February 2012, Volume 34
A Focus On: Bryan Dearsley
Q&A with an author of historical fantasy
by Donna Marrin
At what point in your life were you hit with the “writing bolt?” It took awhile… and in fact happened twice. I dabbled in writing while at university in Scotland, but it wasn’t until I moved back to Canada a few years later that I seriously considered writing as a career (bolt #1). I landed a job as the summer reporter for a local newspaper in Muskoka, and a few years later joined CARPNews FiftyPlus, the magazine of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. After eight years as Associate Editor, I moved back to Muskoka to freelance. Bolt #2 hit me after hearing a CBC Radio documentary that said that to be considered “good” at something you needed to have practiced it for at least 10 years. By that time, I’d been writing and editing for 15 years, so I felt I was ready to start that novel…
Can you remember the first story you ever wrote? In England, aged 11, I wrote my own version of Treasure Island. Truly awful (my teacher agreed). I also remember my first piece published in Canada. I was thrilled at the chance to interview the Barenaked Ladies at a concert celebrating the release of their first album. As I waited across the other side of the arena, I swore I heard them arguing over who had to go talk to the kid writer. The drummer lost…
Where do you find your ideas? Ideas are everywhere! Friends, family… people I like, people I don’t like. I read a lot of history. The world’s full of interesting people, places and things just waiting to be re-imagined and included in a story.
How do you choose your characters’ names? It’s a bit like naming a baby. The name must feel a natural fit for the character, and at the same time provide a few clues about them. As above, great names come from many different places.
The idea you’ve been nurturing is ready to go. Describe your writing process. I usually have a pretty good idea of what’s required of a chapter or scene before beginning the serious task of writing. With notes and ideas sprinkled liberally around the document as guideposts, I just let my subconscious take over. No concern about spelling, grammar, punctuation, anything… just getting the ideas down. Polishing comes later.
What inspired you to write your first book, The Beast of Wildeor? My love of history and cinema. Particularly any movie Stephen Spielberg has been involved in. Growing up with his movies showed me just how important it is that a story have heart. Lots and lots of heart. Books are no different.
How long did it take you to complete, from idea to finished manuscript? Three and a half years. I couldn’t help but feel my characters were getting a little impatient with me…
Once your manuscript was complete, what were your next steps, and how long did it take you to find a publisher? I strongly suggest that any writer begin thinking seriously about the publishing process long before finishing their book. These things take time. I began putting feelers out very early on in the process, and although I had some positive feedback based on my first few chapters, I soon realized that finding a small publisher willing to take a risk with a new novelist would be a safer bet. Once I’d found said publisher, I was able to commit to spending six months finishing the story, editing and rewriting. The book came out relatively quickly. At the same time, I worked on building relationships anywhere I felt I could find readers – schools, libraries, book clubs and the like. By the time the book came out, there were a lot of people curious enough to want to buy it.
The Beast of Wildeor is the first of a planned series. Do you already have a rough idea of how many books will be in the series? Or will you figure it out along the way? I actually started writing a different story – same characters, only older – before The Beast of Wildeor but soon realized it wasn’t the right story to kick things off with. It started to tell the story of Alex Mortimer as it was discovered many years later. It was just too complicated and didn’t work. So I made a decision to start at the very beginning and do things chronologically. The events of that first book would now fall somewhere around book nine in the series! I figure I’ll be writing Alex Mortimer stories for some time to come…
The most challenging aspect of the writing process is: Getting started each morning and staying focused.
What do you love most about being a writer? Working from home in my pjs…
Lessons you’ve learned… Have no expectations of anyone or anything. That way, every good thing that happens is always a nice surprise and I’m never disappointed. And buy a second pair of pjs…
What would you say is your most valued writing resource? A very, very fertile imagination. That, and an ability to see the potential for adventure and mystery everywhere.
When you need creative inspiration, you… do something else altogether! A nap is often the best way to get the mind wandering freely again.
