Interview with:Anna Scott Graham [annascottgraham]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? My first memories are of Little House on the Prairie books, Ping the duckling and Frances the badger. I also loved Strawberry Girl.
I suppose I have always been writing, but I didn't always want to be a writer. I wanted to be a teacher, then an OB/GYN. When I found out how long you had to go to school to be a doctor, I reconsidered my plans.
I did end up as a teacher, homeschooling my kids, how I began to write. My eldest daughter knows me well, strongly encouraged me to participate in NANO 2006. From there, I was hooked.
My friend Cindy was one of the first, besides my initial publisher. Other friends have looked over my work, offering insightful and constructive tips. |
| What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it? My favourite genre is... Literary and mainstream fiction. Ones I'm not fond of are fantasy and western. Otherwise I will read most any other work. I prefer third person POV, both to read and in which to write.
My website offers links to my published novel, as well as ones in progress:
http://www.annascottgraham.com/
For more day to day information, my blog can be found here:
http://annascottgraham.blogspot.com/ |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? The process varies from manuscript to manuscript. In some instances I tightly plot the entire book, in others I write after loosely conjuring some notes. All plotting, whether in great detail or not, is done in longhand, on college ruled paper with gel pens. I love black ink, preferably with a .5 Pentel Needle Tip pen.
Before I sit to write, I read the previous day's work, so I know what in the world has just occurred. On a good day I manage a chapter, but my typing is so poor, lengthy corrections follow. I read it over, then usually it's time for lunch, as I'm strictly a morning writer. I'll edit in the afternoon, or first thing, Gentle Morning Edits a way to wake up with a pretty tight manuscript. Once caffeine has kicked in, the real work, be it writing or intense revising, begins. |
| What type of reading inspires you to write? Sometimes it's the news, sometimes non-fiction. Music offers the biggest source of ideas. |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? This is multifaceted, for plot and character go hand in hand. Some stories begin as more plot-driven, but then characters find their ways into the thick of things, and even the best laid plans are altered by those additions. Even in a tightly plotted story, surprises abound, keeping things fresh and spontaneous. |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Third person, most definitely. I prefer the story to come across from a multitude of voices, offering a layered approach.
I do enjoy interjecting first person via letters, emails, or voice mails. It makes for a change, and widens the vistas of storytelling. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? John Irving and Colleen McCullough, Amy Tan and Richard Brautigan, Anne Lamott, Joseph Grizone, Brennan Manning, Harper Lee, Thomas Cahill, and Elizabeth Prentiss. |
| Deep down inside, who do you write for? Myself and my Saviour. It's fair to say what I write is by grace, no other way to put it. |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? I certainly write about that which I know; yet issues exist, ones a writer may have no conscious thought to plumb. The left hand knows not what the right is holding and when they collide it's overwhelming. |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? I complete a chapter a day, occasionally more. From August 2009 through July 2010 I wrote all that could be managed, a year of experimentation. Thirteen manuscripts were completed, fostering within me a keen sense of voice, as well as several methods of writing fiction, first and third person POV combining in a few novels, as well as letters incorporated. I thoroughly enjoyed the intense but vivid experience.
That experiment was documented on A Year Of Writing, Dangerously, which you can find at this address.
http://aug2009july2010.blogspot.com/ |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? I don't listen to music as I write, otherwise a quiet room is sufficient. If the room is noisy, I pop in ear buds and listen to jazz, Elmo Hope, Red Garland or Ornette Coleman preferred. |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? I use a PC for all writing and editing, preferring to save some trees. All plotting is done in longhand; I love pen and paper.
I write, read it over, then the next day read it before that day's work. I am very committed to that process, even when I'm dead tired and would only love to walk away from the monitor. Just my habit, and I can't seem to break it. |
| What are you working on now? I'm in the process of publishing; you can follow my progress here:
http://ayearofpublishingindependently.blogspot.com/ (...)
I tend to juggle several different manuscripts at once, editing first thing in the morning, getting my brain warm. Then once the tea has kicked in, I'll write until noon or when I finish that chapter. It's a routine that works for me.
I've published seven indie novels, all of which can be downloaded as free ebooks at Smashwords. My seventh independent novel, September Story, was released in April in paperback as well, at the site below:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/annascottgraham |
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Anna Scott Graham
California, USA
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