Ask the Author: Rebecca Balcárcel
Answered Questions (6)
Rebecca Balcárcel
Quijana’s story grew out of the real-life moment when my abuelos flew all the way from Guatemala to visit, and I couldn’t talk to them. They spoke only Spanish, and I spoke only English. It pained me at age twelve, and it pains me now. And book-reader that I was, awake to the power of words, the conversation we couldn’t have felt like a serious loss. This moment and others like it laid the foundation for the book, and they remain the heart of Quijana’s story.
Rebecca Balcárcel
Panic over a deadline helps! If I tell my writing group that I will bring a new chapter on Monday night, then I better do it or I'll disappoint my friends -- and myself. Also, I read or listen to some poetry. I make tea. I reread what I wrote last time. I take a walk. Writing something different helps, too. I sometimes back into my fiction writing by writing a blog post first. I get the words flowing before I turn to my Work In Progress.
Rebecca Balcárcel
My second novel is starting to take shape. So far, it stars a Guatemalan immigrant tween for whom playing it safe is no longer an option.
Rebecca Balcárcel
Learn to set aside time for the solitude of writing, and then connect to other writers. Find a writing group or start one. Help others by giving feedback on their work. Be patient to publish. Hone your craft and apprentice yourself to authors you love by reading as a writer, noting how your favorite author lays out a scene or introduces a character or structures the plot as a whole. Read, write, give to/receive from the #writingcommunity. Read some more.
Rebecca Balcárcel
One of the best things about bring a writer is diving into the words -- plunging into the sentences and the world of the story. Beyond the praise or criticism for the book, which is a river that flows one way, then the other, lies the shore of my characters and their lives. Visiting them there is one of my favorite things about being a writer.
Rebecca Balcárcel
1) I write something totally different! This lifts my head out of my work-in-progress. If I'm working on a novel, I might write a poem or a blog post. That gets my writing muscles flexing, making it easier to return to the scene I'm stuck on.
2) I read poetry or re-read favorite books! This refuels my word-brain.
3) I lower my standards! It sounds crazy, but giving myself permission to write badly often loosens the logjam. I remind myself that sloppy, boring, cliché-ridden pages can be revised.
2) I read poetry or re-read favorite books! This refuels my word-brain.
3) I lower my standards! It sounds crazy, but giving myself permission to write badly often loosens the logjam. I remind myself that sloppy, boring, cliché-ridden pages can be revised.
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