Ask the Author: Jennifer Derrick
Answered Questions (6)
Jennifer Derrick
I just signed the contract for a new adult fantasy series. I won't say much about it yet, but it involves magic and libraries! Book one is in the production pipeline and I'm starting on book two, plus a novella that bridges the two books.
Other than that, I'm always messing around with new ideas. I've got another YA book about 1/3 of the way done, and a bunch of outlines and notes for other projects.
Other than that, I'm always messing around with new ideas. I've got another YA book about 1/3 of the way done, and a bunch of outlines and notes for other projects.
Jennifer Derrick
Oooh. Tough question and one that I don't have a conventional answer to. I don't think there are too many books that everyone must read. I tend to believe that people should read what interests them, and for (non-fiction) things they need or want to know. If your interests lie in science fiction, my list would read very differently than it would for someone who loves thrillers, for example.
I know that schools will tell you differently... That you "have" to read certain books to be considered educated or to function as a citizen of the world. And maybe they're right. I'm not a teacher, so I don't know. I do know that a lot of kids stop reading for fun in high school because the "forced march" of reading wears them out. By forcing kids to read things that don't matter to them, schools end up teaching that reading is a chore and not a joy. (I didn't read much after high school for this very reason. I was burned out. It took me about six years to get back into reading for fun.) Sure, there's something to be gained from acquiring the discipline to read something, even when you don't want to, but four years of that kills a lot of interest in reading.
I say read widely, discover what you enjoy, and then read more of that. It's good to reach outside your comfort zone every now and then and try something new, as well. If you always read mystery, try fantasy, for example. Or try some non-fiction in areas you've never studied before. You might find a new interest or hobby. But just keep reading.
That said, like everyone, I do have my favorites. I keep a list of different genres and research materials on my website http://jenniferderrick.com/about/reco... It's an ever growing list and I work on it when I have time.
Of the "classics" I'd say the following are great reads that teach some important, universal lessons that are important in the world today:
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong with censorship.
1984, by George Orwell. A terrific lesson in what can go wrong when government runs amok.
The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong when we forget that other people are human beings.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong when we let racism rule the world.
Thanks for the question!
I know that schools will tell you differently... That you "have" to read certain books to be considered educated or to function as a citizen of the world. And maybe they're right. I'm not a teacher, so I don't know. I do know that a lot of kids stop reading for fun in high school because the "forced march" of reading wears them out. By forcing kids to read things that don't matter to them, schools end up teaching that reading is a chore and not a joy. (I didn't read much after high school for this very reason. I was burned out. It took me about six years to get back into reading for fun.) Sure, there's something to be gained from acquiring the discipline to read something, even when you don't want to, but four years of that kills a lot of interest in reading.
I say read widely, discover what you enjoy, and then read more of that. It's good to reach outside your comfort zone every now and then and try something new, as well. If you always read mystery, try fantasy, for example. Or try some non-fiction in areas you've never studied before. You might find a new interest or hobby. But just keep reading.
That said, like everyone, I do have my favorites. I keep a list of different genres and research materials on my website http://jenniferderrick.com/about/reco... It's an ever growing list and I work on it when I have time.
Of the "classics" I'd say the following are great reads that teach some important, universal lessons that are important in the world today:
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong with censorship.
1984, by George Orwell. A terrific lesson in what can go wrong when government runs amok.
The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong when we forget that other people are human beings.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. A terrific lesson on what can go wrong when we let racism rule the world.
Thanks for the question!
Jennifer Derrick
I get asked this a lot, so I actually did a blog post about it.
http://jenniferderrick.com/2015/10/19...
http://jenniferderrick.com/2015/10/19...
Jennifer Derrick
I don't believe in it. I think that you can always find something to work on. You may not have any ideas for your current WIP, but you can work on something else.
I tend to think that writer's block is an excuse not to work. It's okay to admit that you're tired, had a bad day, unmotivated, etc., and you don't want to work right now. It happens to all of us. But don't call it writer's block and hole up like you're some tortured artist. If you want to work, you can always find something to write. It may be awful, but it's something and you can fix it later.
I tend to think that writer's block is an excuse not to work. It's okay to admit that you're tired, had a bad day, unmotivated, etc., and you don't want to work right now. It happens to all of us. But don't call it writer's block and hole up like you're some tortured artist. If you want to work, you can always find something to write. It may be awful, but it's something and you can fix it later.
Jennifer Derrick
I'd like to say that some mystical force comes down and whacks me on the head, but the truth is far more boring. I need to eat, keep the lights on and buy gas for the car! Paying the bills is my inspiration.
