Up until now Word Craft has exclusively featured my fellow Flame Tree Press authors, but this week I’m officially opening Word Craft to authors with other publishers. Please welcome Betsy Dornbusch to Word Craft! I enjoyed reading her honest responses and I can relate to many of them, especially managing to succeed at writing despite the many distractions life offers.
Those who have read the previous Word Craft Q&A’s may notice that my questions are evolving, and that process will continue. I’ve also added a new “Additional Reading” section at the bottom — previous posts I’ve written that relate to the author’s responses in some way.
-J.D.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer.
I wrote since fourth grade Ā and took creative writing in college, but life got in the way and I quit. Then after the birth of my second child I started writing a book Iād been noodling for years. That turned into Archive of Fire, my first novel published in 2012.
Whatās your book about?
My latest is called The Silver Scar and itās set in Boulder, Colorado in 2160. A Christian soldier and a wiccan eco-terrorist team up to stop the Churchās crusade to gain control of a mystical graveyard.
I also have an epic fantasy trilogy, Books of the Seven Eyes, an urban fantasy Archive of Fire, and a lot of short stories.Ā
What author has most influenced you, and why?
SE Hinton. I actually met her in fourth grade when she came to my school. The first novel I wrote at thirteen was a riff on The Outsiders. Itās still in a folder in my office today, and no one has ever read it but me. The themes of not belonging and makeshift families still resonate in my stories.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION
Why do you write?
I am always doing something creative, from art to interior decorating. Writing is just one part of my creative life and has been for a long time.
Have you ever taken an extended break from writing? If so, why, and what brought you back?
Two breaks. I quit in my twenties and thirties because Life, as I mentioned, and I also painted on commission and made a lot of art during that time. And 2018 was a break year for me–my first since 2002. I only wrote two short stories. I started a new book in January though, so I guess my break is over.
What do you do when you need additional inspiration or ideas?
On a large scale I live life, travel, and consume story in many forms. Last year I read fifty books, consuming a few series at a rapid rate. I cut my social media usage (I quit Facebook in October), but Iām still on Twitter and a carefully curated feed on Instagram, which has proved inspirational in many ways. On a smaller scale when Iām stuck Iāve been known to just grab a random book from my shelf and start reading to remind me that people, including me, write good books all the time. Iām not someone who finds instant inspiration away from my desk, like on a dog walk. I have to keep sitting there staring out the window, usually.
Do you finish everything you start? If a piece isnāt working, at what point do you cut your losses and abandon it?
I plan my work, especially short stories. For books I write a tagline and copy, and that tends to show me (and my agent) if itās an idea worth pursuing. If not, the synopsis will show me that itās not working–which usually means there is a serious logic problem. I havenāt trashed a novel in a long time because Iām a plotter. I did trash one short story last year after it was finished. I really felt like it was a complete rewrite and I lost interest.
METHODS AND PRACTICES
Betsy’s writing desk, dog, and sword.
How often do you write?
A few hours a day most weekdays.
Do you have a regular time of day and place that your write?
I have my office on the ground floor of our house, which has its own door to to our deck so I can step out and breathe when I want. Writing is my day job. My habit is usually social media and administrative duties in the morning (administrative also = laundry and playing with my dog) and then write fiction in the afternoon.
Do you keep a writing log? What data do you track (word count, session start/end, etc.)?
I keep track of my word counts in my Filofax but not as a whip but to prove to myself Iām writing something. I also include planning work in that because I write from a constantly edited synopsis and character list. I spend a lot of time planning and I am a glacially slow first drafter. I had a chat with a friend of mine whoās a famous, prolific writer and learned she writes around 700-1000 words a day. That took the pressure off because people love to brag on word counts. Yesterday I wrote 70 words (I was sick) but they were impactful words for my new book. I just saw another acquaintance on Twitter mention she wrote one sentence the same day. It really isnāt about quantity but quality. Even writers who are writing crap zeroeth drafts need to keep the bones in mind. The zeroeth draft is still a foundation, and the better it is, the easier it is to build.
What elements of your life distract you from writing the most, and how do you manage those distractions?
Kids, social media, nice weather, my dog, laundry, partyingā¦ Ā everyfuckingthing. I donāt know that I manage it all that well. Iād like to write more per day, and not be so disjointed about it, but in reality my life as a mom and as a somewhat twitchy creative means I canāt sustain hours and hours of just writing. Life just doesnāt leave me with enough emotional bandwidth to write like that. I think, honestly, thatās true for a lot of women, particularly women with families. Moms usually handle most of the emotional work in a family (and society judges us if we donāt) so thereās a lot of pressure that I just donāt see my male and unmarried colleagues having. Iāve sort of accepted it and work around it as best I can.
Do you revise as you go, or wait for a complete first draft?
I do rolling revisions, especially when starting, and I end up with a fairly polished draft. I canāt write straight through on a first draft. Despite planning, I would just end up with a mess that would take me longer to fix than doing it as I go. Iāve done both so I have an idea of how it works for me. YMMV.
Who sees your work first, and why?
Usually my agent, due to time constraints when I was on deadline with the trilogy. My last book took me a year and a half to write and I had a trusted beta reader who tends to get what Iām trying to do. She read as I wrote. Then when it was polished, I gave it to my agent to sell. I wish I were quicker. I really do. Iām just not.
Whatās your backup system (for computer files)?
My husband is in tech and cyber security so we have external storage. I also tend to email myself drafts. You know. In case of fire? Ā
Do you have any particular methods via which you communicate with your subconscious mind?
I try not to. Itās scary in there. š
I donāt do much analysis of why Iām writing something because it kills my mojo. Those connections form during revisions, I think, which is probably why I revise a lot as I go, but I rarely get meta about it.
What methods or practices have you used to increase your productivity?
I log out of social media on my computer and put my phone in the other room. Itās funny to mention, but I also tend to get more done on days Iām in my jammies. Actual clothes make me want to go out somewhere rather than sit at my desk.
Poet Friedrich Schiller was famously inspired by the smell of rotting apples. How important are lighting, sound/silence, smells, and other sensory factors to your writing process? What about caffeine, alcohol, or other mind-altering substances?
I play music and Iām thinking of employing playlists. I know that works for a lot of people to signal āitās time to work on this project.ā If it were up to me Iād play loud punk rock all day long but my husband works from home right below me. I drink copious amounts of tea and water. I have been known to drink beer or Bushmills while drafting on occasion, if Iām stressed or twitchy. I canāt drink too much though, or I just start screwing around, and I donāt drink every day so thatās not always an option.
I think the aesthetics of my office is important to me also, the way it is organized (even mess, if itās in a messy period) the light, the wallpaper and pictures, tea and water, collections, papers around me to make notes, my books, my pen, my comfy chair, my dog. I write at an antique library table which is kind of big for me but I canāt give it up. And yes, thatās an actual sword in the corner.
FORTHCOMING
What are you working on now, and what projects do you have scheduled?
I have a futuristic mystery/fantasy set in Scotland with my agent, and I just started a new fantasy which Iām not ready to talk about. I also have a story in Straight Outta Deadwood from Baen, coming out in October.
Additional Reading
Some Thoughts on Emotional Labor
Notes from Kim Stanley Robinson Writing Workshop
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