Emily Harris, the host of the OPB show “Think Out Loud”, will be moderating the “My First Book Panel” on Sunday October 11th at 3 P.M. on the Columbia Sportswear Stage.
I just put up a post on Think Out Loud’s website about the show this Thursday with Sherman Alexie. He’s on for the hour – you can call in from 9 to 10 AM or post your questions now. This us your chance to connect with him before his Wordstock appearance Sunday. I am also prepping to moderate Sunday’s panel (see #9) with new novelists Patrick DeWitt, Naseem Rakha, and Marie Mutsuki Mockett telling their stories about becoming published writers.
I’ll be paying close attention! Even though daily deadlines force (or allow) me to stop researching, stop editing and to just put out what I’ve got, I have a book or three in the back of my mind. In fact, in a whirl of fantasy, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month after a recent TOL show on creativity under pressure. I don’t think I’m actually going to be able to produce 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30 (especially since none of the books in the back of my brain are novels) but what the heck, might be fun to try.
Luckily, Wordstock is in October. Naseem was on TOL recently so I already know her story includes mayonnaise. I’ll know more about Marie and Patrick and post tantalizing tidbits when I do. What do YOU want to know from these authors about their first books? Leave a comment or question here – and see you Sunday.
How long was the idea for your first book in your mind before you began writing it–and what was it about the concept that spurned you on?
How much time had you spent taking notes and researching before your actual writing process began?
What sort of challenges (family, job, financial, mental) were you faced with while you were writing your first book?
Why weren’t you able to complete the novel sooner?
How much did self-doubt play a role in that?
If you had access to a time machine and had the opportunity to go back to give your younger writer-self advice, what would that advice be?
Eric – Thanks!
And here are some more preview tidbits:
Marie Mutsuki Mockett fired an agent before getting her novel published. She also learned a lot about the publishing world along the way. She told me she used to think publishing was a magical thing happened to people because they were pretty, or went to Harvard. Crazy? She says that’s what you hear! (and she acknowledges good looks might get a book deal in some circumstances, but not usually in literary fiction.) She’s all fired up to demystify the publishing process for other writers.
Patrick deWitt got his novel published because he remembered somebody’s name. See, it’s simple! No, not really. Before the chance bar encounter that led to his book deal, Patrick dropped out of high school then spent 15 years of random “trial and error” submissions to literary magazines before he figured out how to write well and get published. Bike rides and coffee are part of his writing routine.
Questions posted here still welcome. See you at 3!