Hello all,
Welcome to the 32nd edition of Women Writing! Every week I feel privileged to read, edit, and share the experiences of women carving out space in their busy lives to write. As a book coach, I applaud them for prioritizing their passion and finding ways to share their work with others. As a writer, I’m inspired by the innovative ways they sneak writing into their day, or how they schedule their lives around it, and adjust to the ebbs and flows of their writing lives. There is no one right way. There is only your way. And learning about your path is all part of the creative process.
Enjoy this week’s featured writer, Kathleen Barber.
About the author…
Kathleen Barber is the author of Truth Be Told (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, August 2017, originally published as Are You Sleeping), which was adapted into a series on AppleTV+ by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company, and Follow Me (Gallery Books, February 2020). Her third book, Both Things Are True, is forthcoming from Lake Union. She lives in Washington, DC, with her family.
“Prioritize your writing. Writing is hard, and it's so easy to find things that you ‘should’ be doing instead … Make sure you carve out some time every day that's just you and your laptop/pen/whatever.”
On a writing routine …
My kids are small (3 and 5) and demanding, so I write during the day when they're at school. As soon as I return from dropping them off at 8:15, I sit down at my desk, and on a good day, I don't get up again until it's time to get them just after 3:00.
On writing spaces …
My dream is to have a dedicated office for writing, but for now, my desk is in a corner of our bedroom. It faces a window, which is nice (except for on blazingly sunny days). I try to keep my desk clear other than my laptop, coffee, and a notebook, but I have piles of books nearby for inspiration. I also have a small frame on my desk containing the to-do list my kindergartener one day wrote for himself: "Write book." If only it were that easy!
On writing communities …
I belong to a number of crime-writing organizations (Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers), and they all provide such great forms of community. For example, I'm the co-chair of programming for my local Sisters in Crime chapter, and I love getting to know the membership better through planning programs, and I belong to a critique group organized through International Thriller Writers, which has been an amazing way to get feedback on my works in progress. I'm also a part of Women's Fiction Writers Association, where I've met incredible other writers over the years, and I belong to a local critique group. Writing is such a solitary profession; finding community is imperative!
On challenges …
Being a mother is a full-time job, and I've had to readjust the way I write since my children have been born. I'm lucky to have a very supportive spouse and the means to have hired a nanny before my children were school-aged; without that support, there's no way I could have completed a novel. Now, I'm pretty content in my groove working while the children are in school, but everything goes out the window when one of them is sick! That's where PBS Kids comes in handy, lol.
On the best writing advice …
Write the story that *you* want to read. Don't write to the market or what you *think* readers want. Make your target audience yourself, and you can't go wrong.
On the worst writing advice …
I know there are people who say you shouldn't use adverbs, but you can pry them out of my cold, dead hands.
On advice from personal experiences …
Prioritize your writing. Writing is hard, and it's so easy to find things that you "should" be doing instead. But housework will wait, your kids won't go feral if you let them watch a little TV, your friends won't forget who you are, and social media isn't going anywhere. Make sure you carve out some time every day that's just you and your laptop/pen/whatever.
Kathleen’s online spaces …
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Happy writing!
Women Writing is a weekly newsletter featuring women who are doing the difficult work of writing. If you enjoyed reading the newsletter, please share it with a fellow writer. Let’s inspire each other!
Liisa Kovala is an Author Accelerator certified book coach. She is the author of Sisu’s Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father’s Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017). Her short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines. Liisa is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, Canadian Authors Association, and past-president of Sudbury Writers’ Guild. Visit liisakovala.com.
Oh gosh, keeping other stuff off the desk—I get distracted by the piles of receipts, filing, etc. Good tip, thanks!
Thanks for having me!