Tag Archives: writer interview

Sung Kim Shares the Struggles and Aspirations of a Self-Taught Writer

Writer Sung Kim

Writer Sung Kim

Sung Kim is a South Korean immigrant who came to the United States in 1984 at the tender age of ten with his parents and older brother. Sung’s practice in writing short stories has led him to the current challenge of working on two novels simultaneously. He has a degree in art and shares his thoughts on what it’s like to be a self-taught writer.

You are a graphic designer by trade, what attracted you to putting words on the page?

As anyone who enjoys reading, I too, since a young age, always wondered if I could write a book. When I first came across Cormac McCarthy I thought if only I could write just one paragraph or even a sentence like him, I would die a happy man. So, one day, after a long period of procrastination, I sat on my dining room table, pictured a scene in my head, and just wrote. To my surprise it was quite good. To this day, I think what I wrote on that kitchen table might be my best paragraph yet.

Why and how are you working on two novels at once?

It comes from my short story writing habits. I always write multiple, that way if I get stuck on one, I can continue on with another. I was hoping that it will carry over to novels, but so far it doesn’t seem to want to work as I am stuck on both novels. I am finding novels are a completely different animal from short stories. Continue reading

John Maxwell on Being a Not-Yet Published Writer

Profile of BWW member John MaxwellBWW member John Maxwell has not published any books yet. He is working on a young adult fiction story about a troubled boy who encounters an old wise man who agrees to take him down river in a canoe so the boy can reach his ailing mother. John is also working on a non-fiction book that shares the lessons he’s learned as a sales training mentor to small business owners. In this interview he shares his thoughts on the unromantic parts of being a not-yet published writer.

How often do you stare at a blank screen and produce nothing worthwhile?

It happens frequently. Too often I sit down with the intention to write and I have nothing in my head. Sometimes I’d just jump into it and write a few paragraphs. Then I read it and decide that what I have written is crap and I just delete it.  I know the formula to break this is to change my surroundings or immerse myself in other creative work. When my brain is re-stimulated, the content can begin to flow again.  Continue reading

Welcome to the Young Adult Fantasy World of Author Dorothy Winsor

Author Dorothy WinsorDorothy Winsor is a former English professor at Iowa State University who taught technical writing. She served as editor of the Journal of Business and Technical Communication and won six national awards for her research on the communication practices of engineers. After retiring, she turned her talent to writing for a much different audience. She now writes young adult fantasy books published by U.K.-based Inspired Quill.

You’ve written and published five young adult fantasy books since 2015. How do your stories come to you?

Usually, they’re sparked by something I read, or hear on the news, or see on TV. When I find myself thinking, “Huh, that’s interesting,” it often means that’s an idea I can twist or slide a little sideways to create something new.

For example, I got the idea for The Wind Reader when my husband was watching the old TV show “Psyche.” That show is about a fake psychic who’s approached by the police to help solve a crime. When he succeeds in doing so, he’s stuck having to keep faking it convincingly.

I write YA fantasy and the idea of fake psychic made me think of using a fake fortune teller. My central character is marooned in a city far from home. To earn enough to eat he fakes being able to tell fortunes. Then he accidentally tells a true fortune for the prince and is taken into the castle to be the royal fortune teller, where, like the character in “Psyche,” he has to keep faking it convincingly in the midst of an assassination plot. Continue reading

T.D. Arkenberg Discusses Writing and Publishing in Multiple Genres

T.D. Arkenberg

 

Todd Arkenberg is the author of three novels, two non-fiction books, and a collection of short stories that have received multiple honors and awards. Arkenberg received a BA degree in Literature from Northwestern University and an MBA from The University of Chicago. He is an active member of the Barrington Writers Workshop. See his website at tdarkenberg.com

 

 

Why, in your late 40s, did you decide to forgo your career as an airline executive to write full time?

After 23 years in various executive positions at United Airlines, I decided the time was right to leave the corporate world. I’d just completed a major project to create a platform and framework for cultural change at the airline. I’m proud of my work at United and still consider many of my colleagues, dear friends. A supportive spouse with a good job made my risky decision possible. Continue reading