Be Brave and Experiment On

 .


 Bonnie's year end round up was a terrific way to draw our 2013 Carpe Annum to a close. So much wisdom and brain power in the same writing space! If you’re like me, one piece of advice stood out and made you say Oh, yes! Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of it and/or why had I forgotten it?  

While all of our interviews shared amazing insights, this statement by Julie Cantrell caused me to palm-smack myself in the forehead: 
 “I’m begging you… write as if no one will ever read it. That’s the only way you’ll find your true, original voice and feel free enough to reach the level of honesty readers really crave.”  
This is a powerful statement with many possible implications. I’ve been here before, and I’ll bet you have, too. 

How would I know whether or not I write in my true, original voice? 

If I don’t have it, how can I be sure when I find it?

How free do I want to be? Am I willing to go to that level of honesty?

What if no one likes the one and only original me?

Some of these are legitimate concerns and some are just plain whining with old-fashioned avoidance mixed in.  Ahem.
  We all want to be the best writers we can be, so we gird our loins and wade into the fray. To start the process, we could read aloud a passage from one of our manuscripts, shutting out the voices criticizing our words and refusing to wrestle with the real or imagined expectations of friends and family. This is not easily done.  We could write this one short passage over several times, allowing ourselves to be more fearless with each attempt. After all, we've promised ourselves that no one will ever read it. We can afford to write with abandon in private.  Repeat after me: "I have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

If we find our true, original voices, will we have the courage to use them? We writers are sensitive creatures. Will we expose ourselves to criticism if our true voices aren’t what others expect?  Or will we find that readers click with our honesty and devour our stories?  

Think of the most honest, original voice you’ve enjoyed reading. Was it safe? Was it like all the others? I’ll bet it kept you engaged and made you crave the next book.  Wouldn’t it be great if readers said that about our stories? The possibility makes it worth taking chances on ourselves.

Do you have the courage to find your true, original voice? We’d love to hear about your progress. Be brave and experiment on.
 

The Carpe Annum Interviews: Arthur Slade

Welcome to another Carpe Annum interview. Each year, Novel Matters handpicks authors who's work has intrigued, astonished, and inspired us to highlight on our blog. We're happy to have Arthur Slade with us today, the mulit-award winning Canadian author, and author of one of our favourite YA novels, Dust.

Arthur Slade was raised on a ranch in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan. He is the author of seventeen novels for young readers including The Hunchback Assignments, which won the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and Dust, winner of the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature. He lives in Saskatoon, Canada. Visit him online at www.arthurslade.com

Novel Matters: Art, you write YA fantasy novels that are read by all age groups. What made you chose YA?

Arthur Slade: Fate. Well, not so much fate but a reading service provided by the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. I sent one of my early books to the Guild to be “commented on by a professional writer” and that writer said, “This is a great book for young adults.” Alas, I thought I’d written a book for adults. So I was offended! I’d put my grown up words and thoughts into that book. But once I reread the edit letter several times, it dawned on me that it was a compliment (and the letter was basically saying that I was writing work that should be published…who doesn’t want to hear that?) 

NM: That’s the power of taking feedback and letting it inform your writing. How did you snowball that writer’s comments into your own sensibilities as a writer? 

AS: I tend to writer shorter books and don’t dwell on too much description so I realized that my style of writing was suited for the storytelling drive of fiction for younger audiences.

NM:  Tell us about your backlist.

AS: I have seventeen novels so it might be lengthy to do a dissertation on all of them. They do all appear on my website.  The first book, Draugr, came out in 1997 and is a lovely little horror book about an Icelandic man who comes back from the dead (becomes a draugr, that is). It’s the first in a series. I have several stand-alone novels, including Dust (2001) which is a happy little story about a mesmerist rainmaker who takes control of a small town during a drought. Then there’s The Hunchback Assignments series (2009) which is all about a young hunchback who has the ability to change his shape and becomes an agent for the Victorian British Empire.  That’s a few of the books, anyway.

NM: Some authors write one book a year and others write a handful over a lifetime. In the beginning, did you consciously choose to be a writer of multiple, multiple books?

