Journal Entry #8: INTERVIEWS WITH ACTUAL PUBLISHED WRITERS

Basically, I got to interview via email two Actual Published Writers (Jo Knowles and Todd Strasser). Granted, my questions weren’t the best ever; but they still managed to give me valuable advice.

Mr Strasser’s answers (bolded):

1- What was the first work of yours that ever got published? (what was it about, what kind of work was it…) —  A short story called Clap Trap was published in a small literary journal.

2- Do you write in a very tight schedule (“I will write from 10 am to 11 am and I will write 4000 words”) or do you write whenever you get an idea? — Most days I get going in the morning. Take a break in the early afternoon and then see if I can write later as well. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. (The differences in response of my two interviewees for this question and question #6 show me that everybody has a different writing schedule, and I should try finding my own in order to actually get things done, and it doesn’t have to be the same as everybody else’s.)

3- In your opinion, what is the most important thing an aspiring fiction writer should know?  Writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. (I do agree. I did–and finished–NaNoWriMo this year, and it was a lot of work. The idea I had was only one part of it; I had to work at developing it.)

4- Why do you write about the subjects you write about? — They interest me.

5- (this one sort of ties in with 4) Why did you decide to write fiction? I wasn’t any good at anything else.

6- Do you edit your work as you write it, or do you write it all first and then edit it? Why? Constantly editing as I write. Just the way I do it, I guess.

7- What is your favourite piece of your own work and why? The one I’m working on. It’s a challenge. (Note: This is my favourite answer out of the ones he gave me. It inspires me to think of whatever’s my newest creation as my BEST creation yet.)

8- What is the main thing that every story should have in order to be captivating? — An engaging main character?

9- Who are your main influences when it comes to writing and why? — Writers who I consider really good.

10- What is a valuable piece of advice or something that happened to you when it comes to working with publishers? — Never forget that you’re just one of many hundreds, if not thousands, of writers. (This one is also very good.)

Ms Knowles’ interview (her responses bolded):

1- What was the first work of yours that ever got published? (what was it about, what kind of work was it…)

I published a short story called “Living Room Music” in my college literary magazine, SIDELINES. It was about my parents.

2- Do you write in a very tight schedule (“I will write from 10 am to 11 am and I will write 4000 words”) or do you write whenever you get an idea?

I write whenever I have time. My life is too crazy to have a schedule but I do try to write every day Monday-Friday. (See note at #2 in the previous interview.)

3- In your opinion, what is the most important thing an aspiring fiction writer should know?

You have your own unique voice and your own road to travel. It’s up to you to make the most of it. (This is a very inspiring response, and very true too.)

4- Why do you write about the subjects you write about?

They are important to me. (So basically, I shouldn’t write about something I don’t want to write about just because people might like it better.)

5- (this one sort of ties in with 4) Why did you decide to write fiction?

My favorite classes in college were always ones that involved writing. The more I wrote, the more I loved it.

6- Do you edit your work as you write it, or do you write it all first and then edit it? Why?

A little bit of both. I really just follow my heart, not rules.

7- What is your favourite piece of your own work and why?

I could never choose.

8- What is the main thing that every story should have in order to be captivating?

Heart. (A very abstract response, but to me it means I must write about subjects that are important to me, so I can write with passion.)

9- Who are your main influences when it comes to writing and why?

I’m currently a huge fan of Marcus Zusak. My son once described his work as making the ugly beautiful and I think that’s the perfect reason why.

10- What is a valuable piece of advice or something that happened to you when it comes to working with publishers?

Listen. (Probably the most valuable piece of advice anyone has given me on this topic.)

Journal Entry #2: Reflections and Timeline (and I also changed my goal)

I had a meeting with my supervisor for the project this past September 11. It has been brought to my attention that I did the first journal entry in a different way than it should have been done. Also, I have changed my goal after guidance from my supervisor. I will not try to write a whole novel; instead, I will try to write a short story.

Considering that the project will have to be in its final stage by December, it will be quite hard to write a novel, revise it a million times, and make it good. Plus, my supervisor raised an interesting point and I agree with him: writing the book isn’t going to take much research and it isn’t going to bring much to my life. Since I’m considering a future career in writing, it is better for me to learn how to do something I’ve never considered doing: publishing a story.

So, instead of writing a whole novel and then saying to myself “now what?”, I’m going to be writing a short story and trying to get it published, learning about the publishing industry and what they want in a story that is going to actually be read by people. I’m very excited for this.

I’m also excited by the fact my coordinator/supervisor seems excited about the project too. Many times, the supervisors don’t care or don’t even look at the student’s progress; they just give their students good grades on their projects and that’s it. Thankfully, that’s not the way my supervisor is acting towards this project.

My goal is now a lot more specific, challenging and a bigger learning opportunity. Now over the next one or two weeks, I need to outline my project and start researching about potential publishers. (Also, I need to define the topic/storyline for the story. That’s sort of urgent and I haven’t done it yet.)

This is the timeline I’ve created so far:

Date it’s meant to be done	What needs to be done
Sometime in the next two weeks, before the end of September	Research short story publishing, research short story writing, have a general idea of the topic/storyline
Middle of October	Define storyline, maybe create a first draft & have a list of possible publishing places. Also, maybe interview an actually published author
End of October	Have a first draft. After that, begin editing process
Middle of November	The editing process must be done by the end of the second week, start sending it to publishers
End of November/First two weeks of December	Reflect on process, wait for acceptance or rejection letters, brainstorm/organize the presentation
Third week of December	If the story is accepted by anyone, reflect on feedback received; if it is rejected, also reflect on the feedback received. What could I have done better and what will I do better next time? What did I do right?