Katherine Harmon Courage

How did you become a writer?

I've always written--my mom says I even used to sit with a pad of paper and make rows and rows of squiggly lines before I knew the proper alphabet. As a kid and teenager I gravitated toward poetry and short stories. But once I reached college I became interested in narrative nonfiction. After looking at MFA programs while working as an assistant in book publishing in NYC, journalism school seemed downright practical (everything's relative). So I wound up getting my master's degree at the Missouri School of Journalism. From there, I was incredibly lucky to get an internship at Scientific American, which led to reporting and editing jobs there--as well as, indirectly, to my first book, Octopus! The Most Mysterious Creature in the Sea.

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

I was lucky to be supplied with terrific books--by my parents and grandparents--and surrounded by wonderfully encouraging teachers when I was growing up and through college and graduate school. I could never say my humble writing efforts have been influenced by such great works, but books that I return to again and again include: Moby Dick, Mrs. Dalloway, Ulysses, Trawler (by Redmond O'Hanlon) and Trsitram Shandy.

When and where do you write?

I only recently moved from Brooklyn to Colorado and became a full-time freelance writer--with an actual home office. Before that, I wrote my articles for work each day at my desk in Scientific American's open floor-plan offices and worked on my book at home in the evenings and on weekends (admittedly, mostly from an arm chair or the couch). Now, I sit down to work in my little office at my little desk facing the mountains in the morning right after breakfast. The morning often gets consumed with email and managing various projects. Midday I try to break for lunch and a run (or bike or swim). My real, focused writing starts closer to 4pm (by which point, I've usually migrated with my laptop to my arm chair) and lasts until my fiancé harangues me enough to knock off for the day (usually around 7pm). 

What are you working on now?

I have some feature articles and a blog series coming out this spring that I'm excited about. I also do ongoing editing work for Scientific American and maintain a regular blog there called "Octopus Chronicles." Right now I am mostly scrambling to polish off a handful of lingering freelance writing assignments so that I can clear a little bit of writing (and brain) space to finish up proposals for a few new book ideas. 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

Will I make a lot of enemies if I say, not really? I suffer more from writer's procrastination. And when I do finally make myself stop reading email and start writing, I always end up over writing. And I think there are three reasons for this: 1. Much of my daily writing is for monthly, daily, or online publications, where I am working with a word count limit (800 words never seems long enough to explain the awesomeness of sequencing ancient pathogens!) and tight deadlines. 2. I currently stick to journalism and other nonfiction, so the material out there in the world is endless. 3. I'm still relatively new to this professional writing thing, having been out of journalism school for only five years now. But I think I may take it as a good sign if I start getting writer's block. That would mean I am actually giving an article or book the time and mental space that it deserves.

What’s your advice to new writers?

I think it's pretty common advice, but I recommend writing as much as possible. Even if it's not for publication. That said, do start writing with an eye toward public consumption. That doesn't mean dumb things down or pitch silly stories if you don't like silly stories. But crafting a succinct, engaging, well structured article or story is a challenge--and one that will force you to become a better writer. And if you can, find an editor or experienced writer who is willing to edit your work and talk through their revisions with you. I learned some of the best and most basic lessons from my daily editors when I first started working at Scientific American. Also, get a deadline. They are what keep me in business. 

Katherine Harmon Courage is an award-winning freelance journalist and author who recently traded in the wilds of New York City for those of Colorado. From there she works as a contributing editor for Scientific American and also writes for WIRED, Gourmet, Popular Science, Nature, and others. Her first book, Octopus! The Most Mysterious Creature In the Sea was published in 2013 by Current, a division of Penguin Random House. Her work was also recently featured in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2013. Visit her website www.katherinecourage.com or follow her on Twitter: @KHCourage for more about health, science, writing, and, of course, octopuses.

Janet Fitch

How did you become a writer?

Lonely, ignored, I

discovered Dostoyevsky. Ah.

Kill the landlady.

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

Faulkner, JCO

Nin and Miller. Bergman films.

Williams, Tennessee.

When and where do you write?

Mornings, afternoons.

My secret lair or somewhere

Mountainous, discreet.

What are you working on now?

Terror and beauty.

The Russian Revolution.

Almost done. This year!

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

Am I a writer?

Is it hard? Do I yearn?

I love, also suffer.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Notice everything.

Love the senses. Ban the cliché.

Hold nothing back.

Janet Fitch is the author of White Oleander and Paint it Black, novels set in Los Angeles. She teaches creative writing at USC and the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and shares short shorts and writing tips at www.janetfitchwrites.wordpress.com.