AS: It’s more just the way it turned out. My first novel to be published, Draugr, was written in three months. 

NM: Gah? Three months?

AS: Yep, that’s all.

NM: I was just beginning to like you, Art.

AS: I thought I’d write three books a year with time off. But it turns out I was just lucky. Every novel since then has taken at least a year to write on average.

NM: What’s the take-away for that lesson, for all the writers and fans out there in blog-land reading this?

AS: Don’t expect it all to happen overnight. Long ago, a fellow writer said it’d take about ten years to get published. She was wrong. It took me twelve. 

NM: Twelve years. I’m starting to like you again. Does it make me a bad person to enjoy knowing other writers struggled too? Rhetorical question. The answer is: no, it does not. Tell us about those twelve years of in-between time. 

AS: In that time I wrote six unpublished novels.

NM: Ouch.

AS: Uhhh…they were good practice. And I had submitted those books to every publisher imaginable. I had hundreds of rejection letters (in fact I used to write letters to my friends on the back of my rejection letters…just so my friends could have rejection letters of their own).

NM: What kept you going?

AS: There were times when I came close to being published, and that was encouraging, but it wasn’t until my 7^th novel that I was published.

NM: And we're grateful you persevered. My twelve year old son is currently reading Dust, and he's loving it, and asking for more books by Arthur Slade. Tell us about your newest novel.

AS: My latest novel is The Island of Doom (2012) . It’s the final book in The Hunchback Assignments series, and it’s about how Modo and his fellow agents take on the evil Clockwork guild at their island stronghold. The novel features a Frankenstein monster and I must say I had great fun re-reading the original novel and watching the movies. Well, not all of them. Just the good ones.

NM: Just the good ones. Everyone is a critic. That phrase is more true today than ever with the surge in popularity of sites like Amazon and Goodreads where readers offer reviews. How do you cope with the volumes of feedback on your work? Can you separate yourself from opinions to give your creative self freedom to write and keep writing? 

AS: I rarely get too upset by a bad review. Everyone comes to a book with a different viewpoint and those viewpoints might clash. I certainly haven’t enjoyed every book that I’ve read. 

NM: That sounds like the voice of experience.

AS: I was more concerned about reviews at the start of my career and would take them more personally. But now, with the advent of Amazon and Goodreads, I actually get a kick out of the bad reviews. Sometimes they can be quite creative (my favourite had a line that went something like “I had to drink a Coke while I was reading Dust in order to stay awake”). The only time I am frustrated by reviews is when they say something that is truly false about the book. Oh, plus my mom always says the books are good.

NM: Huh? Oh, sorry. I was drinking a Coke while you answered that last question. Okay. Seventeen published novels. Here’s the burning question: outline vs. no outline. Plan it out, or go with the gut and let epiphany take over your writing?

AS: Who is this Epiphany person?

NM: A rare and deeply cool person who only visits writers when they are asleep.

AS: I rarely do a detailed outline. I have a few notes and a general idea of the first scene and perhaps a few sketches of other scenes. Then I just jump in the car and drive. Not a real car, I mean a “prose” car. It really is a journey of discovery and epiphanies for me. It makes the process more interesting…but can lead to a lot of rewriting.

NM: It seems like Epiphany visits you when you’re awake. Lucky guy. So, besides our friend Epiphany, what’s the one thing (be it a technology, a notebook, a wristwatch, or pen) that you can't be without as a writer?

AS: Scrivener. The writing program that I use. Hands down it is the best for writing prose and comic books. I know you asked for one thing…but I also can’t imagine writing without my treadmill desk. It sounds like the oddest thing in the world…but it keeps we awake, alert and active enough to eat several Turtles a day.

NM: Speaking of things you can’t do without, who, besides the obvious agent and editor, do you turn to for advice when things are rocky on your writing journey?

AS: My wife, Brenda Baker, is a fellow writer and very good at pointing out the faults (in my novels) in a gentle way.

NM: It seems more and more people are stretching their writer wings, and want to learn the craft of fiction writing, and navigate the world of publishing. What advice do you give to writers who are looking to seize the year and take control of their writing career?

