Category: The Writer Podcast

(Karina Anderson)

Links:

• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• Anda and Philip Snippet 1
• Anda and Philip Snippet 2
• The Young Writer’s Workshop

TRANSCRIPT:

Jubilee(Jubi): Hey, Book Bards! Welcome back to my cottage in the woods for an interview with my mom, Karina Anderson. Mommy, I’m so glad to have you here today, and I’m excited talk about what it’s like to be the parent of a young writer. Thank you so much for joining me today!

Mom: Well, thank you so much for having me, Jubi. This is really exciting!

Jubilee:My first question is; What is it like to be the parent of a young writer?

Mom: Well, let’s see. You like to wake up at about 5:30 A.M. every morning and write for a couple hours before anyone else enters the room. So that’s amazing to watch the perseverance and just the joy that writing brings you. It’s pretty incredible to get to see something that you love to do, to get to see something that you are very excited about. It makes me excited for you. So let me think, what else.

It’s been really fun to see you grow in your writing. From your early, I don’t know, maybe you were 5 or 6 years old, writing Chrysanthemum stories and handing them out to friends that would come over for dinner, to then writing your first book, your Anda and Philip story, and getting to read through that and thinking, she’s really improved from her Chrysanthemum story! And then more recently getting to read the prologue and the first chapter of Knightfall. And, and just being pretty amazed at the leaps and bounds that you’ve made, even just this past year.

So that’s been fun to watch you grow in your writing skills. And also just to hear the different things that you’re excited about, what you’re passionate about, and what you’re learning. And it’s been fun that you’ve been bringing me into that world and telling me what you’re learning through the videos that you’re watching and the different instructors on The Young Writers Workshop and other podcasts and blogs and different things that you’ve been interested in and have helped me to learn alongside with you.

Jubilee: How do you balance critiques and encouragement when looking at your own child’s writing? I know a while back I gave you the Anda and Philip story, and then recently I shared with you the prologue and first chapter of Knightfall. You’ve been extremely encouraging, but also especially I’ve noticed with Knightfall, you’ve given some good critique. So how do you balance that?

Mom: Thank you! I never quite know for sure, but I think mostly is just being honest. You’re asking how to balance critique and encouragement, constructive criticism as we like to call it. I think it’s being honest.

You’ve mentioned to me several times how something that you love about being around peers that also love to write is that they will give you honest feedback. They’ll tell you where you can actually improve and not just saying, ‘Oh, that was great!’ but actually give you specific pointers on different areas that you can improve in your writing.

I tend to be kind of a detailed person, so I like to get into the little details whereas I know writers sometimes like bigger picture critiques. I know you told me sometimes, ‘This time when you read my writing, I want you to tell me how you’re feeling. What are you feeling whenever you read this chapter? Are you feeling scared? Are you feeling excited?’

And I had never really thought through too much about how to read through something that way. I don’t usually think through how my feeling as I read this, but it’s interesting because when I’ve watched movies before, there’s times where I’ve left the theater kind of anxious, or excited. There’s just different heightened feelings there. Or if I’m reading through something really sad, I end up feeling depressed for part of the day. And so that it’s interesting when you asked me that question it just made me think. And that was interesting to see you’re trying to get a feel for; ‘Am I conveying the right feeling to the audience, to my readers?’

And so that was interesting to be a part of that and to be able to share what I feel whenever I’m reading through something. And so how do I balance critique and encouragement?… I think with honesty, and definitely sharing positives first, and then, ‘Okay, here’s some areas where I see that you could improve upon.’ So that’s, that’s what I think I tend to do.

Jubilee: Yeah, that’s, that’s really good. Kind of going off of that, you and Daddy have invested a lot in my writing with The Young Writer’s Workshop, and with being willing to listen to me talk about writing all day long, over, and over, and over, and also by reading through some of my stuff. Was there anything in your childhood that your parents did with you, maybe with dance or with something else, that influenced the way you influence me?

