We got bestselling YA fantasy author Caroline Stevermer to
tell us what her writing gig is really like. Caroline is best known for her
historical fantasy book series. This summer, three novels she wrote with fellow
author Patricia C. Wrede are being released as e-books.
CLICK HERE to read our review of the first book in the series,
Sorcery and Cecilia or The Chocolate Pot.
And read on for our interview…
Girls’ Life: When did
you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Caroline Stevermer:
Like a lot of writers, I knew I wanted to write books from an early age. I
didn't have a clear conception of what "being a writer" was at age
eight, but I remember vividly wanting to know enough about things to write
books about them.
Girls’ Life: What was the first story you wrote about,
and how old were you?
Caroline: I used
a coin-op typewriter at the public library to write my first story when I
was eight. It was about a cow named Moon. (Which I still think is a darned
good name for a cow.)
Girls’ Life: How did you choose a genre?
Caroline: It
chose me, in that the books I loved reading the most ended up being those
in the genre I write now, fantasy.
Girls’ Life: What are you favorite books and authors
to read?
Caroline: Right
this minute, anything by Diana Wynne Jones, Riddle of the Sands,
by Erskine Childers, and Patrick Leigh Fermor's books A Time of
Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. My answers to
this question vary according to the day of the week and the weather of
the moment.
Girls’ Life: What is your writing process?
Caroline: I get
an idea. I do research. I begin writing the story as soon as I have a dim
idea of the ending. No outline; nothing so useful. I write by the seat of
my pants through an extremely rough, under-written first draft. Then I
rewrite it completely, because the story always turns out to be different
from what I thought while I was writing the first draft. Then I rewrite it
a few more times. Needless to say, I do not recommend this process to
anyone.
Girls’ Life: What’s the best thing about being a
full-time writer?
Caroline: Hardly
any meetings! No, I'm kidding. It's wonderful to have the chance to
attempt it, since I've dreamed about it all my life.
Girls’ Life: What’s the worst thing about being a
full-time writer?
Caroline: Writing
a book is like the longest open-book take-home essay test imaginable. The
benefits are non-existent. But there's nothing else I'd rather do. All my
life, I dreamed of being a full-time writer. I don't mind being poor as a
church mouse as a result. At least I had the chance to try.
Girls’ Life: If you could be doing anything else, what
would you do?
Caroline: If
wishes were horses, I'd be a curator in an art museum, but I'd still write
in my spare time.
Girls’ Life: What advice do you have for aspiring
writers and authors?
Caroline: Don't
give up! The hardest thing is to keep writing, especially when the words
don't seem up to standard. But you can't revise it until you have rough
draft, so bash on regardless!
Thanks, Caroline!
BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 5/24/2012 12:00:00 AM
POSTED IN Authors, Dream Job, you wrote it