AS: It’s such a cliché, but write every day and always look for ways to improve your craft. Writing is like working out for a Triathlon. I’ve never done one, but they look hard and you have to train hard. Writing is the same. It takes training. And tea breaks.

NM: Triathlon with tea breaks. Gottcha. Art, what are you working on now, and when will it be in reader’s hot little hands?

AS: A novel titled Flickers that is set in Hollywood in the 1920’s and is about the change between silent to sound films. Except in my book the first sound film is a horror film with a scream in it that summons a dark creature from another dimension…another happy story. It should be out by 2015.

NM: Happily, you have a long backlist we can read and reread while we wait for the new one. The theme this year on Novel Matters is Carpe Annum: Seize the Year! Tell us about a turning-point time in your journey as a writer when you took hold of your career. What did that look like? How did that moment change your trajectory as a writer?

AS: Honestly it would be back in 2001 when my novel Dust won the Governor General’s Award. That part was out of my control, but I did “seize” control by putting my very best book out there into the world. The award did help the general public learn that I actually existed (which is always nice as a writer) and led to a long list of invites to travel across the country and sales that paid the rent. And from there I just try to keep making each book a little better than the last one. I try not to repeat myself in my writing, so I’m always looking for a new storyline or way of writing a story that will be interesting to the reader (and to me).

NM: Art, thank you for dropping by today, for sharing a part of your writing journey with us. Lots of encouragement and wisdom, and good books to read. We so appreciate you, your work, and your story.

The Carpe Annum Interviews: Lesley Livingston

We usually have a bio at the top of the interview when we host a writer on Novel Matters. We, of course, have all the info on Lesley and her works, but the really important stuff is in this video:



Lesley is a writer and actor living in Toronto, Canada. Captivated at a young age by stories of mythology and folk lore, past civilizations, and legendary heroes, she developed into a full-fledged

Celtic Mythology Geek, steeped in stories of the Otherworld, Faeries and King Arthur. Lesley went on to earn a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Toronto specializing in Shakespeare and Arthurian literature.

For almost three years, Lesley hosted weekly late-night movie marathons on the nationally broadcast television show, SPACEBAR, as the Waitron-9000, a sparkly holographic waitress with an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure B-movie trivia. She is also a founding member and principal performer with Tempest Theatre Group.

Lesley is an unrepentant egghead – a character-trait that somehow doesn’t interfere with a love of shoes and shiny things. She is the author of the Wonderous Strange Trilogy, Starling Trilogy, and Once Every Never Trilogy, as well as the newly released, How to Curse in Hieroglyphics. 

(Full disclosure: Lesley Livingston and Bonnie Grove went to high school together. They met in 10th grade, hated each other, then, one day when the drama teacher never showed up, they began quoting lines from the movie Airplane to each other and were inseparable after that.)

Novel Matters: Lesley, you write YA fantasy novels that are read by all age groups. What do you love about YA?

Lesley Livingston: I love writing YA. I love the readership (which is both young and young-at-heart) and I love the stories I get to tell. There is a freshness and a vibrancy to the YA perspective that I find energizing.

NM: How so?

LL: It’s a literature of “firsts”. First kiss, first love, first heartbreak, first lie… and while it does require a bit more of a hectic writing pace (if you’re writing a teen trilogy, you can’t really take years between books), that’s part of the fun of it.

NM: It was the right choice for you as a writer?

LL: I get to plunge into these stories and stay in them for an extended period of time. I like hanging out with my characters. So, yes. I guess you could say I’m happy with my choice. (Occasional whining about crazy deadlines, notwithstanding. Heh.)

NM: I usually whine about my office smelling like gym socks. It’s a weird sort of treadmill of success, isn’t it? It’s a great life, the writer’s life. And you’ve been writing your butt off for a long time now. You have an impressive back list.  

LL: Here’s the link to my Goodreads page, which has all of my books/series listed and links to synopses and buy buttons, etc.

NM: What are you working on now, and when will it be in reader’s hot little hands?

