Ask the Author: Denise R. Ervin
Answered Questions (10)
Denise R. Ervin
This is a great question! Without giving away too many details, one of my works in progress explores the idea of ancestry. As an African-American, I am a descendent of the group of people who were untethered from their homeland, their heritage, their language, things that made them unique. In so many ways, we have been searching for our roots for generations. I've simply found a thread in my lineage to pull on. The writing is in the unraveling.
Denise R. Ervin
There was nothing extraordinary about the time or space the two boys lived in, nothing of note about their lives except for the fact that they had ended centuries before. The young woman whose house they now haunted spent her life vacillating between fear of them and gratitude for the lessons their deaths taught her without leaving her the same wounds.
Denise R. Ervin
Summer has definitely already gone, but I spent a good portion of it rereading Toni Morrison. I decided to do so after seeing her documentary and, once she passed, was glad that I had made that decision. I actually just finished Song of Solomon a short time ago and I even managed to get The Source of Self-Regard into the rotation. What a treasure she still is!
Denise R. Ervin
I would love to visit Wakanda! I would bask in the glory of the African people as kings and queens instead of slaves and take the opportunity to learn about all the amazing technological advancements that are a part of their everyday lives. Hopefully, I could bring some of their joy and progress back to our current world!
Denise R. Ervin
The book I have worked on most recently is The Learning Curve, and it was inspired by my time as a high school English teacher, as well as our current educational climate. Since Columbine, we've had mass shootings and school shootings on our national radar and I wanted to write something that looked at the underbelly of this phenomenon while also placing it in the usual setting of a urban school.
Denise R. Ervin
I get inspired to write by living. I might get an idea from another book, from a tv show or a movie, or simply from a conversation with a friend or family member. I don't consciously look for story ideas, but I do make a habit of jotting them down when they appear so that I can work on them more later.
Denise R. Ervin
I currently have about 4 full-length novels and a musical in the works. The novels are at varying stages of completion from an outline to a full draft and the musical... well, I have most of it written but, as it is a new genre for me, I am spending a lot of time making sure I know what I am doing in terms of formatting the script.
Denise R. Ervin
To paraphrase Toni Morrison, you are only a writer if you actually do it. This means setting aside specific time to work on your craft, whether it is actual writing or studying the process. You need to do this everyday in order to develop the stamina to succeed as a writer. It is a lonely profession, as is often said, and if you can't motivate yourself, you are liable to fall by the wayside!
Denise R. Ervin
The really amazing thing about being a writer is that I can make a story out of anything. It doesn't matter if I am using real-life experiences or people, or if I grab a thread from the recesses of my imagination and pull. There is a way to turn every facet of life into something literary, introspective, and ultimately enjoyable.
Denise R. Ervin
I tend to focus on reading when I can't write. While I am always a voracious reader, it feels different when I am consuming the work of others without being able to produce my own. I may find a word or an idea that strikes my fancy and then I am off to the races in my own writing. In a worst case scenario, I force myself to write a response to what I am reading, something that does not have any implication whatsoever in any of my current projects, but it is enough to get my creative juices flowing and allow me to resume a regular production schedule.
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