Ask the Author: Susan Nunn
Answered Questions (7)
Susan Nunn
Hi, thanks for the question and I will be signing the books this week and getting them in the mail.
I was a single mother of three and those three were my priorities, but after they received their college degrees and were on their own, I decided to pursue my dreams of writing. I started working on 'Song of the Earth' in 1999, while General Manager of a Best Western hotel in southeastern Arizona. I wanted to give voice to all the immigrants that were crossing my path each day. I wanted the readers to get beneath the border chaos and to 'feel' these people.
I then moved to another position, managing an upscale guest ranch in the mountains just north of the border about thirty miles. Although I had taken college classes off and on throughout the time the kids were in school, I didn't have enough credits for a degree. So, in 2001 I entered Vermont College's low residency, traveling back and forth from Arizona to Vermont and finished with my BA (Fiction and Mexican History) in the winter of 2003. My characters kept taking me back to Mexico so I felt the need to have that history background. I then took classes from Writers Studio of New York (Tucson based) and also a night class at the University of Arizona extended education classes. By then, I decided to really get into this novel, but I was living a lot of the story, and it was changing daily.
In 2010, thinking my novel was fairly well finished, but unable to interest anyone in it, and feeling the need to understand more about writing, I applied for and was accepted for the MFA program at Antioch University Los Angeles (low residency.) My first mentor (Leonard Chang who now writes for television) told me that what I had written was not a novel, but a 'made for tv' or movie script, and he asked me to set it aside and pull one character out and write a character driven novel and I did. I graduated in Dec. of 2012 with a dual concentration (Fiction and Creative Non-fiction). I then went on to get certified as a Creative Writing Instructor, finishing in June, 2013 and the novel was published in July of 2014.
Did it help? I know there is a lot of talk out there saying MFA's aren't necessary, but for me, it gave me structure which I never had. It gave me a foundation from which to write and a much deeper understanding of the craft of writing. It taught me how to be a better reader. I always read, but nothing like I do now. And, I can't say enough about how it feels to be immersed in a community of creative people. It is amazing. I have the MFA experience to thank for getting this book out, and the next one, coming right along.
I am now teaching online classes that are available on my website: www.csusannunn.com I love to teach, and to empower my students to go deeper and deeper into their work. Thanks for the question. I hope you enjoy the read. Let me hear from you after you've finished.
I was a single mother of three and those three were my priorities, but after they received their college degrees and were on their own, I decided to pursue my dreams of writing. I started working on 'Song of the Earth' in 1999, while General Manager of a Best Western hotel in southeastern Arizona. I wanted to give voice to all the immigrants that were crossing my path each day. I wanted the readers to get beneath the border chaos and to 'feel' these people.
I then moved to another position, managing an upscale guest ranch in the mountains just north of the border about thirty miles. Although I had taken college classes off and on throughout the time the kids were in school, I didn't have enough credits for a degree. So, in 2001 I entered Vermont College's low residency, traveling back and forth from Arizona to Vermont and finished with my BA (Fiction and Mexican History) in the winter of 2003. My characters kept taking me back to Mexico so I felt the need to have that history background. I then took classes from Writers Studio of New York (Tucson based) and also a night class at the University of Arizona extended education classes. By then, I decided to really get into this novel, but I was living a lot of the story, and it was changing daily.
In 2010, thinking my novel was fairly well finished, but unable to interest anyone in it, and feeling the need to understand more about writing, I applied for and was accepted for the MFA program at Antioch University Los Angeles (low residency.) My first mentor (Leonard Chang who now writes for television) told me that what I had written was not a novel, but a 'made for tv' or movie script, and he asked me to set it aside and pull one character out and write a character driven novel and I did. I graduated in Dec. of 2012 with a dual concentration (Fiction and Creative Non-fiction). I then went on to get certified as a Creative Writing Instructor, finishing in June, 2013 and the novel was published in July of 2014.
Did it help? I know there is a lot of talk out there saying MFA's aren't necessary, but for me, it gave me structure which I never had. It gave me a foundation from which to write and a much deeper understanding of the craft of writing. It taught me how to be a better reader. I always read, but nothing like I do now. And, I can't say enough about how it feels to be immersed in a community of creative people. It is amazing. I have the MFA experience to thank for getting this book out, and the next one, coming right along.
I am now teaching online classes that are available on my website: www.csusannunn.com I love to teach, and to empower my students to go deeper and deeper into their work. Thanks for the question. I hope you enjoy the read. Let me hear from you after you've finished.
Susan Nunn
I have a process for writer's block. I sit and just start writing (not typing.) When I get to a word that I wonder about, I take that word and start exploring it, and then when I use another word that causes me to stop, I latch on to it and explore all sorts of meanings, and just keep going. It brings so much light to my mental process, and I find the story just needed for me to loosen up a little. If we have created our characters in true fashion, we almost have to let go of them and trust them to do what they need to do... loosen up. It works every time.
Susan Nunn
Creating characters that can almost walk this earth, feel them breathe. Having your readers all email you and ask about more of these characters, almost like asking if they are doing okay. Then you know you have really created something awesome.
Susan Nunn
Start writing....and write everyday, this is the only way. Read, and write, write and read. Become an avid reader. Explore every other writer's words. Challenge yourself. I told my family I wanted to be a writer when I was sixteen....now I am close to be 69 and finally have my first book out. Don't treat writing as a side thing, go for it, and just write, feel the power of creating something awesome. Remember no one has great first drafts, but we have to get it down so we can make it wonderful. Listen to the quiet, and explore the thoughts, and write.
Susan Nunn
I am currently working on a memoir: Trudging Through Chaos: A Spiritual Journey Within. This will be an exploration (my exploration) of the spiritual paths, and which one (s) work for me. Some of the border stories I have opened me up to this journey. I have explored Buddhism, Native American Spirituality, and have found my own, which I am sure many people have found before me.
Susan Nunn
I love to write, but it helps to be in a quiet space with a story burning inside of you. I must say, writing isn't easy. But the whole thing is to get something written down, and then the slow process of revision is where the real joy is. There is nothing like massaging those words, and finding deeper meaning to them. I will be presenting some online courses on my website www.csusannunn.com in the coming weeks that will help writers work through their fears, and get to the part that is so rewarding.
Susan Nunn
I worked as an innkeeper on the Arizona Mexican border for twelve years and lived the chaos of immigration. I started writing this fifteen years ago, and finally finished it this year. I earned two college degrees in the meantime, and I found it much easier to finish after I moved from the 'front lines' so to speak. I couldn't see the forest for the trees, I guess you could say.
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