Melanie Cheng, author of The Burrow, talks about what inspires her in her writing journey.
What are the things you cannot write without?
I am most productive in cafes where I can’t be distracted by household chores and so a hot drink, usually a coffee, is essential. It’s almost Pavlovian now—I can’t write without a mug of hot brew at hand. The other thing is reading. When I feel stuck, I go to my bookshelf and pick up a book by an author I admire—Garner or Strout or Cusk and I read a few paragraphs to reset my mind and get me excited about writing again. Exercise is important, and so I do yoga and take walks. I only started doing yoga during the Covid lockdowns as a way of de-stressing but I’ve kept it up and now I feel agitated if I haven’t done it for a while. As for walking, I find it to be another great way of getting unstuck. Rumi famously said: “As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears,” and I’ve found this to be true.
What is the most important thing this book showed you about yourself and your writing practice?
The inspiration for this book arrived after a long creative drought, during which I came to accept that I would never write another novel. And so, when the green shoots of an idea for The Burrow eventually sprouted, I was surprised and delighted. I no longer took creativity for granted. I wanted to make the most of it, take risks, write toward my greatest fears. The inspiration for The Burrow began with an urge to write about a pet rabbit—like the one my own family had taken in during lockdown—but my rational, non-creative, left brain kept questioning this urge. Thankfully, around that same time, I read Charlotte Wood’s The Luminous Solution in which she talks about artists writing towards a heat, basically trusting their instinct, and so I gave in to my impulse. And then once I began writing, it just felt right—there were so many layers, so many opportunities for symbolism. I saw how the rabbit both mirrored the anxieties of the Lee family and reflected the way they were learning to read each other’s behaviours and movements. The Burrow taught me to trust the process—that inspiration can take a long time to strike but when it does, it is important to be open and receptive to it.
Explore the latest from Stella
2025 Stella Prize Longlist: Reflections Inga Simpson, author of The Thinning, talks about her writing journey for this novel and how bringing together …
2025 Stella Prize Longlist: Reflections Dylin Hardcastle, author of A Language of Limbs, reflects on their inspirations for their writing process. What is the …
2025 Stella Prize Longlist: Reflections Michelle de Kretser, author of Theory & Practice, reflects on her writing routine. What are the things you …
Help change the story
As a not-for-profit organisation with ambitious goals, Stella relies on the generous support of donors to help fund our work.
Every donation is important to us and allows Stella to continue its role as the leading voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature.
Stella is a not-for-profit organisation with DGR status. All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible.