Ask the Author: Corran Harrington
Answered Questions (7)
Corran Harrington
Thanks for your question, Jessyca! I am almost done with the first draft of a novel based on the story "September Light" (from Follow the River Home). It is set in the Pacific Northwest, so has a very different feel from Follow the River Home. It also is structurally more traditional, though will be written in the voices of the two main characters. (And I continue to write short stories.)
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Corran Harrington
I trust the process of inspiration itself. It seems to have a life all its own, and so I try to remain open and observant, and trust that when it shows up I will recognize it and make room for it. And, of course, a looming deadline can be quite inspiring!
Corran Harrington
I love how writing engages both sides of my brain. The right-brained creative/inspirational/muse part brings great joy on a deep spiritual and emotional level. And the left-brain, where the crafting, research, and structuring come from, satisfies the part of me that loves to work, solve puzzles, and have fun.
Corran Harrington
I started writing and publishing short stories in the late nineties. Follow the River Home was intended to be a short story collection where the only link between the stories was that each would at least reference the Rio Grande. The stories were set in various places along the river, from the headwaters to the sea, though most were set in the Middle Rio Grande valley. A few years ago I realized two of the stories had a protagonist named Daniel (though with different last names). I began to wonder what would happen if those two Daniels were the same character. Almost immediately, then, I saw how all the characters from all the stories were connected. It turned out that all the main characters had grown up together in the same neighborhood during the fifties and sixties, and that many of their lives intersected again in adulthood. I then wrote the whole story as a novella, which became the first part of the book. The short stories became the second part of the book, and each story casts a different light on the characters and scenes from the first part of the book. The stories informed the novella and, after writing the novella, I only had to tweak the stories for consistency. It was like putting together a puzzle, and was great fun.
Corran Harrington
I am almost done with a first draft of a novel based on one of the stories in Follow the River Home. It is set in the Pacific Northwest. I am also writing two short stories, one of which is almost completed; and I just found a home for a third short story in a literary review in Wisconsin.
Corran Harrington
First, be willing to write embarrassingly bad prose! No one will see it but you. Second, be brutal with your editing, and meticulous with your research. Learn all you can about the craft of writing. Read books about it, and read books by authors you admire. Third, be professional when you make submissions, and follow all the submission guidelines of the publisher. Finally, be welcoming of rejections. Every writer probably has enough to wallpaper his or her house! Rejections are rarely hurtful, and occasionally an editor will write a personal note which can be very helpful and encouraging. Rejection letters are a sign that you take your writing career seriously.
Corran Harrington
I don’t give writer’s block much attention. Like most writers, I have times where I am less than prolific. I trust that I will write when I am moved to write. If I am working under a publisher’s deadline, though, I am very disciplined and just make myself sit down and start the process. A writer has to be willing to write poorly, if that is what it takes to get something onto the page. Poor writing can usually be redeemed and made good; that’s where craft comes into play.
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