Catherine McKenzie

How did you become a writer?

I’ve always been a writer — I wrote poetry from an early age. I started writing novels kind of by accident. I had an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone, but I didn’t know what it was. So I sat down and started writing. Six months later, I had something resembling a novel, but I knew I could do better. So I put it in a drawer and wrote another one. That book eventually sold and became Arranged.

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

I'm an avid reader - have been all my life. I grew up reading detective fiction - Rex Stout, PD James, Dick Francis and Agatha Christie. I had a couple of great English teachers in high school who instilled some rigour in my writing. I love Jane Austen and Nick Hornby, and I think from the beginning, I was trying to write something that was in that space — character driven stories.

When and where do you write? 

I write anywhere really, but often in front of the TV - it helps me to have something distracting me when I write. I most often write on the weekends.

What are you working on now? 

I’ve just turned in my fifth novel, SMOKE which will be releasing on October 20, 2015.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I wouldn’t say I’ve suffered from writer’s block. Writer’s fatigue sometimes. Idea block for sure.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Read, read, read, read. If you don’t love books, why do you want to write one? And then write. Learn to write whether you’re feeling inspired or not because you’re not always going to feel inspired but you’ll have to write nonetheless.

Bio: A graduate of McGill University in History and Law, Catherine practices law in Montreal, where she was born and raised. An avid skier and runner, Catherine's novels, SPIN, ARRANGED, FORGOTTEN and HIDDEN, are all international bestsellers and have been translated into numerous languages. Her most recent release is SPUN - a novella sequel to her first novel, SPIN. HIDDEN was also a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Digital Bookworld bestseller. Her fifth novel, SMOKE, will be published in the US by Lake Union on October 20, 2015. And if you want to know how she has time to do all that, the answer is: robots. Visit her online at www.catherinemckenzie.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/catherinemckenzieauthor, and on Twitter at @cemckenzie1.

Nahid Rachlin

How did you become a writer?

When I was an infant my mother, who already had seven children, gave me to my childless aunt to raise as her own child. Then when I was nine years old my father came to my elementary school in Tehran and forcefully took me back to live with him, my birth mother, and siblings in Ahvaz, a town miles away from Tehran. I was happy being an only child to my loving aunt and it was traumatic to be forced into living with my birth family, I hardly knew. This trauma led me to reading books to find answers to my questions. In turn reading led me to writing. In writing I could give shape to incidents that were painful, seemed meaningless or random, chaotic. I found that even if I wrote about a depressing subject, the process itself made me happy. Writing then became an ingrained habit, a need.

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

When I was in high school, I found a bookstore with books by European and American writers in translation. I read almost everything I found in translation—work by Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, Hemingway, Balzac. Of course, I also read books by Iranian writers. I probably absorbed some of the techniques used by the writers I read. I can’t say I was influenced by a particular writer.

One of my composition teachers in high school liked the pieces I handed in for assignments. She was unusual in that she believed women should have a voice and not settle for prescribed roles in the male dominated world I grew up in. She was a big influence on me, both in her encouragement of my writing and my development as a more independent person.

When and where do you write?

I try to write three hours in the morning. If appointments stop me from writing in the morning then I write in the afternoon. I like working at home. So I just go to my desk and start writing. 

What are you working on now? 

I am putting together a short story collection, that includes a novella. Also  I am working on a novel.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

No, I haven’t had a writer’s block, but in general I write slowly. I usually become interested in a particular character or theme and then it takes me a few revisions before I even know what details in the story would convey what I am trying to develop.  

What’s your advice to new writers?

If you become too self-critical, you may get a writer’s block. It’s best to just put words on the page, until something clicks. Then be prepared to revise until you are satisfied with the outcome of your story or whatever you are writing. It is also important to read a lot. Reading can inspire you and also show you some techniques that you may not already have.

Nahid Rachlin (http://www.nahidrachlin.com) went to Columbia University Writing Program on a Doubleday-Columbia Fellowship and then to Stanford University MFA program on a Stegner Fellowship. Her publications include a memoir, PERSIAN GIRLS (Penguin), four novels, JUMPING OVER FIRE (City Lights), FOREIGNER (W.W. Norton), MARRIED TO A STRANGER (E.P.Dutton-Penguin), THE HEART'S DESIRE (City Lights), and a collection of short stories, VEILS (City Lights). Her individual short stories have appeared in more than fifty magazines and of her stories was adopted by Symphony Space, “Selected Shorts,” and was aired on NPR’s around the country. She has been judge for several fiction awards and competitions, among them, Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction (2015)  sponsored by AWP, Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award sponsored by Poets & Writers. She has taught at Barnard College, Yale University and the New School University.

Ellen Meister

How did you become a writer?

A lot of authors have a story about the wonderful teacher who was nurturing, kind and inspirational. This isn't one of those. This is about a mean, arrogant, ice-cold high school English teacher who didn't like me one bit. I handed in a writing assignment that was a scene between two characters, and got it back from him with an A- and the grudging compliment, This is essentially believable dialogue. Even though it was less than enthusiastic, it was enough. Something clicked and I thought, Yes. It really is. And I knew right then that this was The Thing I Could Do. It took me decades to stop procrastinating and get to work, but it was a defining moment.

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

The first writer to inspire me was J.D. Salinger, but it wasn't The Cather in the Rye, it was Nine Stories. His ear for dialogue kicked me right in the solar plexus. Since then, I've tried to glean at least one small nugget from whatever I'm reading. It's something I tell my creating writing students—if you're paying attention, each book has something to teach you.

When and where do you write?

Mostly in my home office in the wee hours of the morning. I do my best work before sunrise.

What are you working on now?

I'm juggling two embryonic novel ideas, and they're in that delicate stage where I can't quite talk about them. Soon, I hope.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I don't believe in writer's block. I think that term simply means that you haven't yet decided where your story is going, and expect your muse to materialize overhead and deliver it. Perhaps it works that way for some people, but for most of us, it just takes work. So when I get stuck, I open a blank Word doc and write down all the questions I have about the story and all the possible answers. After a time, the right direction emerges.

What’s your advice to new writers?

Impatience is our enemy, especially with the lure of self-publishing offering instant gratification. No matter what route you choose, understand that it takes time to get your book in shape. Even when you think you're done, you're not. Revise and edit, then revise and edit again. Repeat until you go mad. Congratulations, you are a writer!

Ellen Meister is the author of five novels, including DOROTHY PARKER DRANK HERE (Putnam 2015) , FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER (Putnam 2013), THE OTHER LIFE (Putnam  2011) and THE SMART ONE (HarperCollins 2008). Her essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal blog, the Huffington Post, Publishers Weekly, Long Island Woman Magazine, Writer's Digest and more.  Ellen teaches creative writing at Hofstra University Continuing Education, mentors emerging authors, lectures on Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table, and does public speaking about her books and other writing-related topics. She runs a popular Dorothy Parker page on Facebook.