Ask the Author: Scarlet Hiltibidal
Answered Questions (20)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
I don't know if I have a favorite book that inspires me. There are so many authors who inspire me in different ways...Great fiction inspires me. Lately, I've loved novels by Fredrik Bachman and Kristin Hannah and Leif Enger. David Sedaris' humor always inspires me. Tim Keller and C.S. Lewis inspire me in the way they can make theological concepts so accessible.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
These days, I definitely don't write daily. Well, it depends on the season. If I have a few months to work on a book draft, then I'm probably writing every day. If not, I usually have a few articles due a month, and my writing revolves around those deadlines. Writing used to be my hobby, so in the event of no deadlines, I might be working on a book proposal, but I don't schedule it. I probably write in some form once a week. I used to blog weekly, and I have had seasons that I journaled and prayer journaled, but these days, my writing revolves around what's on the calendar.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
The scary part is the final part. Writing them was fun. Going over edits and all that back-and-forth was challenging, but not scary. The scary part is the part in between the email to your edited with the draft labeled "final" and the holding it in your hand moment.
The part where you haven't read it as a physical thing yet, but you know you can't make any more changes. :)
The part where you haven't read it as a physical thing yet, but you know you can't make any more changes. :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
These authors inspire me... Donald Miller because the way he talked about God in Blue Like Jazz was really special :)...David Sedaris because he’s funny and honest and original...Ann Voskamp...because of her rhythm and depth...Tina Fey because she’s Tina Fey!
Scarlet Hiltibidal
Currently Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Fro Yo :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
YES. This is something I want to do, but it seems like a lot of work to get it started. Me and two friends have talked about starting a sort of "book club" podcast, but we are all busy this year and are shelving the idea for the time being. BUT YES. If I start a podcast, it will most likely be about books. :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
Motherhood REALLY brought me into peak panic. Here's how I write about it in Afraid of All the Things:
"So I had kids. In the next phase, I was a young mom, fresh off of a miscarriage, who was certain my healthy newborn baby wouldn’t make it to her next birthday. I just knew that she’d be the first baby in the history of Earth to be absorbed by a twin she didn’t have in a womb she was no longer in. It’s never too late to be absorbed by your nonexistent twin. Or maybe she would accidentally fall out of her crib and register for the wrong college while I was going to the bath- room. I kept the hand sanitizer companies in business and I’m pretty sure the term “helicopter parent” was coined by someone who saw me “relaxing” during that time."
:) But really, it was a hard time. I'm thankful I met someone who helped me learn how to fight my fears when I was THAT person.
"So I had kids. In the next phase, I was a young mom, fresh off of a miscarriage, who was certain my healthy newborn baby wouldn’t make it to her next birthday. I just knew that she’d be the first baby in the history of Earth to be absorbed by a twin she didn’t have in a womb she was no longer in. It’s never too late to be absorbed by your nonexistent twin. Or maybe she would accidentally fall out of her crib and register for the wrong college while I was going to the bath- room. I kept the hand sanitizer companies in business and I’m pretty sure the term “helicopter parent” was coined by someone who saw me “relaxing” during that time."
:) But really, it was a hard time. I'm thankful I met someone who helped me learn how to fight my fears when I was THAT person.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
I mostly write at home. Coffee shops are great too, but that just doesn't happen as often. When I write articles, I usually need dead silence. Articles are hard to write. But, with books, I like to listen to music sometimes. I look up Apple playlists for focus or study. Each time I've had a book manuscript due, my husband has sent me to a hotel for a weekend, and I get so much done there. There was an Imogen Heap song from "The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" album called "Platform 9 3/4" that I played on repeat while I finished writing Afraid of All the Things in a hotel. It's a pretty special song.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
One of my favorites is called Table of Mal(Contents). It's about books and reading and writing and the hosts are funny and one time I infiltrated an episode and had so much fun. It's fun listening to them talk about books since all three of them work in publishing.
Also, Conan O' Brien Needs a Friend... The Happy Rant...
There are others, but those are my favorites.
Also, Conan O' Brien Needs a Friend... The Happy Rant...
