Denise Turney

How did you become a writer? 

Love this question! It all started with a love of reading books. Did I ever read loads of books when I was a kid. In fact, I read about 30 to 55 books a week as a kid. Plus, I was active and outside a lot. I just loved to read. When I was 10 years old, my sister came running up the living room steps carrying a book of poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks. Back then, there were next to no books written by or about African Americans in secondary schools, etc., so the book definitely caught my attention! No sooner did my sister put that book on the bed that we shared did she turn and, rocking a full, energetic smile, say, "Bye! I'm going back outside!" To this day, I don't think my sister (she's a school teacher today) EVER read that book. I was in a funk, but I soon picked the book up and started reading. Those characters and those scenes that Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about came alive! Did they ever. I'm telling you, I did not want that book to end. After I reached the end, I sat on the edge of the bed and this odd, eerie, peaceful feeling came over me. It came from deep down inside me. I paused in curiosity as to what caused the feeling. Then, my mouth swung open and I exclaimed to the empty room, "Ah! I'm a writer!" I call that my "burning bush" experience. The awareness/revelation came from deep down inside of me. I've been writing ever since. 

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

My favorite childhood book character remains the one and only, Pippi Longstocking! Love her spunk, her courage and her imagination! Also, loved Mildred Taylor's "Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry". Then, there was an aunt who read to me and my siblings with so much energy, it was like she was performing live on stage. Did she ever bring a story to life while she read out loud! They were definitely early reading/writing influences.


When and where do you write? 

Generally, I write novels while sitting at my small, round dining room table. One of my laptops is on this table, making it convenient to write at the table. When I first started out, I actually wrote in cursive in a spiral notebook. From there, I advanced to a manual then to an electric typewriter (Remember those days?!) Regarding "when" I write . . . I write at least once a day. On weekends, I write in the afternoon or evening. On Saturdays, I write at any time. 

What are you working on now?

Thank you for asking. My new novel, "Escaping Toward Freedom,” will be out January/February 2022. This story deals with a topic making headline news —human trafficking. It's a straight up, high paced mystery. Think it'll keep readers turning the pages without a second thought. Then, the second book in my middle-school "Rosetta" book series should be out around summer 2022. Rosetta is a spunk 10-year-old. Her mother is an artist and her dad is marketing executive at a major firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. Rosetta is mischievous and courageous. She comes up with the most off-the-wall, creative ideas! And, things just don't go as she plans. In this second book, she's decided to put on a city-wide skateboarding competition.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

No. I don't think I've ever suffered from writer's block. I've felt tired and didn't want to write at times. A tip for those who might be dealing with writer's block is to try sitting down and just writing (or typing) anything, and I do mean anything. Just get words down. Another thing is to remind that the juice in the story is coming through the first draft. You can always edit and try to make it "perfect" later.

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

Write that first draft for yourself. Edit and market the story from the reader's point of view. Oh, and — write every day. The more you write and read, the sharper your pencil will get.

What’s your advice to new writers?

If you want to write, do just that — write. Book sales don't always reflect a story's depth or quality. If a story moves you (and I'm talking "really" moves you), it has one reader it impacted deeply and, to me, that's worth it. If you want to earn an income from selling books, write stories to market. In other words, write stories that have a sizable audience, people who will quickly and eagerly buy the story. Believe in yourself and let yourself absolutely love creating awesome stories!

Denise Turney (www.chistell.com) is a professional speaker and writer who brings more than forty years of book, newspaper, magazine, radio and business speaking and writing to a project.  She has been listed in various entertainment and business directories, including industry leaders such as Who’s Who, 100 Most Admired African American Women and Crosswalk.  Denise Turney’s works have appeared in Parade, Essence, Ebony, Madame Noire, We The People, The Trenton Times, The Pittsburgh Quarterly and Obsidian II. This talented speaker/writer is the author of the books: Portia, Spiral, Love Has Many Faces, Rosetta, The Talent Show Queen, Rosetta's Great Hope, Long Walk Up, Awaken Blessings of Inner Love, Pathways To Tremendous Success, Gada's Glory, Love Pour Over Me, and Escaping To Freedom.

