“A little,” she says… Well, if I’m going to be succinct, I am a writer, first last and always! I started in second grade, and except for a few “life intermissions,” I haven’t stopped writing since then!
What’s in my “upcoming projects” basket? I have recently completed my second short fiction collection, Peripheral Visions and Other Stories, and am working on revisions to one novel while noodling around ideas for another one.
And in between all that—and as a way to keep the cats fed and the lights on—I provide copywriting services to agencies, businesses and organizations through my company, Professional Writing Services.
Wow, so you have been doing this for a while, do you remember what got you into writing?
I don’t think there was ever a moment when I thought, “Oh, I want to grow up and be a writer.” While I was always a reader— as a child, my favorite author was Enid Blyton—I certainly never considered being an author!
I think what really started it all was simply because, ‘way back when (in other words, in the late fifties and early sixties), kids didn’t watch much television but were instead encouraged to “go outside and play.” And for me and my best friend Danny, that involved a lot of “let’s pretend” type of adventures out in the woods. From there, it was a natural process to do “let’s pretend” on paper and write stories about imaginary characters.
Interestingly, it’s still the process I follow when writing fiction and a key element of my “5 C’s of Being a Writer”: Curiosity.”
Those are some great qualities that I agree all writers need. I think courage is a big one for me. It took a while too be brave enough to let others view my work and sit back and let the critiques roll in, the good and the bad.
Nancy, would you be willing to share a short excerpt from your latest book.
By its very nature, writing is a solitary pursuit. Even if you belong to a writing group or take writing classes, spend your writing time in a café or library, the reality is that, wherever you are and whomever you are surrounded by, you are still alone in your head, writing.
And that very aloneness can lead to a host of conflicting emotions about yourself and your writing ability. You love to write and can’t imagine doing anything else, but then… you learn that a writer friend got an agent and you wonder what’s wrong with you that you don’t have one.
Another writer had his article accepted and you ask yourself why all you receive are rejections. Or after attending a workshop on freelance writing where everyone else talks about their six-figure incomes, you look at your last year’s profit-and-loss statement and see that it reflects just a five-figure one—in the low five figures, no less.
When the writing isn’t going well—or isn’t going at all!—it’s so easy to wonder why you are doing it, if you’re being foolish or selfish to devote time to what could be considered a long shot instead of making a more practical and reasonable choice. And along the way, you lose sight of the motivation that drives you to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
The reality is that it’s not always so easy to feel good about writing—or about yourself as a writer. Your expectations about what being a writer should be (triggered by the comparison game) can often make you doubt yourself and your abilities.
You imagine that all the other writers wake up each morning full of confidence and creative fire and go to bed each night satisfied with their literary accomplishments. And because you don’t always feel that way, you put yourself in a different class or on a lower level—or maybe not even in the “writer” category at all.
The only requirement to claim the title of “successful writer” is that you write as often as you can, as much as you can and to the best of your ability. Isaac Asimov said it best in Gold when he defined writers as those who consistently work at their craft, even if they are unknown to the world or never earn any publishing credits or income from their work.
You can’t look to external sources for your validation as a writer because that puts you at the mercy of readers and reviewers, people who measure your ability by the money you’ve been paid or the places you’ve been published. Then, when the responses are not what you hoped for—or fail to materialize at all—your confidence in your ability begins to drain away and your passion for writing starts to fade. Instead, you must feed the flame through the work itself—from the way it makes you feel to express your thoughts and emotions in a fixed fashion.
Remember: You are a writer as long as you write. How you identify yourself with regard to your writing can make all the difference. It can either ignite your passion or dampen it to the point where the flame flickers and finally dies out.
So many writers said that writing isn’t just something they choose to do, but also something they have to do—a creative expression that fulfills them like nothing else. It’s the process, even more so than the result—fame, fortune, publication—that drives so many writers. Not that being recognized as a writer or having an SRO crowd for a book signing isn’t a thrill! But eventually, it all comes down to just you and the blank sheet or screen, and without feeling the passion for writing alive in you, you can find it well-nigh impossible to start again.
Whether you do it for money or simply for love, whether everyone reads your work or no one has even heard of you, the act of writing, in and of itself, is something to be honored. It brings you a sense of completeness and joy, the realization that you are doing not only what you want to do but also what you are meant to do.
And understanding that, you know that you must continue to write, no matter what. You must stoke the fire of creativity with whatever fuel works for you and only stop when you have run out of things to say, topics to explore, emotions to uncover, stories to tell. And as long as your passion for writing is burning, that will never happen.
When you read which do you prefer ebooks or print?
Although my books are available in both formats, I am a die-hard print book reader.
I fold the corners. I sniff the paper. I caress the jackets. (Okay, enough about that!)
Seriously, I just love the feel of a “real” book and rarely get rid of any books after I buy them.
I agree, there is nothing like holding a book in your hand and turning the pages. I like seeing how much more I have to go, and sometimes limit my self in order to prolong the ending. However I think we may be in the minority, I know my ebooks sales far exceed my print sales.
