Interview with:Grace Reddick [grace4books]
WRITING
 | What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote? As I recall, I did not read a lot as a young child. My interest in reading evolved during the early years of my marriage.
I first began to journal. It was, and still is very therapeutic. I soon became aware of a overwhelming desire to write. This lead to writing poetry, I then wrote a couple of children's stories. A lot of the poetry was published in the local paper. One of my short stories was accepted by a publisher out of New York. However, I declined the offer.
The first person to read what I had written was my mom. I wrote a poem for her for Mothers Day, and it was also published in the local paper. |
| 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? |
| What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write? For the children's stories, I have these ideas buzzing around in my head. I seem to have more ideas than work to show for it. I know the ending before I write, I just have to fill in the intriguing aspects in order to bring it to life.
I'm also writing another book based on a personal experience.
At times when I begin to write, the words within me begins to spin around so fast, that I often find it difficult to articulate my thoughts. I do a lot of rewriting; perhaps this is a hurdle I must overcome. |
| What type of reading inspires you to write? I enjoy biographies. I'm eager to learn as much about the writing industry as possible.
Books that strengthen my personal growth with God, and enables me to extend my abilities to reach my fullest capacity. |
| What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story? The story should grab the reader right away, and continue to hold their interest. The story also needs to draw them inside, giving them the opportunity to feel as though they're living it themselves. It should come from the heart. If I cannot feel it myself, I will not write it. |
| What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? This depends on the type of story. I think that first-person is needed for stories based on experiences you have encountered. I prefer third person for fiction. It allows more flexibility, therefore giving the reader more information on the characters. |
| What well known writers do you admire most? I don't particularly have a favorite. However, I do like certain books by various Christian authors. These would include but not limited to, Jentezen Franklin, Kay Arthur, Scott Thomas, and Morris Cerullo. |
| What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours? My characters are created from my imagination, and I use the names of my grandchildren for them. To make a character believable I visualize myself as being there with them as the story unfolds. I will also sit back, close my eyes, and talk as though I'm speaking with my grandchildren in order to get the feel of what they might say in these situations.
Of course, as I'm writing on personal experiences, I can be there. |
| Are you equally good at telling stories orally? It varies, sometimes I feel as though I do just as well telling the story orally. But on the other hand, writing seems to open up my mind. |
| Deep down inside, who do you write for? You know I'm tempted to say for myself, but that isn't necessarily the case. Sure I want to be completely satisfied with what I have written, but my main objective is to bring laughter, thrills, and excitement to children. The other books, such as, my biography, personal experiences, and the struggles I've encountered, as well as the obstacles I've had to overcome in order to achieve my dream of a becoming a published author, will hopefully be of inspiration to others facing the same or similar situations. . |
| Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force? Yes, definitely, it was and still is for me. I don't believe I would be where I am today, as a writer, had it not been for journaling.
I'm not sure how I would answer the question concerning internal conflicts. I feel quite sure this could be a very real issue. |
| Does reader feed-back help you? Yes. I welcome feed-back. It helps to refine my writing, and could, at times, put things into perspective. |
| Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards? I have on occasion, and I have won a few awards. |
| Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust? Yes I do. I am eager for it to be seen, but often after showing it, I will rewrite. Hmmm, come to think of it, I do this a lot. |
| Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for? Yes I have, but to perfect it, keeps me searching for more. |
| What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.? I must admit, I fall short here. I would love to spend all day, every day writing, but unfortunately there is life outside my office. I'm working on two books, so I have to divide my time, what little of it there is. Devoting several hours a day is my goal. |
| What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate? I have my own office, it has four windows, and plenty of room. HOWEVER, it is not secluded enough. If I should lock the door, inevitably, someone WILL knock. I prefer silence while working. This is the only way I can fully concentrate. |
| Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process? I do it all on my laptop. I make corrections and rewrite, Rarely do I print anything. This seems to work best for me. |
| What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information? |
| What has been your experience with publishers? Many rejections with encouraging words. Golly, I was looking for publication. And when I finally received a contract from a very well know publisher, I sat on it. I was so green. Once I began to write again, I was contacted by a publisher, Xlibris. Although this was not the traditional publishing route, I chose to go this way in order to not prolong the process. Of course all of the promoting of myself and my book became my responsibility, which has worked out very well. |
| What are you working on now? I am currently writing two very different books. Forsaken Land is fiction and for all ages, and the other, I have not titled. It's focus is on my personal situation of achieving my dream of becoming a published author. With no professional training or background in writing, I set out to learn as much as possible online and reading what was suggested. I wrote my first children's book during this time.
The synopsis of each are located here: http://www.gracereddick.shoutpost.com and
http://www.blogtext.org/starlite
My website is http://www.grace4books.com |
| What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone? If you have a passion for what you have written, it should be treasured. I have never discarded anything. Sure, the style may have changed, but the story remains the same.
The book, "Ashley's Unforgettable Summer," is a story I wrote many years ago while my two girls were young children. I say, go for it. |
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Grace Reddick
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