LL: I just launched my very first co-written project, which is also my very first Middle Grade project. It’s called HOW TO CURSE IN HIEROGLYPHICS and I wrote it with Jonathan, with illustrations by Steven Burley. It was a ton of fun and it’s available now!

I’m also neck deep in revisions for the third book in my Never series, EVERY NEVER AFTER, which will be out in April, 2014, and I just finished writing the third book in my Starling series.

NM: How To Curse in Hieroglyphics may be a departure from YA, but it’s written in your distinctive style. Recently, I was rifling through a box of old stuff looking for who knows what, and I came across a handful of papers—notes you and I wrote each other in high school when we were supposed to be paying attention—I had a laugh, then was struck by how clear and honest your voice comes across, not just in the hilarious high school notes, but in your novels. Reading Wondrous Strange, there were times I could hear your voice in my head. Does it come naturally? Was it a product of letting go and trusting yourself?

LL: Ah, good times… good times… that was mostly math class, wasn’t it?

NM: Er, certainly we only wrote notes to each other on lunch break and after school. Not during math class, which we never, ever skipped. Ahem. Back to your remarkable writing voice.

LL: Voice, to me is everything. (And thanks for saying that!) I’m not even sure I can separate it out as a distinct function of how I write but I do think a lot of it is facilitated by the fact that I was an actor for so long and that developed my ear for things like dialogue and pacing and flow. Usually now I just know when the voice of the story (and every story has a different one) sounds right. And it doesn’t always. Not right away. But I can sense when it’s wonky and that usually comes from trying too hard. When I can hear myself over the characters, that’s when I go back into the prose with a garden rake. And sometimes a blow-torch.

NM: Speaking of blow-torches, let’s talk the public life of a writer. One day you’re an Amazon 5-star, the next you’re on your way to the bargain table. Always, every day, however, you’re an artist. The story must be written. How do you—do you?—separate yourself from opinions to give your creative self for another day of writing?

LL: I was an actor for years before I was a writer. I’m so very used to criticism (good and bad) and rejection (yay auditions! Bleh.) that it all pretty much just rolls off my back by now. It’s not always easy and sometimes I read a review and mutter unkind things but the truth is, if you’re going to believe the good reviews, you’ve got to believe the bad ones, too. It’s just what you said—opinions. Once the book is out there, it’s no longer just yours. And everyone who reads it has the absolute right to there opinion of it. (No matter how wrong they are!! Ha!)

           

NM: It's amazing how wrong they can be! So, if a writer decides to read reviews of her work, a thick skin is required. Let me ask you, if tomorrow were the first day of your career, what advice would you give yourself?

LL: Go to bed early for once, will ya?

NM: Still working on that one, eh? You've done well to stay awake through this so far. Fingers crossed. Let’s touch on the Great Writer’s Debate: Outline vs. No outline (planners vs. pansters). Which do you go with your gut? Or hammer out the novel before writing it?

LL: I used to gut it. Now that I’m at the point where I’m pitching projects that aren’t written yet, I’ve learned the value of the synopsis because I’ve had to. Which is not to say that there is no longer epiphany. I surprise myself constantly. In the outlining stages, the writing stages, the revising stages… 

NM: What's the one thing (be it a technology, a notebook, a wristwatch, or pen) that you can't be without as a writer?

LL: My Mac AIR. It goes with me everywhere.

NM: Who, besides the obvious agent and editor, do you turn to for advice when things are rocky on your writing journey?

LL: That would be my guy, Jonathan Llyr. He’s been my creative partner for years—ever since he was directing me in plays—and he has an ability to look at large-picture issues with story and helps me figure out how to untangle all the plot knots I write myself into. He’s encouraging and helpful and, at the same time, never lets me feel sorry for myself when things get tough or my brain gets scrambley.

NM: For the record, Jon also does The. Best. William Shatner impression on earth. Just saying. Okay, you’ve traveled a ways down the writer’s road. What advice do you give to writers who are looking to seize the year and take control of their writing career?