What would we find on your bookshelf right now? Erm… do a few dozen books sprinkled liberally around the home count? Good! Sidney Kirkpatrick’s Hitler’s Holy Relics, a fantastic true adventure that takes place in the closing days of WWII; The Mammoth Book of Best War Comics, edited by David Kendall (don’t laugh!); Muskoka-based writer Cheryl Cooper’s Come Looking For Us, a sea-fairing adventure set against the War of 1812 (perfect for this anniversary year); and Sting: Back on the Beat by Christopher Sandford.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Take your cue from Sting’s life: hone your skills, regardless of the indifference you may face along the way – persistence pays off in the end. Seek advice and a mentor (or mentors). Network. And get writing… now! Ten years is a long time.
What’s up next on your agenda? It’s been four years since I began my adventure with Alex Mortimer, and nobody’s more excited to find out what happens to him than me! Book two in the series, The Lords of Allegiance, is well underway… I can’t wait to see what happens as I throw events and people his way.
ABOUT BRYAN DEARSLEY B.A.Dearsley is an odd mix of the Old and the New Worlds. Born in Canada and raised in England, he’s a graduate of the second oldest school in Britain (founded in 604 AD) as well as Stirling University in Scotland where his love of history, haggis and Hogmanay deepened. After twenty years as an editor and writer, he’s now writing novels full-time. Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alex-Mortimer-The-Beast-of-Wildeor/293186124024965
January 2012, Volume 33
A Focus On: Joy Fielding
Q&A with an internationally best-selling novelist
by Donna Marrin
At what point in your life did you realize that you were born to write? I realized that I was born to write when I was eight years old.
Can you remember the first story you ever wrote? The first story I wrote – at age 8 – was called Hilda, the Dancing Star, and it was about an eight-year-old girl who loved to dance but she died!
How long did it take you to get your first book published? My first book was surprisingly easy to get published. I wrote “The Best of Friends” in a five-week frenzy, then sent it off to five publishers and two of them accepted it. Naturally, I took the first offer. I thought, wow, this is easy. I’ll just take five weeks a year every year and write a bestseller. Not to be. It took me four long years to get my second novel published. I basically had to learn how to write.
You’ve written many more books since then. Where do you find your ideas? It’s impossible to say where a writer gets his/her ideas. It’s just the way our minds work. We use anything and everything – things from our own lives and those of our family and friends, things we read in the paper and magazines, things we hear about, things we imagine. The hard part isn’t getting the idea, it’s figuring out what to do with it.
The idea you’ve been nurturing is ready to go. Describe your writing process. The first thing I do is try to sum up the idea in a sentence or two. This helps me focus my thoughts. I find if I can’t describe what my book is about in about 25 words, then I don’t really know what my book is about. And if I don’t know what it’s about, my readers certainly won’t be able to figure it out. After I do this, I write a comprehensive outline, the more comprehensive the better. This makes the writing of the book much easier. It’s like having a pattern for making a dress. It’s not carved in stone, and certainly I can change it, but it’s very helpful to have. Writing the outline is often the hardest part. I also have to know how the book is going to end, so I know what I’m building toward. I don’t have to know every detail, and certainly when you start to write each day, you’re never really sure what’s going to emerge, but I do have to know the general direction in which I’m heading. I try to write about five pages a day (about 2500 words), which amounts to a little more than two chapters a week. But I’m always rewriting what I wrote the day before, and then rewriting every few chapters. As someone once said, writing is rewriting. I work for 3-4 hours a day, preferably in the mornings. Sometimes, I’ll write the whole day. I work on a computer and can’t imagine doing otherwise, although I work things out in longhand. I work between five and seven days a week, and usually take a few months off between projects.
Do you spend much time on research before you begin to write? I spend as much time on research as I have to in order to make the situation and the characters believable. I’m not one of those authors who loves research, however. I’d much rather make up my facts.
How do you choose your characters’ names? Names are tricky. Sometimes, they just come to you. Often I use the names of family members and friends. Sometimes I look in the phone book. Sometimes, I pick a name that has a symbolic undertone. I try not to use the same names too often, but I’ve noticed a few repetitions. You also want to make sure that no two names sound too similar because you don’t want to confuse the reader.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from idea to finished manuscript? It’s usually about a year between the time I first get an idea to the time I send it in to my publishers.