There are others, but those are my favorites.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
:) I don't journal. I have before...but, no. I DO, however, email draft. That's kind of the thing I do when I'm overwhelmed and have feelings I have to get out that I don't want anyone else to see. I have joked with my husband about how terrible it would be if someone could get into my email drafts. :) I empty out that folder frequently. (DOING IT RIGHT NOW)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
This is such a great question. I didn't feel weird about writing Afraid of All the Things because I was basically sharing the stuff that goes on in my own head. What I'm sensitive to is sharing other peoples' stuff. I don't mind being vulnerable, but I never want anything I write to hurt or embarrass someone I love. I always ask my kids if I can share a story about them. (My daughter approved the last chapter of Afraid of All the Things -- "Grandpa Died: "The Funnest Day Ever!" while it was still a draft on my computer. But anyway, your question is a question I ask myself all the time. Sometimes, I won't write about something personal because it's too fresh or I'm not sure what to say about it yet. But, often I write about vulnerable things while I'm working through them and it helps me figure the thing out. Sometimes I share those things, other times, I scrap it. Or just save it for later. I waited ten years to write about my eating disorders, because I wanted to have some distance from it. So, short answer is...I write about everything, but I am very careful about how much of it I share :) Another little safety net I have is my husband. I send him everything I write before I publish or post it, and he's fantastic. Sometimes, he'll be like, "You're a little dark right now. Maybe don't post that." :) I think it's wise to have another set of eyes on your work before you share it with the world.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
Short answer -- no. I do love audiobooks, but it just depends on what it is. I like listening to audiobooks read by the author -- especially memoirs or books by comedians. I also like audiobooks if I'm reading something just so that I can have read it. :) But, if it's a novel I'm excited about or an author that writes with a style that I love, I would rather read the old fashioned way. :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
I'm so excited about it! I started working on an idea for a new book the week after Afraid of All the Things released. Then, I got tired and played Super Mario Brothers for three months. Then, I got back at it. It's now outlined and has an intro and a little bit of a fifth chapter :) I have a meeting about it this week! Anyway, I don't know if I can share anything specific on what it's about yet...but I will soon and I am working on it!
Scarlet Hiltibidal
I had an English teacher in high school named Mrs. Yates who encouraged me and let me into her journalism class two years early. But, I first loved writing back in elementary when we were allowed free time and one of the options was to grab a blank lined book from the bookshelf and write a story. My mom saved my first book about fear that I wrote when I was nine (I call it the baby-draft of Afraid of All the Things). :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
With three little girls, no writing days feel typical :) When I'm writing books or articles, it's all very deadline driven. So, I have a date on the calendar and I write when I'm alone and it's quiet. That's usually at night, when the girls are asleep or during their rest time in the afternoon. I do the other pieces of publishing work that don't require so much focus throughout the day when I can find time. Like, emails and logistical things -- I just have my laptop open and work on quick tasks in between homeschooling and unloading the dishwasher etc. :) I will say, for every book deadline I've had, my sweet husband has sent me away to a hotel to write and eat nachos. I get a lot of work done on those trips. And I eat a lot of nachos. :) If I have a big deadline approaching, I definitely prioritize it, which means, the girls might get more movies and the laundry might enjoy a season of being free and unfolded (but usually clean!) :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
By watching Netflix/YouTube/Instagram and eating Mexican food. If I have a deadline, I just force myself to write something bad and then I go back and make it better.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
My husband makes fun of me because he says that every time I write something, I think it's the best thing in the world... Not true. :) I think I do get overly excited when something is coming together. Then I send it to Brandon (husband) and he makes it clearly way better than it was (or he says, "Maybe try again." :)). Then, I send it to my editors and they make it better too. I write bad stuff all the time, but when I feel like it's REALLY bad and unsalvageable, I just trash it and start over.
Scarlet Hiltibidal
Funny books are my favorite and I can't pick one. Also, I'm prefacing this answer by saying that most of these books probably contain some content that might not line up with my beliefs and/or are written by people with a mildly to very different world view and/or might have parts that I wouldn't have included I were writing them... but, they are funny. :)
-- Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (I don't think this one has anything offensive in it) :)
-- One More Thing by B.J. Novak made me laugh out loud a lot
-- Bossypants by Tina Fey was great because she's hilarious
-- Everything I've ever read written by David Sedaris is funny and weird and wonderful
-- Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan (I don't think this one has anything offensive in it) :)
-- One More Thing by B.J. Novak made me laugh out loud a lot
-- Bossypants by Tina Fey was great because she's hilarious
-- Everything I've ever read written by David Sedaris is funny and weird and wonderful
Scarlet Hiltibidal
I don't really get inspired to write on purpose. Like, I don't will it to happen. Writing has always been my favorite thing to do and just about my only hobby (other than reading and eating Mexican food and watching stand-up).
Inspiration usually comes in unexpected ways. The newest project I'm working on was inspired by my friend who made a joke and I laughed so hard and said, "That needs to be a book title." And I saved her joke in an Evernote folder. And that's what I'm currently working on. :)
Inspiration usually comes in unexpected ways. The newest project I'm working on was inspired by my friend who made a joke and I laughed so hard and said, "That needs to be a book title." And I saved her joke in an Evernote folder. And that's what I'm currently working on. :)
Scarlet Hiltibidal
My short answer is...read all the publishing books, take all the creative writing courses, sign up for all the low-paying writing gigs, send out query letters to literary agents, and read a ton.
My long answer is...here -- https://books.lifeway.com/publishing/... :)
My long answer is...here -- https://books.lifeway.com/publishing/... :)
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more