg\u201d in my hand. <\/p>\n

How do you explain the need to write? Why do you write? What role does writing play in your life? <\/strong><\/p>\n

For the most part, it is a discovery of the world and of oneself. You explain and clarify something to yourself as you write. Also, writing is an enormous pleasure, almost libidinous. It has the energy of love, infatuation, it feels a lot like that\u2026 Writing also gives you tremendous power. It is multifaceted\u2026 Oceans of ink have been used to try and explain the urge to create, but to no avail. A God particle, maybe\u2026 It is something that is much greater than you, but for a while you can hold it inside your tiny self. <\/p>\n

How do you arrive at your themes and characters? <\/strong><\/p>\n

They are everywhere, literally. In my case, since my prose is more or less autobiographical\/biographical, it did not take must effort from my part. The themes somehow seem to fall from the sky, as if they were searching for you, and all you need to do is to recognise and accept them. It is all rather diffusive. <\/p>\n

Which of your books do you love the most? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTravel Album.\u201d, Dereta, 2004.<\/p>\n

Which work took you the longest to write?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s flip things around: I finished my novel A Parisian Kiss in about a month and a half. Of tireless, incessant work. It is an incomprehensibly short time for writing a novel. <\/p>\n

And then I came down with a serious illness. A very serious one! <\/p>\n

Do you have any unfinished works? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, there are some. They deal with dreams and with everything about dreams. Mine and other people\u2019s. I have been struggling for years to shape this cacophony into an interesting piece of writing that works as literature. Unfortunately, it all just doesn\u2019t seem to blend. <\/p>\n

What does it mean to you \u2014 in one sentence \u2014 TO BE A WRITER?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be privileged. To be content. Fulfilled. To be grateful for the gift of creating worlds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When did you start writing \/ when did you become a writer? Very late! Not before university. And my first works were scientific. I never wrote poetry or prose in my youth. I loved reading, that was all. I wanted to be near literature in any capacity available to me. I did not publish my first piece of fiction until I was forty! Before that, I had published exclusively works of history and literary science. My first book was essentially theoretical. Of course, those who study literature scientifically are also writers. Although, they are more commonly referred to as theoreticians, historians or scholars. \u0414\u0430 \u043b\u0438 \u0441\u0435 \u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u0446 \u0440\u0430\u0452\u0430 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0458\u0435? \u0414\u0430 \u043b\u0438 \u0458\u0435 \u043a\u0459\u0443\u0447 \u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0430\u043b\u0430\u0448\u0442\u0432\u0430 \u0442\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0430\u0442 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u0458\u0430 \u0441\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0436\u0435 \u043d\u0430\u0443\u0447\u0438\u0442\u0438? I do not have a definitive answer to that! I am inclined to believe that a writer is born, but that is only the starting point, to be followed by a long period of honing one\u2019s skill, perfecting one\u2019s craft, practicing, making tremendous efforts and acquiring experience. I never took part in a creative writing workshop, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re taught there. I suspect it might be interesting. It might be the way to learn many shortcuts to things I had to discover the hard way. I don\u2019t know! Writing is, actually, gruelling manual labour! Very few people are aware of that. The level of exhaustion and tiredness are absolutely comparable to digging, a difficult sport, weightlifting\u2026 Your muscles and bones ache, your immunity drops, it is a spasm that causes bodily reactions, rather than just mental exhaustion. Favourite time to write? Usually in the evening, or early at night. It makes sense. For me, at least. I can find peace then. Although, writers create at different times of the day or night. It is very individual. How do you write \u2014 do you have any rituals or routines while writing? Yes, I have them. Mostly they are about concentration. Above all, the environment in which I work must be tidy and clean. I cannot stand chaos. Nowadays, computers go a long way towards ensuring your table is not cluttered with piles of books you use, bits and pieces of paper, notebooks, map\u2026 I like to keep it almost sterile. Just the screen and I. I also have one ibis bird from Egypt. It resembles a golden egg, with its beak sticking out like a sharpened pen. It is the symbol of scribes and writers. The god of wisdom, knowledge, the moon. Sometimes, I would hold that golden \u201cegg\u201d in my hand. How do you explain the need to write? Why do you write? What role does writing play in your life? For the most part, it is a discovery of the world and of oneself. You explain and clarify something to yourself as you write. Also, writing is an enormous pleasure, almost libidinous. It has the energy of love, infatuation, it feels a lot like that\u2026 Writing also gives you tremendous power. It is multifaceted\u2026 Oceans of ink have been used to try and explain the urge to create, but to no avail. A God particle, maybe\u2026 It is something that is much greater than you, but for a while you can hold it inside your tiny self. How do you arrive at your themes and characters? They are everywhere, literally. In my case, since my prose is more or less autobiographical\/biographical, it did not take must effort from my part. The themes somehow seem to fall from the sky, as if they were searching for you, and all you need to do is to recognise and accept them. It is all rather diffusive. Which of your books do you love the most? \u201cTravel Album.\u201d, Dereta, 2004. Which work took you the longest to write? Let\u2019s flip things around: I finished my novel A Parisian Kiss in about a month and a half. Of tireless, incessant work. It is an incomprehensibly short time for writing a novel. And then I came down with a serious illness. A very serious one! Do you have any unfinished works? Yes, there are some. They deal with dreams and with everything about dreams. Mine and other people\u2019s. I have been struggling for years to shape this cacophony into an interesting piece of writing that works as literature. Unfortunately, it all just doesn\u2019t seem to blend. What does it mean to you \u2014 in one sentence \u2014 TO BE A WRITER? To be privileged. To be content. Fulfilled. To be grateful for the gift of creating worlds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autopoetics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2625,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451\/revisions\/2625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasminamihajlovic.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}