The most challenging aspect of the writing process is: …figuring out what to do with an idea, whose story it is I’m telling and the best way to tell it.
What do you love most about being a writer? I love the freedom. Being a writer allows me to have a very full life. I can set my own schedule, write anywhere and any time I choose, and still have time to travel and do other things I love. It never feels like work. I still feel like a little girl playing with my dolls.
Lessons you’ve learned along the way… I’ve learned that not everyone is going to like or appreciate what I do, and that the old adage is true: you can’t please everybody all the time. Reading is very subjective and not everyone is going to like my work. So I can’t take criticism too personally or too much to heart. Unfortunately, that means I have to deal with praise the same way.
Tell us about your latest book, NOW YOU SEE HER. NOW YOU SEE HER is the story of a woman who goes to Ireland and sees the daughter she believed died in a boating accident several years earlier. It’s part thriller, part family drama, part mystery, and it deals with some pretty serious issues while hopefully providing the reader with a very entertaining read.
What would you say is your most valued writing resource? My most valued writing resource: I’m naturally very disciplined and I write great dialogue.
What would we find on your bookshelf right now? I just finished reading THE SISTERS BROTHERS and THE ANTAGONIST, and I’m in the middle of HALF-BLOOD BLUES. Waiting in the wings are A GOOD MAN by Guy Vanderhaeghe and POPULAR CRIME by Bill James.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? My advice: READ, READ, READ. Also, do an outline. And before you start worrying of publishers, first write the damn book!
Is there something you haven’t attempted yet that you’d really like to try? I’d like to write a play and a screenplay, and I will as soon as I can find the time.
What’s up next on your agenda? Next up is SHADOW CREEK, a novel about a couple of murderous teenagers at loose in upstate New York, which should be out in the spring of 2012. And I’m almost a third of the way through the novel after that. So, if you’ll excuse me, I really have to get back to work…
ABOUT JOY FIELDING Joy Fielding submitted her first story to Jack and Jill when she was eight years old, and the story was rejected. At twelve, she wrote her first TV script, the story of a twelve-year-old girl who murders her parents. Like the magazine story, it, too was rejected, but the thought of it caused her parents many a sleepless night. In her last year of high school her English teacher announced to the class that Joy Fielding was going to be a writer, though she hadn’t decided that yet for herself. At the University of Toronto, Fielding decided she wanted to be an actress. She performed in numerous campus productions and starred in the student movie, Winter Kept Us Warm, a fixture on the art house circuit even today. After she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a BA in English literature, she went into acting full-time, moving to Los Angeles, where she acted in an episode of Gunsmoke and got to kiss Elvis Presley. Eventually she returned to Toronto and went back to writing. Fielding is an avid golfer and the mother of two adult daughters. She is a Canadian citizen and divides her time between Toronto and Palm Beach, Florida. Visit her website at http://www.joyfielding.com/
December 2011, Volume 32
A Focus On: Dorothea Helms
Q&A with an award-winning author & creative writing instructor
by Donna Marrin
Your writing career has many facets: published author, creative writing teacher, public speaker, run a freelance business. Tell us about what you do, and what your process is for managing all of it! I own two freelance writing businesses. Write Stuff Writing Services is my bread-and-butter, make-a-living business through which I provide writing and editing services to magazines, newspapers, businesses and individuals. The Writing Fairy® is my “fun” business through which I publish books and articles on writing using humour, and I teach creative writing under this brand. Once I can slow down a bit and semi-retire, I’ll keep going with The Writing Fairy until they cart me away in a hearse. How do I manage all of it? I work pretty much seven days a week, often long hours. This is by choice, you understand. I am one of the six-digit freelancers you hear about, and it takes dedication and hard work to bring in that kind of revenue.
Did you enjoy writing as a child, or did the writing bug bite you later in life? I have always enjoyed writing, but I never thought of myself as a writer until 1992 (I was 41 at the time) and took a Creative Writing course at Durham College. In my younger days, I always did well in English. I loved writing reports, and when I first went to university in 1969, they let me skip Composition I and go directly to Composition II, which I aced. I was the young mom who wrote the soccer newsletter, the one people turned to when they needed special letters or speeches written–that kind of thing. Fortunately, I grew up in a family that nurtured artistic talent. I thought I’d be a singer. Who knew?
