Reading And Drinking

1. Let’s talk writing routine and schedule. When and where do you write?

I wrote One Big Beautiful Thing mostly in my house on my laptop. I revised it on my porch, but I have a shed turned studio to write in now that is a much better workspace.

I need quiet when I write, so it’s nice to be able to get away and work. I’m very envious of people who can work in libraries and coffee shops— I get too distracted and people watch instead.

As for a schedule, I try to start by 9:00 and work until around 2:00 Monday through Friday. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s always the plan.

2. How long does it take you to finish a book from that spark of an idea to a final draft?

About two years, but I’m getting faster.

3. Name your three favorite authors.

Tove Jansson, Margaret Atwood, and John Irving.

4. What inspires you as a writer?

People inspire me: their stories, their actions, and their idiosyncrasies. In the case of One Big Beautiful Thing, when I was in college, a good friend lost her boyfriend to drowning. Not long after, my roommate and friend drowned while vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Both accidents had a lasting impact on me. And of course, like Kate, I’m familiar with the desire to pursue a creative career while at the same time worrying about practical things like the need to eat or pay the electric bill.

5. What do you think is the number one trait necessary to make it as a writer?

Tenacity. If you don’t tenaciously pursue your craft, writing is not going to work for you.

6. Your three favorite books of all time?

You’re going to laugh, but I think my favorite book of all time is Tales from Moominvalley by Tove Jansson. I reread it once a year and I love it because everyone you will ever meet is somewhere in one of those stories. They’re very nearly perfect.

My second favorite book is The Complete Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. It was originally a comic book series, but I came to it as a set of graphic novels. It’s a beautiful complex story with so many stories inside of it, but ultimately it’s about love and friendship and it’s amazing.

My third favorite book is A Widow for One Year by John Irving. It had such an impact on me that it actually changed the way I drive. That’s a powerful story.

Of course this entire list is subject to change depending on the day. Surfacing or Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood will sometimes be on this list. Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg will also sometimes make this list, and sometimes John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany beats out A Widow for One Year. It’s tough to pick just three.

7. Last but not least, what is your favorite drink? (If it’s not tequila, I promise we can still be friends.)

It’s not tequila. I’m more of a Pimm’s and Ginger or Gin and Tonic kind of girl. Both drinks are perfect for a late afternoon gathering with friends.

Marie’s Latest Book

Title: One Big Beautiful Thing
Author: Marie Flanigan
Formats: paperback
Release Date: 5-2-2013
Description:
Artist Kate Abernethy is trying to put her life back together after the death of her boyfriend. At first, moving back in with her mother seems like a good way to sort out her finances and re-evaluate her life—instead it proves to be a minefield of doubt and recrimination. Floundering, she pushes herself to take new opportunities so she can rebuild her life and have a second chance at happiness.
Word Count/Page Number: 92,797 words/358 pgs

Author Bio

Marie Flanigan is a long time book and video game reviewer for gameindustry.com, as well as a blogger for The Motley Fool at beta.fool.com/postjade. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and three dogs. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember.

Let’s talk writing routine and schedule. When and where do you write?

I write on the computer, in my office. The first and most difficult step is sitting my butt in the chair and giving my writing a higher priority than, oh, everything else. I don’t have a strict regiment, I’m more of a whenever the inspiration strikes girl. I don’t write in coffee shops, or public places, and I don’t have a musical playlist to write to because I prefer silence. I “see” the scenes in my head, and “hear” the voices during the conversations. For me, outside noise gets in the way of the process.

During the times when I suffer with the idea that the writing is lacking creativity and it’s boring―as if the “muse” has gone down for a nap―I let it sleep for a few days, then I return to the work refreshed and creative again.

How long does it take you to finish a book from that spark of an idea to a final draft?

The answer to that is, “I don’t know.” The Clock Of Life is my first published novel. The spark of an idea came in the form of a short story. That took about three months to write, edit, and polish. It was always a favorite of mine, but I thought it was “in-the-can.”

A few years later I read an excerpt from that story at a writer’s conference, and was encouraged by one of the instructors to turn it into a novel. I took up the challenge and plugged along for a few months, then life began to take over. In the illustrious words of Roseanne Roseannadanna, “It’s always something.” The book took a back seat to family illnesses and everyone else’s needs. The actual time was close to five years.

Name your three favorite authors.

Ray Bradbury, Flannary O’Connor, Pat Conroy.

From these skilled pros I learned that writing is so much more than telling the story. It’s about being brave in your choices. It’s about being playful, and rhythmic, and hiding your meaning and symbolism in plain sight. For me, these authors transform writing from the craft of storytelling, to fine art.

What inspires you to write?

Inspiration is illusive. I never know where it will come from next. Sometimes from a place or a smell. Sometimes from a song or a feeling. I like being in a creative environment, around true artists of all kinds. I think creative people are a real turn on.

What do you think is the number one trait necessary to make it as a writer?

Stubbornness.

Your three favorite books of all time?

I loved Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, and still do.
I loved J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, but I don’t love it anymore.
And, I loved T.C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain.

Last but not least, what is your favorite drink?

I usually order either a glass of Chardonnay or a Margarita. Later, in the wee hours when my thought process has taken a left turn onto Stupid Street, I’ll order a Wild Turkey rocks, as a nod to Hunter S. Thompson, or a Gin Rickey ala Fitzgerald. “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Author Bio:

I tried my hand at writing short fiction while traveling for work in advertising and marketing, as a creative outlet on long plane rides. That led to me signing up for writing classes, writer’s conferences and local workshops. My goal―to create unique stories told in a distinctive voice. I’m happy to say my stories and have garnered awards and publication in anthologies. My collection of short stories is titled, Like The Flies On The Patio

Short stories were my primary genre until one morning while in a workshop at The Santa Barbara Writers Conference, I read an excerpt. When I finished, the instructor, Sid Stebel, asked what I was doing for the next couple years, because, “What you have written isn’t a short story, it’s a novel.” After a good deal of foot dragging I realized the subject matter was so important I took up the challenge and penned the novel, The Clock of Life.

I am now working on a new novel loosely based on the time my friend and I found an old diary in an antique shop and took a road trip to find the lady who wrote in the book. The girls will not be named Thelma and Louise, but the story will take the girls cross country and they will get into all sorts of trouble.

Nancy Klann-Moren, Author
The Clock Of Life
Like The Flies On The Patio
Website: www.nancyklann-moren.com
Facebook: Nancy Klann
Twitter: @klanncy