Ask the Author: Emily J. Smith
Answered Questions (5)
Emily J. Smith
Sometimes you don't. Sometimes you just have submit, order take-out, watch a really addictive TV drama, and try again the next day. Too much pressure can kill creativity. But some pressure is necessary. Most days, you have to force yourself to write—literally anything, whatever comes to mind, just keep going—and sometimes that'll lead to a real insight. Sometimes it won't, but at least you tried. And then you try again the next day.
Emily J. Smith
There are very few positive things about being a writer, in truth. It's almost like a curse. But the very best thing (IMO), and what makes it all worth it, is having something you can always turn to. You're never really alone as a writer, the act of writing is always there to help process the world around you.
Emily J. Smith
I started writing at 32. Raised with extreme financial instability, I never considered pursuing the arts when I was younger. I studied electrical engineering in college and then got my MBA, terrified (with no safety net) of anything that was not extremely practical.
If you want to write—do it, a lot! You do not need an English degree or an MFA. There are classes everywhere (in person or on the internet) that not only help you learn the fundamentals of storytelling but also instill accountability and will introduce you to other writers, which is key. One of the most important things to writing is developing a solid writing community. Because you will feel absolutely insane working on a novel for 3,5,10 years. And it is! But it's also what all writers have to do. Put yourself out there and introduce yourself to other writers, offer to do exchanges for reading and editing other people's work with similar styles. Don't force yourself to read things that don't move you, but find the work you connect with and follow that thread! Pitch aggressively, learn by failing, and try not to be precious.
If you want to write—do it, a lot! You do not need an English degree or an MFA. There are classes everywhere (in person or on the internet) that not only help you learn the fundamentals of storytelling but also instill accountability and will introduce you to other writers, which is key. One of the most important things to writing is developing a solid writing community. Because you will feel absolutely insane working on a novel for 3,5,10 years. And it is! But it's also what all writers have to do. Put yourself out there and introduce yourself to other writers, offer to do exchanges for reading and editing other people's work with similar styles. Don't force yourself to read things that don't move you, but find the work you connect with and follow that thread! Pitch aggressively, learn by failing, and try not to be precious.
Emily J. Smith
I'm currently working on my next novel, a modern drama about the disturbing comforts of codependency, centering on a blended family. It explores manipulation, obsession, and the challenge of accessing one's desires amidst the strong, subtle tides of societal norms.
Emily J. Smith
NOTHING SERIOUS was largely pulled from real-life scenes, with the addition of a fictional plot. Having spent most of my career in tech, many of my closest and dearest friends were (and are) men. In my mid-thirties, I'd thought I might want children, but I'd been on dating apps for close to a decade and no relationship was working out. I had focused on my career, eager to be financially stable, but was unhappy in my job. Meanwhile, things seemed to just be "working" for my close male friends. I wanted to explore questions of justice between men and women, specifically in relation to dating, fertility, and careers in tech, at the age when society assumes you should be figuring it all out.
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