Can you remember the very first piece of writing you ever had published? Of course. I wrote a short piece about Madonna for my son’s high school newsletter in 1992. He was one of the editors:) The first piece I got paid for was a humour article about men and tools, which appeared in Popular Woodworking magazine in the US. That was in 1993.
What kind of services do you provide through Write Stuff Writing Services? I provide articles and editorials to magazines and newspapers. I also write business and marketing materials for numerous companies. I have written everything from humorous fortune cookies to annual reports! My “niche” is the new home building industry in the GTA, but I have a diverse client base. Two of my favourite services to provide are speech writing and ghostwriting.
Tell us about your book, The Writing Fairy® Guide to Calling Yourself a Writer, and where we can find it. This book is the result of having taught Creative Writing for several years and understanding that my first job as an instructor is to convince writers that they are writers. So often, talented individuals have misconceptions about having the right to say, “I am a writer.” I wrote the book to dispel the myths that hold them back. Once they make the statement–give themselves permission to write and call themselves writers–the magic begins. People can order the book through Amazon, via Kindle or from my website, at www.thewritingfairy.com
Do you have a good motivational tip to share? Sure. The best motivational tip I can offer is to start. Anywhere. If you’re feeling blocked (and I don’t believe in writer’s block, by the way), you’re procrastinating. I say plunge in there and begin, even if you write “I don’t want to write. I don’t feel like it right now, but this wacky fairy says I have to, so here goes. I’m supposed to write an article on …” And keep going. The good stuff will come. My favourite line from my book is “The simple act of starting was creative in itself.”
What are some of the mistakes that aspiring writers make? I know about this, because when I began in 1992, I made about every mistake you can make. That’s why I eventually created my Business of Writing workshop–to help others avoid the common pitfalls. For one thing, beginning writers often think their first draft is the finished product, when usually it needs editing and polishing. Good writing takes time, and it becomes great writing in the second or third draft, or even beyond. Aspiring freelancers also often make the mistake of not charging, or not charging enough. Writing is a professional service, and unless writers are donating their time to a nonprofit organization or charity, they should be compensated well for their work.
The most interesting person you’ve ever interviewed is… This is a tough one. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people during my career, including dozens of celebrities, and each has been fascinating in his/her own way. The most interesting? Ronnie Hawkins. There is such a dichotomy about him. He’s this big, tough, burly guy who loves dogs. You’d expect him to own German shepherds, but he has Chihuahuas, and he talks baby talk to them. He has a wicked sense of humour that is often self deprecating, yet he is courageous and genuine in his devotion to music. Ronnie started back in the days of Elvis Presley. He traveled from Arkansas to New Orleans to hear black people play jazz, and his rockabilly style grew out of that. Ronnie was also one of the first singers to include black players in his band, and he took a lot of flack for it. According to him, it’s not about skin colour; it’s about the music. At one point in his career, Stephen Foster belonged to the band. Ronnie fired him because “He played too many notes,” but in fact, it was because he knew Stephen was destined for a different career path.
The most challenging aspect of the writing process is… Staying fresh. I’ve written thousands of pieces during my career, and it’s easy to rest on laurels and become “formulaic.” I have another gigantic challenge, and that’s getting into the zone of my inner core where fiction comes from. I can write nonfiction any time, anywhere. For fiction, I have to dig deep, and it takes me a lot more time to tap into whatever it is I tap into.
What do you love most about being a writer? I’ve written thousands words.
Lessons you’ve learned along the way… 1. Value your writing. If you don’t others won’t. 2. If an editor or publisher says, “We don’t pay writers now, but as soon as we can afford to, we will”…run, run like the wind. 3. Talking about writing is WAY different from writing.
