Creativity is important to author Sophie Green
Having recently published her new book The Frock Shop, Sophie Green is no stranger to being busy.
Working full-time as a publisher, running a country music blog, teaching yoga and volunteering with Bushcare are just a few of Sophie’s interests. She’s also on her way to finishing yet another book, which is due to be published early next year.
The Frock Shop is her eighth novel, set in Mosman where Sophie grew up and now lives again.
Sophie tends to write about collectives and community, including a book club, a swimming circle and now a frock shop. “It’s a combination of thinking, what are people doing out there in the community? What sort of groups are there? What works for an effective story and what sort of personalities turn up to that story?”
Sophie has always been a writer, penning two Home and Away novels as part of her day-job in publishing. It was around this time when she came up with the idea for her debut novel and top 10 bestseller, The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club, a story set on a cattle property in the Northern Territory, published in 2017.
“When you’re an editor, you spend a lot of time on text. And particularly if you work on non-fiction, you can end up being a little more interventionist.
You get some ideas about writing when you’re restructuring things,” Sophie says.
When asked if most of her writing is done in her free time, Sophie says she doesn’t have a lot of that. “I make time is how I say it,” she notes. “I catch the ferry from Mosman Bay to the city to work and I will write on the ferry. And I will write late at night, which is when I’m most alert.
“If the river of creativity is always flowing, then you can step into it and step out of it,” Sophie adds.
She also runs Sunburnt Country Music, a testament to her passion for the country music scene. The platform interviews country music artists and led to Sophie winning a Country Music Association of Australia Media Achiever Award in 2024.
“Country music is basically our national storytelling and song,” says Sophie.
Her country music blogging has been ‘really influential on the fiction writing because I’ve talked to so many songwriters about their practice.’ “Songwriters just have all these ideas. Their attitude is, well, I want to write a new song. Let’s go and look at my collection of ideas and see what I have,” Sophie says. “It’s this really interesting way of looking at creativity.”
Creativity and expression are important to Sophie. “I’m quite big on encouraging people to work out what the right mode of expression is for them,” she says. “I think everyone has a story. And what is the right mode of expression for your story?”
For some, expression may come from writing, sport, or playing an instrument. Linking to her book setting of a frock shop, Sophie believes that even ‘getting dressed every day can be fun and creative expression.’
Whatever that form of expression may be, Sophie advises that ‘if you feel free in yourself while you’re doing it, then that’s the best indicator that you’re on the right path.’ “It’s also just letting go of fixed ideas of what creative expression is, what it has to bring to you.”
