VOL.69/2024.04

Korean Authors

 

Writer Kim Soo-hyun

 

2021.09.06

 

 

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

 

Hello, I am Kim Soo-hyun the author of I Decided to Live as Me (Woods of Mind’s Books) and Comfortably Without Trying Too Hard (Dasan Books).

 

Why did you choose the profession of writer?

 

In my case, I had a strong feeling that I had to ‘live like other people’ for some unknown reason. I tried very hard to adhere to this belief but it didn’t really work out, so I started thinking ‘if this is how its going to be’ it would be better to spend my energy on things I really want to do and put my effort into such things.’ So I quit my job and started writing about what I really wanted to talk about with some seriousness - and this became the book you know as I Decided to Live as Me.

 

What kind of person do you think writers are?

 

Writers are ‘Process is mentee’, ‘Result is mentor’ is what I think. Many people might feel like writers are mentors but when it comes to the process of writing a book writers become mentees since they need to learn a lot. So I think a writer is someone who learns a lot conveys ideas in his or her own way, and grows up during the process, rather than ‘someone who provides others with lessons.’

 

Where do you find your inspiration when you write?

 

When I wrote I Decided to Live as Me, I was filled with a sense of defeat as I had just stepped into society as a beginner. I did contemplate my self-image, but then I came to think, “Huh? Why is this like this? Where does it come from?” And these questions led to the writing of I Decided to Live as Me. Regardless, the most significant inspirations are those that are happening in my life. Like the saying, “the most personal is the most universal”. It isn’t about myself, but many others face the same problems and it is the process of living.

 

 

What is the charm about essay as a genre?

 

I feel like no other genre talks about one’s heart in the same way that an essay does. It is the genre in which writers can talk about the most direct and most personal stories. I think that is the charm of the essay.

 

Do you have a good way of managing your mind?

 

I think the mind is like the grass in your front yard. But these lawns are not necessarily kept tidy all the time. Weeds grow continuously. Tending to this grass means that you have to pluck these weeds out continuously. In this way, people’s minds do not exist with a perfect self-esteem, or high self-esteem. However, a good way to manage your mind is to pluck out emotions such as negative thoughts, anxiety, and those you feel when you are hurt or feel defeated. That is what I would like to suggest.

 

What kind of writer do you aspire to be?

 

I think I am simply a ‘creator.’ Someone who creates. Not limited to essays. I think the genre of a piece of content matters not so long as I can create something to convey a certain message. So I would like to live as a creator rather than being limited to the title of essay writer.

 

 

 

* The interview and video were produced as a part of the K-Book Online Marketing Support Project of the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA).

 

 

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