Describe your ideal day. My ideal day? I’d sleep until I get up; have a breakfast of bacon, eggs and rye toast; lie down on my deck and read for three hours; eat an A&W Grandma prime rib burger for lunch; work on my novel for a few hours; take my dog for a nice long walk; eat beef stew and French bread with butter for dinner; watch Castle, The Mentalist and Bones; then read until I fall asleep. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is pure fiction :)
Is there something you haven’t attempted yet that you’d really like to try? I’d like to write more poetry and try forms that are new to me. I’d like to try a screenplay sometime, too.
What would you say is your most valued writing resource? That’s a tough one. I rely on a variety of resources: books, the Internet, writing circles, my Oxford Canadian Dictionary…
What would we find on your bookshelf right now? Just finished “Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool” by Taylor Clark. A fabulous nonfiction read. About to pick up Bill Bryson’s “At Home: A Short History of Private Life.” He’s one of my fave authors of all time. As for fiction, just started “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. I won’t see the movie until I’ve read the book.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? Have faith in yourself and don’t be intimidated by anyone, including me! Remember that best-selling authors and famous writers are just people who followed their passion.
What’s next on your agenda? To finish my book on freelancing and finish my novel.
DOROTHEA HELMS is an award-winning, internationally published writer who is also a popular writing instructor. She is the author of the highly successful book The Writing Fairy® Guide to Calling Yourself a Writer, and she offers courses, workshops and keynote speeches that inspire adults to write and publish their work. She taught creative writing at Durham College (North Campus) for 16 years, and is proud that many of her students have won writing contests, started freelance careers and become published authors. She continues to offer writing courses at Blue Heron Books in Uxbridge. In 2006, Dorothea held the first-ever Writing Fairy Humour Writing contest, which drew entries from across North America. She is also owner of Write Stuff Writing Services, through which she provides professional writing and editing services of all kinds to newspapers, magazines, businesses and individual clients. Over the years, she has served as contributing editor to dozens of publications, and has provided many writing colleagues with paying gigs. Dorothea’s work has appeared in publications such as Homemakers, Chatelaine, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun and Canadian Architecture and Design Magazine. She was featured on CBC Radio’s “First Person Singular” twice, and has twice had personal essays published on The Globe and Mail’s Facts & Arguments page. She was the inaugural winner of the Professional Writers’ Association of Canada’s Barbara Novak Award for Excellence in Humour and/or Personal Essay Writing.
September 2011, Volume 29
A Focus On: Rebecca Eckler
Q&A with an internationally best-selling author
by Donna Marrin
How did your writing career begin? Well, I always liked to write as a child. I’d make up stories about being locked in department stores at night with my pet monkey and I’d always make up scary stories for my baby brother. But when it came to university, I chose Ryerson, for their journalism program—not necessarily because I wanted to be a journalist, but because I knew I wanted to write, and not going to school was not an option in my house. I realized I loved interviewing people. During school, I got a part-time job at Post City Magazines (which I still write for today) and I would write features on people in the city. I loved it, I got paid for it, I thought it was more fun than being in school! I graduated and was hired to be a producer for Pamela Wallin’s talk show. During summer hiatus from the show, I would work at the Calgary Herald in their entertainment department, which was a blast. When the National Post started, I asked for a job, and was hired. I wrote so many columns and stories and I loved doing it every day. Just getting to try new experiences and meeting great people. Never once have I ever met a boring person and I’ve literally interviewed thousands of people. Then the book people came calling and I loved writing books. It’s really hard, so it’s definitely a great accomplishment to finish a book. I never really knew that “writing” could be a job (you don’t know these things when you grow up in the suburbs!) but I feel blessed every day that, eventually, I learned that it IS a job!
Tell us how you came to write your first book, the bestselling memoir, Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-To-Be. Well, when the book people came calling I was three months pregnant. All I was thinking about was that and how there wasn’t a book out there for people like me. People who worried about how it would change their lives, people who were unexpectedly expecting, people who weren’t married, people who didn’t really care to know the technical side of giving birth and rather the emotional side. It’s more about how the mother is feeling and the emotions she goes through DURING pregnancy than what comes after.