Kim Liao

How did you become a writer?

I think that I've wanted to be a writer ever since I could finish a chapter book myself. When I was a kid, my mom and I would read a chapter of a classic kid's book each night at bedtime. When I got to be a good enough reader, I would just finish the book the next morning to find out what happened next. When Anne of Green Gables says that she's a writer (maybe it's in Anne of Avonlea), I was like, YEAH, ME TOO, ONE DAY. I was probably eight or nine when I became aware that this was my lifelong dream.

In terms of the actual series of events, I wrote on my own without showing anyone anything until college, when I took Ryan Harty's short fiction class in the spring of my freshman year. It was magical. I was totally sold on being a writer for about six months; then in my sophomore year, I took a very harsh workshop class that completely discouraged me from being a writer, so I decided to be an academic or a trade publishing house editor. I went to Emerson College for their Master's Program in Publishing, but after taking Doug Whynott's Creative Nonfiction class, I declared my wholehearted commitment to being a nonfiction/prose writer and never turned back. I wound up getting an MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing at Emerson, and then toiling away trying to get published for the next decade or so. And that about brings us up to date.

The funny thing is that I think writers are always questioning whether they are "real" writers. My first publication in a literary journal was in 2008, but I didn't really feel like a "real" writer until my essay on collecting 100 rejections in Lit Hub went viral in 2016, because then people were actually reading my writing in a more widespread way. (I actually joked with a friend that I should retire that summer, because it was only going to be downhill after that one surprise bit of success.)

When I published a personal piece in The New York Times in February 2020 (mere weeks before lockdown in NYC), I remember asking a writing friend if now I could call myself a real writer. "Have I emerged from emerging?" I asked him. He nodded, rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of my question and my enduring insecurity, and said, "Definitely." But I think some of us feel like one has to have a book out to be a real writer, so I suppose that is the next goal.

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

Some of my most wonderful writing teachers ever include Doug Whynott, Megan Marshall, Richard Hoffman, Michele Filgate, and Ryan Harty. The books that have inspired me most include those written by Tracy Kidder, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Lethem, Betty Smith, T Kira Madden, Ann Patchett, Alison Bechdel, Rebecca Makkai, Charles Yu, Samuel Beckett, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Ottessa Moshfegh. I'm a craft book junkie, so I read Anne Lamott and Natalie Goldberg until the paperback spines of their books fell apart. I call Natalie Goldberg my teacher, because I believe in the truths of Writing Down the Bones so fiercely, but I have never taken a class with her. 

When and where do you write?

I write best in the mornings, first thing, right after waking up, before I have really settled into the day and into reality. With that being said, life has demands, so I still try to get pages in on mornings if I can. I try for weekends when the semester is in full force and I'm teaching (I don't write very well at the same time as teaching, but then I do deep dives during breaks). I've had glorious days of writing residencies when I get to write all day, but I usually don't write at night anymore. (When I was in my 20s, I wrote at night a lot.) 

Prior to COVID-19, I was a huge cafe writer and loved the white noise and caffeinated highs of coffee shops. Now, I have a shared home office/studio and I actually really love writing there. It's almost a room of my own, and when I'm at my cozy desk, I feel like my best writer self.

What are you working on now?

Good question. I thought that I finished revisions of a nonfiction family memoir about the Taiwanese Independence Movement over the summer, but I just got some constructive agent feedback that is making me think I need to restructure the book and re-frame it as more of a historical adventure drama. So I am about to dive into those structural and framing revisions now. 

I am also working on some shorter pitches for articles, essays, and book reviews, trying to keep my spirits up. When I work on a long thing for awhile, I need a little instant gratification in the form of shorter stuff. I go back and forth. I have a new idea for a long thing that's percolating, but can't discuss it yet. Here's something I've learned the hard way: don't talk about your work until you're ready!