Mom: Absolutely! My parents were very supportive and the cool thing was they recognized that my sister and I were two separate people and we had very different strengths and likes and dislikes. They, they were great about helping us to develop those things. And they were very aware that they themselves weren’t necessarily the ideal teacher for that thing, that that wasn’t their strength per se, but they walked alongside us.

I was a dancer, and I loved it! I would dance all the time. They would hear me dancing in my room nonstop. I had a closet with mirror doors. I think my parents very intentionally did that so that I could see myself doing the dance moves and critiquing myself, you know, ‘Point your toes,’ and all that kind of stuff. I don’t know how I got away with doing leaps in my room. It was a small room! Sometimes I would kick, kick the furniture by accident. So they put up with all of that.

But then my parents would also, and my mom in particular, would go to all of our dance competitions and they would stay late at the football games. Sometimes we would get home past ten for sure, sometimes closer to midnight. And they were just, especially my mom, she was just there to support us. I can’t imagine it must have been like for them. I think my mom had fun with it, but she never complained.

I see it now as an adult, as a mom myself, the sacrifices that she made. But at the time, it was just a ‘given’ that my mom was gonna give me rides to all the different places. And if I needed a new pair of tights that she was gonna buy them, and a new leotard. And those were expensive, but my parents didn’t complain about it. They were very supportive.

I remember I also got into theater at one point in high school and I think I had probably 14 lines in Charlotte’s Web. I was the baby lamb. And so most of my lines went like this: “Baa. Baa.” I had a few little one liners in there. But I was just excited to be a part of the show.

My dad went and watched me, and afterwards, it impacted me so much because he wrote me a letter with so much praise and encouragement telling me how proud he was of me. For my 14 lines. He said something to me. He said, ‘I support you and whatever you want to do when you grow up, even if it’s acting’ They were always very encouraging.

And then when I went to college, they just let me pick whatever I wanted to do. I started out doing accounting and realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day and be by myself. I thought, “Well, that seems kind of a lonely career. I think I would rather do education.” I switched to that and they were very supportive of that.

And not just for me but also for my sister. My sister was into music. She was in the band. She played trumpet, she was really good at it. She also played piano. They paid for her piano lesson since she was 7 years old. And, and then she also got into photography. That’s what her major was in college. They just supported us all the way through. They didn’t really question it. They just backed us up. So I loved that about them.

Jubilee: Wow, well, I did not know all that! That’s very interesting!

Mom: That’s your grandparents! 😀

Jubilee: Going back to sharing a piece of writing with parents, I know sometimes I’ve been in this situation before, where I want to share my writing with you because you’re my parents and you guys are supporting me! But sometimes I feel like a little bit scared. What would you tell a young writer who is afraid to share their writing with their parents?

Mom: I would tell them to let their parents know, “Hey, I really want to share this with you. I’ve felt a bit apprehensive about doing it. But, I want you to come in on that part of my life with me and to be a part of that!” And I think that their parents would be so honored. I know I have been. Anytime that you’ve shared something with me, I’ve just been so proud of you. And I’m sure that their parents would be so proud of them to be able to see what they’re doing, what they’re producing.

So, I would say, do it! Step forward in that fear. God does not give us a spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)

You’re gonna face many more fears and this is gonna be a small one. Because think about sharing it with the greater public: Sharing it with an editor, sharing it with an agent, those big people out there in the writing world. If you think about it, sharing writing with your parents is actually a really small step. That builds character right there and helps you to take a small step for that day when you’ll be taking an even bigger step when you go to try and publish your work.

Jubilee: I’ve really enjoyed this conversation with you!

Mom: Yeah. Me too! I’m glad to do this.

Jubilee: Thank you so much for joining me on my podcast!

Mom: Well, thanks for inviting me! I loved it!

Jubilee: Bye everyone!

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted! Today I’m excited to share a writer interview from my friend Chloe Ann! Enjoy!

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Thank you so much for doing this, Chloe!  I can’t wait!

Absolutely! I’m so excited for this interview!

When did you start writing and what did you write?