You launched a gutsy attack on Universal when they came out with the movie, Knocked Up. How difficult was it to prove copyright infringement against a “big fish?” And did you learn any valuable lessons from this experience that you can share with other writers who want to know how to best protect their work? I believe that you should fight when you believe someone has wronged you. But all I can say about that experience is “We settled out of court to the mutual satisfaction of both parties.” So many people have their stories stolen. But I feel almost now like if you can come up with one great idea, then of course you can come up with another.
The book idea you’ve been nurturing is ready to go. Describe your writing process. I sit in front of my computer and write/type. When I’m really, really into it, I shut of my phone, try NOT to check e-mail/FB/twitter. I usually only write for three hours a day, because that’s all my brain can handle. Usually in the early morning until about noon. There’s no point, I’ve learned, in pushing yourself. Books take time and it’s not beneficial to just whip it off. Which is why I stick to the three-hour-a-day rule, whether I have more in me or not!
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from concept to finished manuscript? I try for 18 months to two years. But that doesn’t always happen. Life gets in the way. Freelance jobs need to be done. And, sometimes, I just don’t feel like writing that day.
The most challenging aspect of the writing process is… Not knowing if what you’re writing is good. And I never show anyone what I write. Only my editor gets to see it first.
What do you love most about being a writer? The freedom of working solo. I like working by myself. And eventually, when you see your story come together, you’re like, “Hmm, maybe there IS something here!” That’s a great feeling. Plus, it is a COOL job! I rather do this than anything else. I get to pick my hours too and I can wear pajamas to work.
Controversy follows you in the media like tremors after an earthquake. Is this a good or a bad thing? How do you deal with it? I guess I don’t pay attention to the good or the bad. Plus, for me, controversy can be a good thing if it gets people into a conversation.
Your latest novel, The Lucky Sperm Club was published by Key Porter Books, which shut down operations right after the book was published. In a case like this, what happens to your book? My book, The Lucky Sperm Club, is now in all the Chapters/Indigos across Canada. Heather Reisman helped me do this. I’m so grateful to her, you have no idea!
With the emergence of electronic publishing as an evolving force, do you feel that an unpublished writer is still better off concentrating their efforts on targeting traditional publishers first? Yes, because traditional publishing houses have marketing teams, sales teams etc. (Also some money.) But I’m not against electronic publishing. The most important thing to me is that people read books, by whatever means.
What would you say is your most valued writing resource? My imagination and my computer (which I change with every book! Computer feng shui!)
What would we find on your own bookshelf right now? About 300 books. Seriously, they are all over the map. I read everything. Biographies, fiction, humor. Come over one day and borrow them. They are taking over rooms!
What is your favorite book of all time, and why? Well, Frankenstein is one, if you can believe it. But as for modern books, Barbara Gowdy’s The Romantic I think is pretty much the perfect book.
You also blog about parenting at mommyish.com and sweetmama.ca. What is the most surprising thing you’ve discovered about motherhood? That mothers are STILL judgmental.
Describe your ideal day. Reading a book on a beach in Maui, with my daughter at my feet playing in the sand.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors? 80 percent of writing is actually finishing the book. SO FINISH THE BOOK!
What’s up next on your agenda? A novel!
REBECCA ECKLER is one of Canada’s most well-known journalists. She has worked as a columnist with the National Post, Canada’s national newspaper, including a stint as a New York-based columnist and feature writer. Her work has also appeared in such publications as Elle, Fashion, Lifestyles, Canadian House and Home and Mademoiselle. She was the host of the television show Modern Manners, and has appeared on CTV and CBC television, and on Global television as a reporter, along with numerous stints on radio shows across Canada and the United States. She is also the founder of www.howtoraiseaboyfriend.com and writes a blog for sweetmama.ca, mommyish.com, and chatelaine.com. She is the author of THE LUCKY SPERM CLUB, KNOCKED UP, WIPED: LIFE WITH A PINT SIZE DICTATOR, APPLE’S ANGST, TODDLERS GONE WILD, ROTTEN APPLE, THE MISCHIEVOUS MOM AT THE ART GALLERY (co-written with Erica Ehm) and her latest, HOW TO RAISE A BOYFRIEND.