Guyana's Grace Hutson completes first collection of Stories

Guyana has a rich cultural history that can often veer on the supernatural. Largely however, it remains a vibrant part of oral tradition rather than literature. After learning more about supernatural history in Guyana, Grace decided to challenge herself to complete her first collection in the area. Loop recently caught up with her to learn more about her process. 

- What prompted your decision to do this collection? 

I have always been fascinated by Guyanese and Caribbean Folklore and felt that there isn’t much representation in novels and film. We have so many stories to be told and explored in a fictional way so I decided to take it upon myself to create Guyana’s first horror series “Black Watuh Tales”  

-Why the focus on the supernatural? 

This was a personal challenge for me to step out of my comfort zone. I usually write romance after being inspired by years of Danielle Steele, Jane Austen and Lisa Kleypas. Ironically, I am terrified of the supernatural because of fear of the unknown and a true respect for greater forces unseen. So tackling it was an important goal of mine to switch things up. It also made me more inclined to research more about Guyanese legends.  

- What were the major challenges you had when it came to finishing your first book? 

My major challenges were keeping my composure and mental sanity, finding the time to write and sourcing information.  

In regards to keeping my composure and mental sanity, since I have an intense fear of the supernatural I had to space out my stories to allow me time to recuperate. Due to my vivid imagination, telling the stories made me visualise the monsters and scenes in my mind which would sometimes keep me up at night. Sometimes it took months to get back to the story because I would feel traumatised.  

Finding the time to write was difficult. I had a writing buddy for a short time to keep me accountable but due to busy schedules and me being a full time student plus volunteer, it was challenging to balance it all. Every time I tried to commit to a schedule something would come up so it resulted in me missing a couple deadlines and prolonging the publishing process. 

Sourcing information was difficult because apart from mostly word of mouth and a few articles and textbooks, Guyana rarely has documentation of the richest part of our culture. The book is fictional yes but I wanted to use the opportunity to put accurate facts so people can learn. Many of the sources as well slightly deviated from each other so I had to use my judgement to decide which was more fitting.  

- What were the best parts about the writing journey for you? 

The best part of the journey was seeing how much I grew as a writer over the past years. Committing to a project like this means educating myself and building skills in certain areas. I had a beta reader Jarryl Bryan who used his unbiased experience to critique and correct along the way. I owe some of my greatest breakthroughs to him.  

Another memorable part was working with the illustrator Kristoff Wray to produce the cover. It was wonderful to see the exact depiction in my mind unfold visually and I am thoroughly satisfied. When the book is released it will feature more original illustrations that portray a Guyanese creole horrifying scenery. 

- Do your stories explore specific themes? 

The stories mostly follow Guyanese folklore, represented by various “Duppies” or “Jumbies” from our history. But every story is set in Guyana in various time periods. There are the themes of psychological horror, disaster, speculative horror and historical fiction.  

- What advice would you give to writers who are struggling to finish their pieces? 

I would advise writers to establish a realistic timeline. One of the mistakes I made was to rush my first published piece of literary work and realise halfway through that I was incredibly burnt out. That was when I decided to be more flexible.  

Another recommendation is to read and develop your skill first so that you will be more equipped to paint a picture using words. My beta reader taught me the effectiveness of plotting an alluring scene with layers and imagery which is a skill many spend years perfecting. While reading novels, you will have ideas on how to go about doing this.