Welcome to Writer Wednesdays!
How is 2020 going for you so far? Are you following through with your New Years resolutions? Or have you already fallen off the self-improvement bandwagon? Or, maybe you’re not a resolution kind of person.
I happen to LOVE setting goals and making resolutions. We could chalk this up to my over-achiever nature. I’m constantly working towards making myself healthier, more rested, pursing my passions, and forging closer relationships. I FAIL OFTEN, don’t get me wrong. I’m soooo far from perfect, but goals help me aim my efforts in the right direction.
I use goals and resolutions in my writing life as well. That’s how I crafted the first drafts of my books – all of them. With Expecting Sunshine, I aimed for one focused writing session of about two to three hours per week. With Above the Star, I wrote about 2000 words a day for thirty days. Yes, you guessed right! I was doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). For Below the Moon, I did a YouTube video series called “80 Days of Writing,” though I finished the first draft in about 93 days. Inside the Sun was propelled along by a publishing/editing deadline, so it was game on. No time for frivolous distractions or writers block.
Here are some fast tips about setting writing resolutions:
- Be specific: How many words will you write, or what is the overall word count goal for your manuscript?
- Be measurable: I am going to take X days to write this book and I will write for X number of hours a day.
- Be public: Share your goals with your family and friends – only the supportive ones – and talk with them about your progress. Ask them to check in on you to keep you accountable.
- Be fun: If you’re not having fun, it wont get done. Writing is a job and requires discipline, but it should not be torture. Make your writing time pleasurable. I do this through burning incense, playing classical music (or Enya), wearing cozy slippers and sweaters, and working on projects that inspire me.
To help you get inspired with your writing, we have a very special guest today on Writer Wednesdays! Today’s author interview is with:
Elise Holland!
I’m thrilled to have Elise here and I hope you enjoy learning about her writing and books!
Author Interview:
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
That is a very hard question to answer! I feel like I’ve just always been a writer. There was no “wanting” involved. I started keeping a journal regularly in college, and that morphed into writing stories. I started typing up my journal notes after work on my office computer (no one had their own computers back then) in my mid-twenties, so there must have come a time when I thought, “I want to try to get these stories published” but I don’t remember it! Back then there were two stories—a reincarnation-love-story and the story that would later become THE THORN QUEEN.
Who were the authors that influenced you as a youth, and in what ways?
Hans Christian Andersen, The Brothers Grimm, CS Lewis, Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. The fairy tales often haunted me! They were so magical, and yet so sad, in many cases. CS Lewis opened my mind to all the possibilities existing in our world. With Enid Blyton, I loved her school stories and also her mysteries—ditto for Agatha Christie (on the mysteries). I got pretty good at solving them before the end!
How did it feel when you got to hold your very first advanced copy of your book?
Amazing! One of the best feelings throughout the whole publishing journey.
What was the inspiration behind your book(s)?
I feel like THE THORN QUEEN was informed by so many books I’ve read before, it’s hard to pin it down to any one source. A big theme is around finding your way home, which ties into my personal journey. The fact that it begins on a glacier was probably informed in part by my experience moving from England to Michigan in February, which was mind-blowing in many ways!
What was your publishing journey like?
Long!!!!! Lots of rejections. TONS of revisions (I’d put THE THORN QUEEN aside and written its sequel before dusting it off and re-writing it yet another time. Because of all the changes, that sequel no longer works so I’m writing a new one!). I’m very fortunate because I got connected with Stephen Roxburgh, who is an amazing editor. He’s the one that shaped it into its current form.
What advice do you have for aspiring young novelists?
Make writing a habit and protect your writing time fiercely. Also, join a critique group as soon as possible!
If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?
Hmmm. I just spent far too long thinking about this! I ended up discarding most of my ideas because they felt too close to playing God. So, I’ll go with something fun – the power to speak every language in this world (and others).
Where is your favorite travel destination?
I don’t really have just one. I love exploring. Mostly old European towns and villages.
When you’re not writing, what are your favorite hobbies?
Hanging out with my family and friends, reading, hiking, skiing and yoga. Although the latter is such bloody hard work I’m not sure it counts as a hobby.
Where can people find you online?
Instagram: why_is_mud
Twitter: @WhyIsMud
My website: www.whyismud.com
Email: elise@whyismud.com
About the Book:
Hidden to most, this glacial world once crackled with alchemy. Now it waits for war—divided and bound by strict rules. So when twelve-year-old Meylyne falls from a tree onto Glendoch’s sickly prince, she must flee or face imprisonment in the Shadow-Cellars. The only way she may return home is with a cure for the prince’s peculiar disease.
Convinced she will perish, Meylyne and her companions embark on their journey—and before they know it, they are knee-deep in a plot to sink Glendoch into shadow, like other worlds before it. Poisoned guardians, cursed wizards, and cunning witch-spirits bound into wands are just some of the dangers that dot the way of their travels.
And behind it all is the Thorn Queen. Mysteriously magnetic (or murderously vengeful, depending on whose side you’re on), she is always one step ahead of them . . .
Thank you for joining me for Writer Wednesdays!
Catch you next week!
Happy writing,
– Alexis Marie Chute