LL: Do it. That’s the whole thing with carpe-ing. The act of seizing is a willful act. You pretty much just have to do it. Write. You can’t edit a blank page. You can’t revise an empty screen. The lion’s share of writing is re-writing. Get the words down. Then put them in the right order. For me, it comes down to writing every day. As much or as little as I can, but every day. If I’m away from the story for a day, it takes me twice as long to get my head back into the game.

           

NM: Love that. “You can’t edit a blank page” is my new mantra. The theme this year on Novel Matters is Carpe Annum: Seize the Year! Tell us about a turning-point time in your journey as a writer when you took hold of your career. What did that look like? How did that moment change you as a writer?

LL: It was the moment when I was maundering on about not getting an agent for the book I had written and had spent the better part of a year querying. Jonathan, having heard this same refrain from me for, er, awhile at that point turned to me and said, “Write another book.” I, taken aback, sputtered something about “What?! I am!” He said “No you’re not. You’re whining about not getting an agent for this book. Didn’t you tell me that writers write? You’re not doing that.” I sputtered some more. Then I thought about it. And he was right. I had gotten so caught up in the business of trying to get published that I’d forgotten that core truth of the writer’s life. Writers write. So I did. I wrote another book. It got me an agent. The book after that got me a publisher. Writers write.

Lesley, thank you for hanging out with us today. It was fun, and inspiring. We’re grateful for your insight and we’re cheering you on!

The Carpe Annum Interviews: Julie Cantrell

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Cantrell has served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and is a recipient of the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship. She is the author of two children’s books as well as Into the Free, which received Christy Awards for Best Debut Novel and Book of the Year 2013 as well as the Mississippi Library Association’s Fiction Award. Cantrell and her family live in Mississippi where they operate Valley House Farm. Her second novel, When Mountains Move, released September 2013.

Novel Matters: Julie, you wrote the bestselling novel Into the Free, now you’ve followed it up with a sequel that I’m certain everyone is dying to get their hands on. What made you decide to revisit the characters from Into the Free?

Julie Cantrell: When I wrote Into the Free, the original ending was more complete. During the edits, we trimmed a lot of the conclusion and left the story in a place that might be able to support a sequel. I always wanted to tell more of Millie’s story. I was grateful David C. Cook did give me an entire second book to explore the next phase of Millie’s life, and I hope readers will enjoy seeing what happens next as she tries to deal with her broken past.

NM: Some authors write one book a year and others write a handful over a lifetime. In the beginning, did you consciously choose one of these paths over the other, and are you happy with that choice today? 

JC: I first signed to publish two books in two years, which has now been done. Then I signed to publish two more. The pace proved to be a little too brisk for me with my hectic life, and I’ve asked for more time for the third one. I hope I can somehow find the balance between publishing consistently and taking the time needed to brew a good story.

NM: Tell us about your newest novel. (Please include a short synopsis, one link where people can purchase the book, and the date of release. Also, include one personal anecdote about the writing of the book.)  

  

JC: The sequel to INTO THE FREE was released Sept. 1. It’s called WHEN MOUNTAINS

MOVE and so far, readers are responding with an overwhelmingly positive reaction. It was a little intimidating to try to offer readers a sequel that would connect with them as deeply as Into the Free. I’m relieved to hear many readers say they like the second book even better than the first.

Here’s the scoop:

It is the spring of 1943. With a wedding and a cross-country move, Millie’s world is about to change forever.If only her past could change with it.

Soon after the break of day, Bump will become Millie’s husband. And then, if all goes as planned, they will leave the rain-soaked fields of Mississippi and head for the wilds of the Colorado Rockies. As Millie tries to forget a dark secret, she hasn’t yet realized how drastically those past experiences will impact the coming days.

For most of Millie’s life, being free felt about as unlikely as the mountains moving. But she’s about to discover that sometimes in life, we are given second chances, and that the only thing bigger than her past … is her future.

Learn more: www.juliecantrell.com

Order books: http://juliecantrell.wordpress.com/order-books/

NM: Writing careers ebb and flow—one day you’re an Amazon 5-star, the next you’re on your way to the bargain table. Always, every day, however, you’re an artist. The story must be written. How do you—do you?—separate yourself from opinions to give your creative self for another day of writing?

