Because my life is completely entangled with writing—I’ve written three novels, hundreds of articles and essays, and I teach creative writing to kids—I get a lot of questions about writing from students, friends, friends of friends, third cousins of former neighbors, and strangers. So here are some of the questions I get asked most often and a few I’ve never been asked but wish I had (with answers to them all):
How did you get your first novel published? Several key factors helped me get my novel published. 1. I wrote a good book. It’s far from perfect and not nearly as good as the books I wrote later, but it was a good story and it carried some emotional truth. It was the result of the hard work we all put in: Four years of writing early in the morning and late at night and on weekends, in my kitchen, on trains, on vacation, at college reunions, as well as several novel-writing classes, a critique group with other writers, and feedback from friends and acquaintances. 2. I researched agents thoroughly and followed instructions well. I only sent query letters to agents who were clearly interested in the kind of fiction I wrote (contemporary women’s fiction) and I followed directions exactly. If they wanted the first chapter and a synopsis, that’s what I sent. If they wanted a synopsis only, that’s what I sent. I didn’t send a full manuscript unless they requested it. 3. I picked an agent who loved my book and loved the way I wrote, not the most famous agent. 4. I was lucky. I finished my book and got an agent in 2003, before the onslaught of e-books and $0.99 price points for novels changed the publishing industry into the crazy mess it is right now.
What is the first book that made you cry? When I got to the part in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where the Witch’s servants shave the lion’s mane, I started crying and couldn’t stop and couldn’t bring myself to finish reading the book even after I stopped crying. What I learned from this: I was only eight or nine, but I learned that books are powerful enough to make you weep, haunt your dreams, and feel more real than real life.
Do you believe in writer’s block? Sure; I know it’s something real that real people experience so I don’t doubt it exists— unlike, say, the perfect haircut, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist. Have I ever experienced it? Not really. As long as I’m writing about something I care about, something I feel emotionally invested in, I can always get words onto a page. The times I’ve gotten stuck in writing fiction have been the times I wasn’t honest enough with myself to admit that I didn’t really care deeply about my story or characters.
What did you do with your first advance? My first advance was what Publisher’s Weekly would call “a good deal,” which was a lot of money for me at the time. I bought a car (a very exciting Subaru station wagon for hauling around my kids and their sporting equipment), some furniture for our screened-in porch, which had been empty since we’d moved into our house, and bought myself a ring, a band of hammered sterling silver with a topaz set in gold. It wasn’t expensive—around $100—but that was my reward just for me, and I still wear that ring often and it makes me smile because I remember the huge high and sense of accomplishment of selling that first novel. I put the rest of the money into savings.
How did you think of all those characters and all the stuff that happens in your novels? This is always one of the hardest questions to answer. I lived a lot of it—not those exact situations, not those same personalities, but those feelings of fear and desperation and excitement and giddiness and joy and doubt and grief are all feelings I know. I wrote about places I’ve been to and some I haven’t, jobs I’ve worked and some I’ve dreamt of working (or dreaded working), and I researched anything I didn’t know inside out until I had the understanding and knowledge I needed to create a believable world. I created characters out of all the people I’ve ever met and the human foibles and greatnesses they embody.
*What fuels your writing? Honestly? Dark chocolate.
How would you answer some of these questions? What questions do you get asked about writing? What question would you most like to ask one of your favorite writers?
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About Kathleen McCleary
Kathleen McCleary is the author of three novels—House and Home, A Simple Thing, and Leaving Haven—and has worked as a bookseller, bartender, and barista (all great jobs for gathering material for fiction). A Simple Thing (HarperCollins 2012) was nominated for the Library of Virginia Literary Awards. She was a journalist for many years before turning to fiction, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, and USA Weekend, as well as HGTV.com, where she was a regular columnist. She taught writing as an adjunct professor at American University in Washington, D.C., and teaches creative writing to kids ages 8-18 as an instructor with Writopia Labs, a non-profit. She also offers college essay coaching (http://thenobleapp.com), because she believes that life is stressful enough and telling stories of any kind should be exciting and fun. When she's not writing or coaching writing, she looks for any excuse to get out into the woods or mountains or onto a lake. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two daughters and Jinx the cat.
Subaru! Exactly. Practical, like a writer who gets up early/stays up late, writes for years, learns the ropes, gets feedback, stays real, writes what is emotional.