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I used to not really be a writer's block person, since I usually had a big project I was working on, as well as short little projects (essays or articles or book reviews) that I would spin off periodically. But I actually had terrible writer's block during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during 2020. I think that there are a lot of us who felt like, how can we possibly create art during this horrific time. Also, I found that whenever I did write something, it was about how COVID-19 changed... x, y, and z... it was very boring. 

But at the beginning of 2021, I finally came out of it and started revising my Taiwan book with great abandon. Last summer was the most productive I've been in years, as a writer. Then this fall, less so. You've got to forgive yourself when you're not writing! It will come back. You just need to feel it and get back in the groove.

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

From Natalie Goldberg: Writing will always be waiting for you when you return to it. Cut through everything to your first thoughts, and don't judge yourself. You can look back at it later.

From Anne Lamott: Shitty first drafts pave the way to wonderful published pieces. Also, publication isn't everything you think it is. Find a way to be enough without the external gratification of others.

From my old friend Chip: Always submit to the New Yorker, New York Times, Paris Review. Whatever you see as your top place, always try it. You never know. Don't sell yourself short.

What’s your advice to new writers?

It takes time to get to know yourself and your own voice. Be fearless! Work hard! Play. Don't take it too seriously. Remember why you love writing and write to that place. Those who become great writers spend decades writing. Enjoy the journey. 

Kim Liao's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Catapult, Lit Hub, The Rumpus, Salon, The Millions, River Teeth, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Fringe, and others. Her essay in Lit Hub about collecting rejections went viral--starting the #100rejections challenge--and led to her being dubbed a "Rejection Expert," a title she wears with a healthy dose of irony. A Writing Lecturer at John Jay College, she is currently revising a historical drama about the Taiwanese Independence Movement.

Steve Sheinkin

How did you become a writer?

When I was about thirteen, my younger brother and I decided to be a famous filmmakers. We wrote short comedy sketches, which we videotaped. I watched some recently. The acting is awful, and don’t ask about the production value, but a few of the ideas are pretty funny. We went on to write and direct a feature film called A More Perfect Union in our early twenties. A total flop, and it left us deep in debt, but I’ve never learned so much so quickly. 

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

Mostly Mr. Linderman. We’re talking fourth or fifth grade. He’d tell these stories that, in my memory, lasted for weeks. The stories were from Greek mythology, the Odyssey, that kind of thing—but it was all new to me. I’ll never forget the feeling of wonder and excitement as he began a new tale. I’m not saying I can recreate that in my writing, but it’s worth trying. 

When and where do you write? 

I’m lucky to get to do this as my job. So I’m in my office all day almost every day, either researching, writing, or revising. Pretty unromantic, I guess, but it’s way better than the dozens of crummy jobs I’ve had over the years.

What are you working on now? 

I’m adapting one of my nonfiction books, Bomb, into a graphic novel. It’s a great experience, since I started by dreaming of screenplays, and comics and film are so similar. Plus, I get to make up dialogue, which you obviously can’t do in nonfiction. 

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

Sure, mainly in terms of how to quickly explain something. For years I worked as a textbook writer. I know, it’s terrible. I apologize to kids all the time. So now, when I’m trying to introduce a complex concept that young readers may not know much about, I’m terrified of writing something that could be in a textbook. I get stuck on this all the time, and have found no solution other than the classic clunky first draft + revision. 

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

I think Tim Gunn gave great writing advice on Project Runway. I mean, he was talking about fashion, but I heard it as writing advice. He’d look at one piece and say, “Turn up the volume.” Then he’d look at another piece and say, “You already have one ‘wow’ factor, you don’t need another.” The balance between those two reactions—that’s what I’m going for. 

What’s your advice to new writers?

There’s no magic formula. Just start. Write a terrible first draft, step away, and then revise. Then show it to a trusted reader without comment. Listen to their feedback, especially if they feel that something in the draft was either slow or unclear. Then revise again. There may be a faster way, but I haven’t found it.

Steve Sheinkin is the author of young adult nonfiction books including Fallout, Bomb, Undefeated, Most Dangerous, and The Port Chicago 50. Awards include a Newbery Honor and three National Book Award finalists. Steve lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.