Lab, Week 14

Advice to Writers: Interviews

(Image Information: Rick Riordan, Wikipedia
Rick is one of my favorite authors of all time)

For this lab, I chose to read three interviews with different writers off of the advice to writers website. I love getting advice from other writers. I find it very encouraging. 

The first interview I read was of Mitchel Zuckoff a professor of journalism and author of two books. My favorite piece of advice from him was "Write Scared. That is, push yourself beyond what you think is possible or safe, to the outer limits of your research and your ability, to the point where it feels exciting and a little scary. When it works, it’s exhilarating for you and for the reader. "

Next I read the interview of Lori Gottlieb, a journalist for The Atlantic. She is also a pyschotherapist. My favorite part of this interview is when she talks about writer's block. "I was like the gambler who kisses her spouse goodbye in the morning and then goes to the casino instead of the office. My casino was Facebook. Eventually, I mustered the courage to tell my editor I couldn't write this book, cancelled my contract, and began writing the book I should have been writing all along--this new one. A lot of people say that if something isn't working, you have to write through it, and while I know that can be true, sometimes it can also mean that you aren't working on the right story."

The final interview I read was that of Rachel Aukes, who is best known for her Deadland Saga. In this interview, the beginning was my favorite part. This is the part where Rachel talks about how she started writing. "I wrote stories as a kid and even won a contest, but then life got in the way. I went to college and earned a degree in computers so I could make a living. It wasn't until I was in my late thirties and miserable at my job that I considered doing some I wanted to do for a living rather than do for the money. It was during that time of introspection that I read one of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books (titled Dream Chaser, ironically) that struck a chord. It had a storyline similar to a story I had, and I thought, "Why the hell not?" I started writing my first novel that day. That was eight years ago. Last year, I quit the day job to write full time. For the first time in my love, I absolutely love my job. "
I love reading about how successful writers started off because it gives me hope for my future. I found this lab very inspirational and fun to do.