When did I start writing? I can’t remember. We’ve got pictures of me at seven or eight years old with a notebook and a pen posing for author pictures. I loved writing, loved creating story worlds, and still love doing both of those things. 

My earliest story was about a princess (me) who helped rescue an orphan slave girl. It was all handwritten and I’m missing half the pages of the story, but I think she lived in some fantasy country that really resembled the Bahamas. She had a private litter (you know, the thing people carry you around on?), private bedrooms, a private pool. She was pretty cool.  

For a few years, I was working on one story, entitled “Chosen One” with a girl protagonist who looked and acted a lot like me. It was a pretty fun story, but fell apart as I went farther in the writing process. Later, for school, I was assigned to write a short story. I didn’t think I could do it because I could only come up with dramatically long plots. But I did it and we got it published in a private anthology. After that, I dabbled in short stories and wrote a handful of them. I wrote a couple novellas and finally stumbled onto the project I’m working on now.

How have your stories progressed over the years?

Progression is painful. It means admitting you were wrong. And yes… myself at eight years old was writing my stories wrong. But progression is also about making things better. My stories have gotten better in their plots. They no longer have the stereotypical “hero saves the princess” kinda ring to them. My characters have become stronger. They’re not perfect cardboard cutouts, slapped into a world that I thought would be fun to live in. They’re the embodiment of ideas and beliefs, designed to show readers what is truth and what isn’t. 

Why do you write? 

Harriet Beecher Stowe was the daughter of the president of a theological college in Ohio in the 1800s. In 1851-52, she published her most famous work, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in a cry of outrage against slavery. Her book caused such a massive tidal wave that Abraham Lincoln is recorded as having said upon meeting Mrs. Stowe, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.”

Words have power. Since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be Harriet Beecher Stowe. I’ve wanted to write against injustice in the world and write to tell others about the Truth that can set them free. Words have the power to change people’s lives. Writers, use that power for the glory of God. 

If you could go back and give your younger self writing advice, what would it be?

Firstly, don’t make your main character yourself. A good hero has failures, losses, and is usually pretty awful until the author makes them good. My eight year old self did not know that.

My favorite writing quote is by Richard Bach (I have no clue who he is, but I like his quote): “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit”. If I could tell myself one thing, it would be to not quit. All those years of awful stories eventually paid off.

Do you have any encouragement/advice for young writers reading this post?

If your identity is in your writing, then it’s in the wrong place. That might sound weird coming from a writer, but it’s true. You’re going to get bad reviews, going to get negative critiques, and going to struggle with writer’s block. You may think you’re over all that, but you’re not.

Clinging to writing as your identity is building your house in sand. When waves and hard stuff come, your house is going to collapse. Put your identity in the One who is worth it. Writing’s not worth it. Once you figure that out, you’re well on your way to becoming a good author.

Have you published anything?  Where did the inspiration for this project come from?

The project I’m currently working on is a fantasy series about a young man who is separated from his past life. Saved by friends he once called enemies, he now is fighting enemies he once called friends. Forged by Fire combines the themes of “The Chronicles of Narnia” with the allegorical elements of Pilgrim’s Progress and the sacrifices of Les Miserables. It’s the first book in my series, “Condemned” and will hopefully be soon followed by the second book, whose working title is Child of the Darkness. 

The inspiration for Forged by Fire carried over from those old stories I wrote years ago. I always wanted to write an allegory and hide truths in a tale that would hopefully touch a reader and make them evaluate their own life. My editor will be getting Forged by Fire in October and it will probably be a year before the book is released. 

What is the best place for a reader to find you if they were interested in you and your stories?

If you’re on the Young Writer’s Workshop, then follow me there. I would love to chat about anything and everything at any time!

I’m working on building my blog, centered around reading literature that goes against the cultural trend. Since the website is still being built, I can’t release the name just yet. But it should be up and running within the next few months. 

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I’m so glad I got to do this interview! For those on my email list, you can look forward to more information about Chloe’s website and blog at a later date. Have a blessed day!

UPDATE: Chloe has a blog. If you are wondering where to find your next read, her website is an awesome place to go! Check it out here!