Fleur Dijkman in the Spotlight

Fleur Dijkman, whose story ‘The Middle of the Loch’ is published in the third issue of Lucent Dreaming, is an Anglo-Dutch author. She was raised in Hampshire in the south of England and studied English Language and Culture in the Netherlands. Whilst in the Netherlands, she co-founded the English Academy for Newcomers where she taught English. She currently lives in Scotland where she is studying Creative Writing at the University of St Andrews. She is inspired by Scottish nature. She has not met any talking ducks yet.

What inspired your piece, ‘The Middle of the Loch’ and how did it find its way to Lucent Dreaming?

Recently, I moved to Scotland and straightaway I was inspired by the local nature. Before moving, my friends told me Scotland was nothing more than a bunch of cold puddles and breathlessness-inducing hills. But there’s so much more to the area than they had imagined! The meeting on Duck Island *may* also have been inspired by a meeting I attended a while ago.

What does creating art mean to you?

Creating art is about having an outlet for all the ideas bubbling around in my head. Hopefully it creates something that others enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing.

What writing/creative projects are you currently working on?

I’m working on a novel that’s about politics in modern Britain. It’s an ambitious project because the story is split into four different sections, each written in a different genre and following a different character. Now, I’m writing about a politician investigating a national conspiracy, in the tradition of detective noir. Because, why not?

What are you most excited about right now and for the future?

I’m doing my Master’s in Creative Writing and I’m excited about completing it and heading out in the big wide world.

How and where do you find inspiration to do your craft?

I’m inspired by the nature around me. I’ve lived in different areas from urban to rural and I always notice differences and overlap between them. Also, I get lots of ideas from newspaper headlines which evoke “what if” scenarios – what if the general public had more of a say in national politics; what if all phones stopped working; what if we ran out of plastic?

What advice would you give those who want to do what you do?

Author Marissa Meyer once said in an interview “Don’t write what you know, write what you want to know about.” This is a quote I copied out onto a post-it and stuck to my pinboard to look at whenever I start a new project. For me, it means that you actively seek knowledge rather than passively relying on what you know. It means you branch out into directions you never thought you would go.

Where can people see more of you and your work?

I’m working on various projects such as novels and short stories, and hope to publish in the future, so watch this space!

Lucent Dreaming is an independent creative writing magazine publishing beautiful, imaginative and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from emerging authors and artists worldwide. Our aim is to encourage creativity and to help writers reach publication! Subscribe to Lucent Dreaming now, support us on Patreon and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.