Anne Gracie

How did you become a writer?

I've been a voracious reader since childhood, and I've always had stories in my head, but somehow I never thought of becoming a writer. But some years ago I was backpacking solo around the world, often in countries where I didn't speak the language, and the writing bug bit me. I started writing by hand in exercise books. When I got home again I started writing seriously — submitting work to publishers and researching the market, and a few years later I sold my first book.

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

All the authors of the books I devoured from when I was a child onward — the list is endless. I'm always discovering wonderful new writers and always learning from them. I love craft-of-writing books and here are some of my faves. Some of these are about writing novels, some from screenwriters because I think screenwriters concentrate more on storytelling, which is good for popular fiction.

         Dorothea Brande — Becoming a Writer. An oldie but still in print because it's good. My take on Dorothea is here: http://www.annegracie.com/writing/DorotheaBrande.html

         Linda Seger — Writing Unforgettable Characters. When I'm stuck, she always helps me go deeper into the characters.

         James N. Frey — How to Write Damn Good Fiction.

         Blake Snyder — Save The Cat  When I'm 3/4 of the way through a book and am convinced it's never going to work, I apply my story to his beat sheet and it usually calms me down when I find I'm more or less on track.

         Jerry Cleaver - Immediate Fiction.

I also have some articles on writing on my website, and on my "links" page I like to some writing sites I like.

When and where do you write?

I started off writing in notebooks anywhere — in my bed, in hotel rooms, cafes, train and bus stations etc., but once I got published I more or less only wrote at my desk. Then a few years ago I started writing by hand again — and again, that can happen anywhere. I'll explain more in my response to question 5. As to when, I write mostly in the morning and edit in the afternoon, but sometimes I'll write at night as well. Writing is like a muscle — the more you use it the stronger it gets and the easier it becomes.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on The Spring Bride — the third book in a series of four, called the Chance Sister's series, about four girls in Regency-era London who find themselves in dire straits and set about turning their lives around. It's my third series and my 17th book.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I call it "writer's anxiety" rather than "block" but yes, I have battled with it on and off — I think most writers will experience it at some time in their career. It's slowed me down, but I can't let it stop me altogether — I have contracts and obligations, thank goodness, and they're very motivating. I believe the root cause of it lies in perfectionism -- the kind of perfectionism where you know the minute you try to put the vision in your head into words, you will ruin it.

I've learned a number of strategies for dealing with it, apart from "talking myself down" from the anxiety. As I said above, I now write the first draft of a scene by hand in notebooks. I deal with the anxiety/perfectionism by telling myself it's "just scribble." Then I type it up onto the computer, telling myself "it's just typing." By then it's a first draft, and I can work on that. I guess I play a few mind games with myself.

I also keep a writing journal in which I reflect on my progress (or whine about my lack of progress and give myself a good talking to.

It's really helpful because there comes a stage in any book where I'm certain I can't make the story work, and that this will be the worst book ever and everyone will hate it and my career will be over — and then I'll flip through previous journals and find very similar sentiments about previous books — books that won awards or made “best of” lists. So then I'm reassured that if I can just work out this problem in this book (because it's always a different problem) I can make this book work, too. I also write about what I like about this story, and characters, and I “talk through” story problems with myself. I love my journal.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Love the work. There will be days when that's very hard to do, but once you get past the difficulty, and the story is spinning in your brain and the words are flying and your world has sprung into being and your characters  have come to life and it feels like they're taking you on an adventure, there's no better feeling.

Also, when you're in the early stages of a story, try not to think about the market and what's hot and what people are buying at the moment. Go deep into your world and your characters and stay true to them. Yes, to have a career in writing you need to please the readers, but first you have to serve the characters and the story. Breakout books come from wonderful, fresh, original stories, not people second-guessing the market. So have faith in your own, unique vision.

Anne Gracie wrote her first novel while backpacking solo around the world, and while that novel never even got typed up, it was a start. Anne is published by Berkley USA (and Penguin Australia) and is a nationally bestselling author in the USA. A former president and honorary lifetime member of Romance Writers of Australia, she's a four time RITA finalist, has won a number of awards and has several times been featured on national "best of" lists in the USA. Her books have been translated into sixteen different languages, including Japanese manga editions.

As well as writing, Anne has had a lifelong interest in promoting adult literacy — it started when she was at university — and until recently, she kept bees in her back yard. Her website is: www.annegracie.com. Writers might also be interested in Anne's writing articles: http://www.annegracie.com/writing/writing.htm.