Currently, what are you working on?
Each December I have an event called
“Celebrate Short Fiction” Day where a group of writers and authors get together and take turns reading a short story. This year, I have added an extra condition: the story has to have some connection to the winter season or a December holiday. So now, since I am one of the 12 readers, I need to come up with a new story!
How do you promote your books? Any tips you can share?
I am still learning about effective book marketing tips. With each book, I think I have it all figured out and then I’ll talk with other authors and learn about new strategies and feel like I am back at square one!
Of course, each book has its own webpage on my site, and I set up interviews (like this one!) and blog tours. I also promote my books on social media and in my blogs and newsletters—but not a lot of “buy-buy-buy” stuff.
I also set up in-person events: signings, talks and workshops. Those are a lot of fun because I love meeting people! My philosophy about doing in-person events is that the focus shouldn’t be on the number of books I sell but rather on the type of interactions I have.
I believe that at each event, someone shows up whom I am supposed to talk to—even if that person doesn’t buy a book. I have had deep, personal talks with people, listened to people share their grief about losing a loved one or just chatted about life in general. Whatever the topic is, it was meant to happen, and anything else that occurs like a book sale is a bonus.
Do you have people read your drafts before you publish? How do you select beta readers?
I used beta readers for my short story collection, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and for Rut-Busting Book for Writers. For the first, I picked beta readers who liked literary short fiction, and for the second, I focused on writers, since that was the target market for that book.
For the writing book, I also hired
Ann Henry as my editor, since apparently I don’t know comma rules! Seriously, she helped me polish the book, caught some errors that blew right past me and in general made it stronger.
Who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you design it yourself?
I am graphically challenged and was of very little help to the designer at
Mill City Press. All I knew was that I wanted it to be a fun and engaging cover, with colors and artwork that would appeal to a male as well as a female—so no graphics of a woman writer!
Once the designer had the first draft done, I passed it around to several of the agencies I write for to get input from their designers. Everyone weighed in, although I have Renée Fortin to thank for the way the title appears, since it was her idea! What do you think?
By the way, you all are the first people to see the finished cover—this interview is also a “Cover Reveal” event for the book cover!
What brought about the idea for your book?
When my first book, The Gifts of Change, came out, I started doing “Rut-Busting” workshops, and then developed a series just for writers: “Rut-Busting” Workshop for Writers. Every time I did one, people would ask if I had a book that went along with the workshop but all I offered were handouts. So this spring, I decided to pull all my notes together, reached out to more than 50 writers, authors and other industry professionals for their input, and voila! Rut-Busting Book for Writers was born!
What was your biggest challenge when writing? Did you have any writer’s block? If so, how did you work your way through it?
My biggest challenge for all my own writing (versus client writing) is finding the time. I set aside at least 30 minutes a day five days a week to work on my short fiction, while weekends are devoted to bigger book projects.
The closest I have come to writer’s block was during a difficult time in my life when I was going through a lot of personal challenges and had stopped writing any fiction. The longer I went without writing, the more convinced I was that I would never write fiction again. And since that is my passion, you can imagine what a really ugly experience that was! Eventually, I had an idea, started writing and found my writing voice again! That taught me to always make time—even if just 30 minutes—for fiction.
What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any?
I love to garden, bike ride, do yardwork—anything physical to counter all the hours I spend at my desk!
Yardwork! If you get finished, you can come do my yard. I love being outdoors too, but that one doesn't make my list.
Do you have a favorite book?
There are so many so I will go back to my favorite childhood book: Alice in Wonderland. The White Queen’s words: “Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”—when I am having a bad day, I try to pick six impossible things of my own to believe. Sounds silly, I know, but still…
I think it's amazing how things we read as a child can still impact us today. That's one of things I love about writing, you never know how long someone will carry what you wrote with them. Nancy, do you have any advice you would give someone who is considering publishing? Should they consider traditional or self-publishing?
I’ve done both—Rut-Busting Book for Writers is my first foray into self-pubbing—so I don’t know that I can offer any good advice except understand that, regardless of the one you choose, understand that this is a business and you have to be prepared to do the most you can to promote your book. Commit to putting out the best possible product and then learn everything you can about marketing before you sign a contract, because without that commitment and the knowledge, you are just wasting your time and money.
Any last words?
I’d love to have your writer-fans join my
Rut-Busting Book for Writers Street Team! All they need to do is send an email to
nancy@nancychristie.com requesting to be added to my Street Team email list. I’ll keep them updated about the book, notify them about giveaways, special sales and pre-order options, and in general, keep them “in the know.”
And once the book is out, I’ll let them know where they can buy it, post a review and come to a book-related event. (For more details about the book, visit
www.rutbustingbookforwriters.com.)
And to you, Sarah, thanks so much for having me on your blog! It has been tons of fun to answer all your questions and I am excited to share my cover with your followers!
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