It sounds so…unromantic. The opposite of the answers people want to hear. What people don’t see is that the writer’s life is brimming with mystery, adventure and romance—in their heads, while they drive around in those Subaru’s.
Exciting? Tremendously. We just live incognito in the supermarket and on the soccer field sidelines. So watch out. We are observing you. You could die, or have sex, in our next novels. Heh-heh. Thanks for maintaining the illusion, Kathleen.
Outback 2017.
Thanks for the comment, Benjamin. Yes, the Subaru is practical and hard-working, but also carries the promise of adventure—just like most of the writers I know. This was a fun post to write.
Thanks Kathleen for sharing your answers to questions even we as other writers have. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the one about what was the first book that made me cry…but I do get the who is your favorite author, which I’m hard-pressed to answer. It was fun to read about your spending choice for that first big windfall…like you said, so much has changed in the publishing world.
Outback 2014 👍🏻😂
I think everything has changed in the publishing world, and every writer I know, even those who sell 100,000+ copies, is struggling to adapt and figure it out. It’s a hard business. And I’m equally hard-pressed to name a favorite author (as if any of us could pick just ONE), which is the reason I didn’t include that question here! Thanks for your comment and best of luck with your writing.
What question would I ask my favorite author? I’d say, “Seriously, Professor Tolkien, what’s up with Tom Bombadil?” I mean, there’s got to be a reason for that weird-ass diversion, right?
I love what you say, Kathleen, about not having lived the exact situations, but how all of that glorious bundle of emotions is ours. We did live that.
Oh, and I’ve had two Subarus (both Outbacks). In one of them, we once slid out of control off of the freeway, into snow deep enough that it came over the hood. Couldn’t even open the doors. And we drove right out of it. Wonderfully practical vehicles. Thanks for a fun post!
Oh, my God, Vaughan, Tom Bombadil! Exactly. I love that you thought of that (and Peter Jackson clearly thought it was a weird-ass diversion, too, or he would have included it in the first film). “All the feelings are facts but the facts are fiction” is the truest thing I’ve ever heard about writing. I live by that quote. Thanks for the comment.
Kathleen, this was so fun to read. And I could just give you a hug over Aslan. My son wept over Where the Red Fern Grows. He was seven.
With my first acceptance in Ladybug magazine, we all went out for ice-cream. With my first book series with Capstone, we built wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Thanks for the hug, Vijaya. Yes, those childhood books can be daggers to the heart of sensitive souls. I love that you got ice cream and book shelves—it’s so perfect that your words gave you the chance to build space for more words. Always wonderful to hear from you. Cheers.
Hi Kathleen, I read HOUSE & HOME, the title so appealing to me in that time of my life, and then enjoyed your other two books. This post was fun to read. As a child, I read the lives of famous queens because of being an Elizabeth and seeing a photo of QEII in the newspaper. That led to a love of English literature–Dickens, Austen. My biggest check after working on a book for Meredith Corp. was sent to my “getting her Master’s Degree” daughter, to pay her rent! Have a good writing day.
Hi, Beth. I, too, was a little obsessed with English history (my favorite queen was Mary, Queen of Scots) and with English literature (especially Dickens). And I so relate to using your hard-earned money to help out one of your kids. It’s what mothers (and fathers) do. Thanks for your comments. Hope your writing is going well!
Great post, Kathleen.
My fav question:
Would you still write if you were never published?
If the answer is yes, then never give it up. Life really is too short not to follow your passions. No one on their death bed wishes they’d worked more, made more money, or did more dishes.
Hugs,
Dee
That’s a great question, Dee. And actually the answer to that question is what gave me the drive to finish writing my first book. At one point in the process when I was truly discouraged my husband said to me, “Just finish the book. Even if it never gets published, writing an entire book is a HUGE accomplishment that few people ever achieve.” He was right. And once I thought about that, about the epic achievement of writing an entire novel, I stopped fretting over getting published or not. I just wrote. Great comments, thanks.
Great post, Kathleen. It’s easy to see why your first agent loved your writing style. Straight from the heart, unornamented, concise and giving of yourself. It’s inspirational.
Thank you, Bob! That may be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said about my writing. You made my day. Glad you enjoyed the post.