Guest-speaking
Arendell Parrott Academy September, 2015
Since readers often have questions regarding my life, publishing angst, and the fickle writing world at large, I thought I'd offer some answers. My own take on things, of course!
1. Why is "Tall" your middle name? And are you tall? Actually, this is my maiden name. As a gift to my husband on our wedding day, I took his last name and plunked "Tall" in the middle. It took a while to get used to! And no, I am only 5'3". Cuz what writer doesn't enjoy a little irony?
2. Which do you prefer to write, Young Adult or Adult? To be honest, I love them both. And Middle Grade. And plays. And musicals. But there aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. I am a servant to all the characters in my head, and they fight for visibility, so whoever wins...
3. What is the hardest part about writing? This answer is three-fold: 1) The waiting game. It takes FOREVER to hear back from publishers, no matter where my work sits in the queue. 2) The physical pain. My neck and wrists often ache, so I work out at the gym five days a week and stretch a LOT. I bought a standing desk, and that was a game-changer. 3) Marketing. Lots and lots and lots. The plus side is that I get to meet readers face to face at book signings, and nothing, except for writing, beats that!
4) How is it possible you've never had writer's block? I do not know--
it's a blessing and a curse! At least ten new story ideas come to me each week. I only write down a fraction for possible later use. I head to my office Monday through Thursday (around 11) and start writing. If you suffer from writer's block, my advice is take a long walk, a drive, or a shower, or paint some trim in your house. When you perform something by rote, ideas seem to flow more freely. Just be sure to record your ideas or they will be lost forever!
5) What's the best advice another writer has ever given you? If I may quote playwright Anton Chekhov, who said (not to me personally, though that would have been awesome), "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." My former writing mentors kept saying, "Show, not tell," but it was a concept I had difficulty with. When I found this quote, it clicked!!
6) What would you be if you weren't a writer? What I gave up to become a writer: a high school or college English teacher. I love being in the classroom, and young people are the most fun to teach because this form of communication unearths some pretty awesome stuff!
7) What kind of teenager were you? I was a deep-thinking, attention-seeking, fun-loving, procrastinating person. In that order! I was involved in theatre, played the violin in the school orchestra, sang in the chorus, jumped around as a cheerleader, and fell in "like" with every cute boy who gave me a nod. An overachiever in the arts, an underachiever in academia until I entered college. I did some stupid things in high school even though I was not a stupid person. And I did some mean things even though I was not a mean girl. I have always loved making people laugh and often got yelled at in class for being too talkative. But I had a big heart, even though it wasn't always in the right place.
8) What was your major in college? I moved to California on my own at nineteen to become an actress and worked as a waitress for years while taking private acting classes. I did quite a bit of movie and television work, but I wasn't finding any real footing. In my late twenties, college beckoned. In my last two semesters, I took a playwriting class and then a novel-writing class that changed my life forever. At thirty-five, I received my Bachelor's in Theatre Arts (paid for it all l myself, thank you very much). Although I still love being onstage, writing became my calling. Being a theatre major taught me to speak with confidence in front of a crowd, so I am grateful this was my major. It also "set the stage" for characterization, as actors and writers must dig deep into personas.
9) Physical book or ereader? Physical! I am a true-blue book sniffer. I love the smell of a new book and get a thrill from sticking a bookmark between the pages. I do own a Kindle, so when my books are formatted digitally, I can see how they look. Other than that, nothing is better to me than a tangible copy. Forever and always.
10) Is there such thing as overnight success? NO!!!!!!!!!! I believe I am speaking for most when I say that to find your own success, you not only have to work hard and work smart, but work for a long, long, long time. Years. Maybe decades. Diligence. Perseverance. Passion for and dedication to your craft. Respect for the work. Respect for others' wise words. Belief that you will eventually be taken seriously. The tortoise and the hare? You'd better be prepared to be the tortoise. But reptiles are cute, too!
For more tidbits, check out my Wordpress author interview! And follow if you like my blog posts!
1. Why is "Tall" your middle name? And are you tall? Actually, this is my maiden name. As a gift to my husband on our wedding day, I took his last name and plunked "Tall" in the middle. It took a while to get used to! And no, I am only 5'3". Cuz what writer doesn't enjoy a little irony?
2. Which do you prefer to write, Young Adult or Adult? To be honest, I love them both. And Middle Grade. And plays. And musicals. But there aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. I am a servant to all the characters in my head, and they fight for visibility, so whoever wins...
3. What is the hardest part about writing? This answer is three-fold: 1) The waiting game. It takes FOREVER to hear back from publishers, no matter where my work sits in the queue. 2) The physical pain. My neck and wrists often ache, so I work out at the gym five days a week and stretch a LOT. I bought a standing desk, and that was a game-changer. 3) Marketing. Lots and lots and lots. The plus side is that I get to meet readers face to face at book signings, and nothing, except for writing, beats that!
4) How is it possible you've never had writer's block? I do not know--
it's a blessing and a curse! At least ten new story ideas come to me each week. I only write down a fraction for possible later use. I head to my office Monday through Thursday (around 11) and start writing. If you suffer from writer's block, my advice is take a long walk, a drive, or a shower, or paint some trim in your house. When you perform something by rote, ideas seem to flow more freely. Just be sure to record your ideas or they will be lost forever!
5) What's the best advice another writer has ever given you? If I may quote playwright Anton Chekhov, who said (not to me personally, though that would have been awesome), "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." My former writing mentors kept saying, "Show, not tell," but it was a concept I had difficulty with. When I found this quote, it clicked!!
6) What would you be if you weren't a writer? What I gave up to become a writer: a high school or college English teacher. I love being in the classroom, and young people are the most fun to teach because this form of communication unearths some pretty awesome stuff!
7) What kind of teenager were you? I was a deep-thinking, attention-seeking, fun-loving, procrastinating person. In that order! I was involved in theatre, played the violin in the school orchestra, sang in the chorus, jumped around as a cheerleader, and fell in "like" with every cute boy who gave me a nod. An overachiever in the arts, an underachiever in academia until I entered college. I did some stupid things in high school even though I was not a stupid person. And I did some mean things even though I was not a mean girl. I have always loved making people laugh and often got yelled at in class for being too talkative. But I had a big heart, even though it wasn't always in the right place.
8) What was your major in college? I moved to California on my own at nineteen to become an actress and worked as a waitress for years while taking private acting classes. I did quite a bit of movie and television work, but I wasn't finding any real footing. In my late twenties, college beckoned. In my last two semesters, I took a playwriting class and then a novel-writing class that changed my life forever. At thirty-five, I received my Bachelor's in Theatre Arts (paid for it all l myself, thank you very much). Although I still love being onstage, writing became my calling. Being a theatre major taught me to speak with confidence in front of a crowd, so I am grateful this was my major. It also "set the stage" for characterization, as actors and writers must dig deep into personas.
9) Physical book or ereader? Physical! I am a true-blue book sniffer. I love the smell of a new book and get a thrill from sticking a bookmark between the pages. I do own a Kindle, so when my books are formatted digitally, I can see how they look. Other than that, nothing is better to me than a tangible copy. Forever and always.
10) Is there such thing as overnight success? NO!!!!!!!!!! I believe I am speaking for most when I say that to find your own success, you not only have to work hard and work smart, but work for a long, long, long time. Years. Maybe decades. Diligence. Perseverance. Passion for and dedication to your craft. Respect for the work. Respect for others' wise words. Belief that you will eventually be taken seriously. The tortoise and the hare? You'd better be prepared to be the tortoise. But reptiles are cute, too!
For more tidbits, check out my Wordpress author interview! And follow if you like my blog posts!