David Heska Wanbli Weiden

How did you become a writer?

I’ve been obsessed by language, narrative, and books as long as I can remember, and always had the idea that perhaps I could be a writer someday. But I grew up in a financially challenged home and felt compelled—like many first-generation college students--to follow a secure career path, so I became a lawyer and later a teacher. But the dream stayed with me, and when my children were past the infant stage, I started writing some short stories. I thought they were great at the time, but I cringe now at the truly terrible prose and dialogue I wrote! But I stuck with it, and took some classes at a writing center in Indiana. There, my teacher encouraged me to get formal training in creative writing, so I enrolled in the low-residency MFA program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and later the Institute of American Indian Arts. It was wonderful to connect with like-minded people at those schools, and I soaked up as many craft books and articles as I could. Those years were really important to me, and I’m delighted now to help emerging writers as a faculty member at two MFA programs and a local writing workshop. 

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.)

My teachers at Vermont College of Fine Arts and the Institute of American Indian Arts were all fantastic. They guided me in a very supportive way and helped me identify the (many!) weaknesses in my writing. In particular, David Jauss’s craft books and articles were tremendously helpful, and I assign them now to my writing students. For learning plot and narrative structure, I recommend reading screenplay writing books, especially the Save the Cat! series. Although some people don’t like the screenplay template used in those books, I advise that it’s wise to first learn the standard three-act narrative structure before you try alternatives. In terms of novels, the works of Larry McMurtry and James Welch were crucial to me, both as a reader and writer. 

When and where do you write? 

As the father of two teenage boys, I have to carve out writing time whenever I can. Generally, that means very, very early in the morning and sometimes late at night. I have a home office with a wonderful view of some maple trees, but I get cabin fever easily and find that a trip to the coffeehouse will often help my writing. I strongly recommend changing your writing routine (time, place, music, anything different) if you feel you’re stuck.

What are you working on now? 

The sequel to Winter Counts! I’m truly delighted to share that there will be another Virgil Wounded Horse novel. The working title is Wounded Horse, and I’m working on it now. Virgil, Marie, Nathan, and Tommy will be back, as well as a surprising new character. Writing the second book in a series presents some challenges I haven’t faced before, and I’m learning as I go. For example, there’s a balancing act between presenting enough information for readers who may not have read the first book but not boring those who did. There’s also the challenge of having your characters grow and change, but not so much that you lose their fundamental nature. 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

Certainly. There have been times that I just can’t get my creative work going, and that’s when I turn to editing, research, or some other task related to my current project. I think it’s important to realize that sometimes you just won’t be able to create, for whatever reason. But it’s critical to use your time productively and keep your momentum going on a project. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Be ruthless when editing your own work! When you think you’ve done as much revision and editing as you can, go over your manuscript one more time and take out any unnecessary language. A writing instructor said this to me years ago, but I didn’t really understand it until I had to edit the final manuscript for Winter Counts and take out 10,000 words. I didn’t think I could cut that much out, but I was wrong. I looked at every scene and every paragraph and mercilessly edited it. I ended up with a much tighter and cleaner book and learned a valuable lesson.

What’s your advice to new writers?

I often hear the advice, “Write every day without fail!” But I don’t agree with that. We all deal with family and career issues, and sometimes you have to put your writing down for a period of time. So, forgive yourself if you need to focus on other tasks for a bit. But let me be clear:  being a serious writer requires a considerable time commitment. Writing a novel, memoir, or other creative work takes a massive amount of time, and you will most likely have to sacrifice something to achieve the dream of completing your work. While writing Winter Counts, I had to give up watching movies and attending concerts, some of my favorite activities. But I promise it will be worth it when you finish your project.

Bonus advice! In a workshop, I find that new writers often discount the suggestions from fellow students and only listen to their instructors. That’s a mistake. Every reader—even if they’re not a well-established author—has something to tell you, and you should consider carefully what they’re saying. Of course, you’ll end up discounting many of those comments, but you may find that someone has discovered an area for revision that you (or the teacher) hadn’t realized. In other words, be open to all good-faith suggestions, whatever the source. 

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, is the author of the novel Winter Counts (Ecco/HarperCollins, 2020), a New York Times Editors’ Choice, Amazon Best Book, Best of the Month by Apple Books, Indie Next Great Reads pick, and main selection of the Book of the Month Club. He also wrote the children’s book Spotted Tail (Reycraft, 2019), winner of the 2020 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. He’s the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, a Ragdale Foundation residency, the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship, and was a Tin House Scholar. He received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and is professor of Native American studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver.