Ask the Author: Whitney Scharer
Answered Questions (7)
Whitney Scharer
Hi Michael! Thanks for your question. I think the best way to improve your writing is to read fiction--read as much as you can, as widely as you can. You'll get all sorts of ideas about how to structure your stories, how to use imagery, etc. I'd also recommend picking up an introductory fiction writing book. I love Janet Burroway's Writing Fiction, and Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Happy writing!
Whitney Scharer
For me, deadlines are everything. I'm in a great writing group and I don't want to let the other members of my group down, so if I have a submission due to them, I make it happen. Deadlines are the only way I get anything done!
Whitney Scharer
I've found that the best thing about being a writer is doing the work. There's nothing better than the feeling you get when the writing is going well, and you happen upon the perfect image or phrase to convey what you're thinking. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it's the best feeling in the world.
Whitney Scharer
Join a writing group or take a writing workshop. Having other people who are attempting the same crazy task as you is crucial. They'll inspire you, keep you motivated, and be the support system you'll need to complete a long project. In Boston, where I live, we are lucky enough to have Grub Street, a non-profit creative writing center that offers hundreds of classes each year. There are other centers like it across the nation: Lighthouse Writers in Denver, The Richard Hugo House in Seattle, and The Loft in Minneapolis, just to name a few. But even if you don't live in one of those cities, there are plenty of online workshops, as well as writing groups that meet at local libraries or community centers.
Whitney Scharer
I've started working on another piece of historical fiction, set during the silver rush in Colorado in the late 1800s. I'm from Denver, so the subject matter is something I've always wanted to write about.
Whitney Scharer
I'm a very visual writer, so I often get inspired by images. That was certainly true for The Age of Light, which is, of course, a book ABOUT images! While I was working on it, I created a Pinterest page for myself of all the images that inspired me--the digital equivalent of a inspiration corkboard.
Whitney Scharer
I was inspired to write about Lee Miller after visiting an exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem called Lee Miller + Man Ray: Partners in Surrealism. Though I had studied photography for many years, I had never heard of Lee before seeing the exhibit. I was instantly captivated by her and so impressed by her talent. I was also annoyed—at myself for not knowing who she was, and at the world for not making her as big a name as Man Ray. Their relationship, which was tumultuous, was fascinating. I loved thinking of the power Lee had over Man, how that must have felt.
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