Coming from a freelance and corporate background, I learned very quickly that you can't wait around for the Muse to come to you. You have to produce because that's the only way to get clients and make money. Writing is a job.
I don't treat fiction any differently. I sit down at the computer every day and work. Sometimes what comes out is absolute garbage, but almost everything can be fixed later. The job is to write so that you have something to fix! Yes, it's probably sacrilegious to say that writing fiction is a job and not a mystical art form, but if you want to make a living you have to treat it like a job with deadlines, goals, and income spreadsheets. You can't wait for inspiration or hope that the story comes to you fully formed. If I were to wait around for inspiration, I'd probably starve.
Plus, I've learned that the more you show up at the keyboard, the easier it gets. You get in a groove and your brain gets trained to produce on command. It may still be garbage, but once writing becomes a habit you rarely find yourself at the keyboard with nothing to do.
Coming from a freelance and corporate background, I learned very quickly that you can't wait around for the Muse to come to you. You have to produce because that's the only way to get clients and make money. Writing is a job.
I don't treat fiction any differently. I sit down at the computer every day and work. Sometimes what comes out is absolute garbage, but almost everything can be fixed later. The job is to write so that you have something to fix! Yes, it's probably sacrilegious to say that writing fiction is a job and not a mystical art form, but if you want to make a living you have to treat it like a job with deadlines, goals, and income spreadsheets. You can't wait for inspiration or hope that the story comes to you fully formed. If I were to wait around for inspiration, I'd probably starve.
Plus, I've learned that the more you show up at the keyboard, the easier it gets. You get in a groove and your brain gets trained to produce on command. It may still be garbage, but once writing becomes a habit you rarely find yourself at the keyboard with nothing to do.
Jennifer Derrick
People often ask where the idea behind Broken Fate came from. What logical part of my brain came up with the idea to write about the Greek goddess who kills every human being on Earth? Worse (or better, depending on your perspective), why did I decide to make her into a snarky cog in the mythological business of death who has to kill her own boyfriend? Where do I get these ideas?
At a funeral.
I’m not kidding.
I was at a family funeral and I was thinking how sucky everything about death is. Out of nowhere, I remembered my ninth grade English class and the unit we had to do on Greek mythology. I remembered the part about the three Fates and how one spun out the lifeline, one measured the length, and one cut the line, resulting in death.
My grief addled brain seized on this last part and started thinking about how awful that job must be. I mean, even if you’re a goddess, you’ve got to have some feelings, right? How crappy would it be to have to kill people day after day for thousands of years?
Worse, you’re doing this job knowing that everyone hates you. No human is going to embrace the being that kills them. Even the other gods are going to be a little bit leery of someone who is nothing but a killer. The person who has this job of cutting lifelines is going to be very lonely and probably more than a little bitter.
I knew that her coping mechanism would be to spend her days in isolation, just doing her job and trying to keep out of the affairs of humans. But then I wondered: What if, against all odds, she did fall in love? With a human. That she has to kill. Wouldn’t that just suck even more? Oh, yes, it would.
And that’s how Broken Fate came to be.
It’s also how I managed to get through one entire funeral without losing my mind and sobbing hysterically, which is what usually happens to me. I spent all my time thinking about how crappy it would be to actually be in the business of death that I managed to distract myself from, you know, actual death. For a little while, at least.
At a funeral.
I’m not kidding.
I was at a family funeral and I was thinking how sucky everything about death is. Out of nowhere, I remembered my ninth grade English class and the unit we had to do on Greek mythology. I remembered the part about the three Fates and how one spun out the lifeline, one measured the length, and one cut the line, resulting in death.
My grief addled brain seized on this last part and started thinking about how awful that job must be. I mean, even if you’re a goddess, you’ve got to have some feelings, right? How crappy would it be to have to kill people day after day for thousands of years?
Worse, you’re doing this job knowing that everyone hates you. No human is going to embrace the being that kills them. Even the other gods are going to be a little bit leery of someone who is nothing but a killer. The person who has this job of cutting lifelines is going to be very lonely and probably more than a little bitter.
I knew that her coping mechanism would be to spend her days in isolation, just doing her job and trying to keep out of the affairs of humans. But then I wondered: What if, against all odds, she did fall in love? With a human. That she has to kill. Wouldn’t that just suck even more? Oh, yes, it would.
And that’s how Broken Fate came to be.
It’s also how I managed to get through one entire funeral without losing my mind and sobbing hysterically, which is what usually happens to me. I spent all my time thinking about how crappy it would be to actually be in the business of death that I managed to distract myself from, you know, actual death. For a little while, at least.
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