Aspiring Voices is delighted to welcome Krista Quintana to the interview chair this week. I asked Krista about finding theme in her writing, dreams as story fodder, and the special role of color to her life and work.
Paul: So I noticed that color seems to play a big role in your site and in the way you organize information; even referring to your in-progress novels by a color coding. Has a colorful aesthetic always been something you’re drawn to or is this a newer development? Do you use color as a theme or motif within your writing or is it more of a trait external to the writing itself?
Krista: I think color has always been very integral in my life. When I was younger (less so now), I classified memories and people by color. And important memories are still to me, red, black, whatever emotions it evokes. With people, as I got to know them, I began to think of them as a specific color. It never really had any meaning, it just was what they ‘were.’ My mom used to be able to see people’s aura’s, and my dad had perfect pitch, assigning each note with a different color. So I think I was really destined to think in colors.
I have used color quite often in writing, often without realizing it. Probably the first novel that I wrote, I had a whole society separated in classes by what color they wore. When I edit, I have to use a lot of colors, and I’ve color coded my editing as well. Using a specific type of blue to focus on to be verbs, or a green to focus on dialogue. By the end, my page is colored and crazy, but it makes sense to me.