JC: You are absolutely spot on with your assessment of the writing life. And that’s the thing about sales figures, awards, reviews, etc. It’s all out of our hands, as authors. We really have no control over how well our book will be received. We can only do our best to share stories that come from our hearts and offer them to the world to use as needed.

I have written only two novels to date, and both were given to me, I believe, because they needed to be told. I hope the third book flows the same way, and I hope, as with the first two, the story finds the right reader at the right time and offers words that heal, inspire, or help in some way.

           

NM: If tomorrow were the first day of your career, what advice would you give yourself?

JC: You can’t do everything. Pace yourself. Learn to say, “No thanks,” and set healthy boundaries.

The thing about this job is that it never ends. People have no idea how hard authors work behind the scenes. It’s so much more than just writing. And that leaves very little time to do what it is we really need to do...write the book. So, I’m learning now to go a little easier on myself and accept that sometimes it’s okay to admit I don’t have time for some things.

NM: Writers debate whether to write a novel using a detailed outline vs. no outline, just go with the gut. Which do you prefer? What role does epiphany play while planning or writing?

JC: For me, no outline. I’ve tried. It doesn’t matter how much I try to plan it out, in the end, when I sit down to write...an entirely different story and character set come to the page. I just have to give in to that creative flow and see where it takes me. It’s fun for me that way. But, I admit, it does result in heavy edits on the back end.

NM: What's the one thing (be it a technology, a notebook, a wristwatch, or pen) that you can't be without as a writer?

JC: My laptop.

           

NM: Who, besides the obvious agent and editor, do you turn to for advice when things are rocky on your writing journey?

JC: I have several friends who are also authors, and we kind of cheer and coach each other as needed. I guess the ones I turn to most are my fellow southern belles, who blog with me each week at http://www.southernbelleviewdaily.comThey are Lisa Wingate, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Rachel Hauck, and Beth Webb Hart.

           

NM: What advice do you give to writers who are looking to seize the year and take control of their writing career?

JC: Have no fear. Write as if no one will ever read a word of it, and allow yourself to be completely honest. Go to that emotional level that is impossible to reach when you’re worried about how readers might react. Don’t worry about how readers will react. Just write.

           

NM: What are you working on now, and when will it be in reader’s hot little hands?

JC: I’m not sure of the publication date for Book Three, but I’ve started it and I’m keeping the details very secret right now. I will say this...I’m very excited to see where this book takes me. It’s not a continuation of Millie’s story, so this is a brand new adventure with a colorful cast of characters. I’m enjoying the process very much and can’t wait to see what develops.

NM: The theme this year on Novel Matters is Carpe Annum: Seize the Year! Tell us about a turning-point time in your journey as a writer when you took hold of your career. What did that look like? How did that moment change you as a writer?

I guess it might be a moment in publishing When Mountains Move, when I had been struggling with the ending of the book. I rewrote it 6 or 7 times and just didn’t feel like it was perfect. I met with a dear friend who had served as an early reader. She helped me sort my thoughts. The next morning, I woke up knowing what I wanted to do with the ending, but the book had already gone through edits. I was terrified to ask my publisher to let me change the ending again, and I knew it would inconvenience lots of folks. I couldn’t sleep for a few nights, just feeling that tug. Finally, I got the courage to ask, and of course my sweet, supportive publishing team at David C. Cook gave me a few days to toy with the ending. It was a moment when I realized that yes, this is my story, and ultimately it is my name on the book, and that I do need to voice my thoughts about edits, etc. throughout the process. I think, particularly as a first time author, it’s very intimidating to challenge the folks who know more than I do about publishing. I still feel very green and just feel very appreciative that they’re even giving my stories a chance. That moment encouraged me to at least ask. They can always say “no,” but I’m so glad I asked. Today, the ending is how I want it to be, and if I hadn’t had the courage to ask...I’m not sure I’d be very happy with the final draft.

Bonnie, I appreciate you inviting me here today. I’ve enjoyed this interview and am grateful for anyone who gives this stories a chance. Happy reading!