I receive remarkable questions from students and readers—about stories, history, the process of writing, and all those dark, unexplored crevices in history. It never ceases to amaze me how inquisitive young minds can be. I learn so much for what I’m asked to consider or rethink, so whether you’re a young reader or not, ask away… Submit a question!
Q: What sources do you use to find out what people ate?
Q: What sources do you use to find out what people ate? A: Research. I look for receipts, journals, diaries, recipes, and letters—anything that may help to identify what someone ate. These primary source documents help me determine who ate what depending on social status, social situation, and time of year. Like today, money determined […]
Q: What is your writer kryptonite?
Q: What is your writer kryptonite? A: Bizarre, but true, facts are my kryptonite. When I am doing research, I love finding a weird, little known fact. After that, I find it hard to stay on-track, and finish what I was originally supposed to locate. Before I know it, hours have passed and I’m down […]
Q: Why is it important for writers to be avid readers?
Q: Why is it important for writers to be avid readers? A: To become better writers. Here are two ways being an avid reader will help your writing. Each of these provides an opportunity to learn and hone your craft. Don’t be afraid—if it doesn’t work there’s always the delete key.
Q: How did you start writing short stories?
Q: How did you start writing short stories? A: As a challenge to myself. And partially an accident. I had worked on a manuscript for the better part of a year. I had some good scenes, some like-able characters, but the narrative never felt cohesive. No matter how much I revised, I could never get […]
Q: Why are you writing short stories? You’re a novelist!
Q: Why are you writing short stories? You’re a novelist! A: I write short stories for two main reasons. 1. Finding the correct medium is as important as the story itself, and not all mediums best serve a narrative arc. How many times have you watched a limited series and thought, “Why didn’t they just make this […]
Q: How do you make primary sources or well-known stories new and relevant?
Q: How do you make primary sources or well-known stories new and relevant? A: There are myriad ways to modernize a narrative, fiction or nonfiction. Changing the point-of-view (POV) is the most effective for me. For example, write the POV from someone not in the original narrative. But I also rely on tropes. Why? Because character-driven […]
Q: Are you a PANTSTER or a PLOTTER?
Q: Are you a PANTSTER or a PLOTTER? A: For those of you unfamiliar with these terms, writers identifying as pantsters write “by the seat of their pants”, while plotters plan everything before putting proverbial pen to paper. I’m a little of both, a plantser, if you will. Which makes sense, I’m primarily an historical […]
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your work?
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your work? Enjoyment, first and foremost. At the end of the day, I write fiction, so the story matters. After that, I hope the reader is curious enough to deconstruct my work, analyzing why I chose the words I did or to research some elements of […]
Q: Have your pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
Q: Have your pets ever gotten in the way of your writing? You mean like this? (See above pic) They may hinder the flow from time to time—they do have needs, after all, but overall, they make life more enjoyable. They remind me to take breaks, to pet them; that I am loved, as they […]
Q: Why Shakespeare?
Q: Why Shakespeare? (Yep—this is the question. In its entirety.) Why not Shakespeare? (My middle school self would be patting herself on the back for this pithy retort. The grown-up me says, hold my wine….) Shakes is the best! His plays are just good stories: solid narratives with universal themes and compelling characters. The time, […]