LIFE

We got bestselling YA fantasy author Caroline Stevermer to tell us what her writing gig is really like. Caroline is best known for her historical fantasy book series. This summer, three novels she wrote with fellow author Patricia C. Wrede are being released as e-books.

Girls’ Life: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Caroline Stevermer: Like a lot of writers, I knew I wanted to write books from an early age. I didn't have a clear conception of what "being a writer" was at age eight, but I remember vividly wanting to know enough about things to write books about them.

Girls’ Life: What was the first story you wrote about, and how old were you?

Caroline: I used a coin-op typewriter at the public library to write my first story when I was eight. It was about a cow named Moon. (Which I still think is a darned good name for a cow.)   

Girls’ Life:  How did you choose a genre?

Caroline: It chose me, in that the books I loved reading the most ended up being those in the genre I write now, fantasy.

Girls’ Life:  What are you favorite books and authors to read?

Caroline: Right this minute, anything by Diana Wynne Jones, Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers, and Patrick Leigh Fermor's books A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. My answers to this question vary according to the day of the week and the weather of the moment.

Girls’ Life:  What is your writing process?

Caroline: I get an idea. I do research. I begin writing the story as soon as I have a dim idea of the ending. No outline; nothing so useful. I write by the seat of my pants through an extremely rough, under-written first draft. Then I rewrite it completely, because the story always turns out to be different from what I thought while I was writing the first draft. Then I rewrite it a few more times. Needless to say, I do not recommend this process to anyone.

Girls’ Life:  What’s the best thing about being a full-time writer?

Caroline: Hardly any meetings! No, I'm kidding. It's wonderful to have the chance to attempt it, since I've dreamed about it all my life.

Girls’ Life:  What’s the worst thing about being a full-time writer?

Caroline: Writing a book is like the longest open-book take-home essay test imaginable. The benefits are non-existent. But there's nothing else I'd rather do. All my life, I dreamed of being a full-time writer. I don't mind being poor as a church mouse as a result. At least I had the chance to try.

Girls’ Life:  If you could be doing anything else, what would you do?

Caroline: If wishes were horses, I'd be a curator in an art museum, but I'd still write in my spare time.

Girls’ Life:  What advice do you have for aspiring writers and authors?

Caroline: Don't give up! The hardest thing is to keep writing, especially when the words don't seem up to standard. But you can't revise it until you have rough draft, so bash on regardless!

by Brittany Taylor | 2/1/2016