Interview with Young Writer Kyle Borland

Kyle "K.G." Borland, age 16, born in Massachusetts and raised in Germany, lives in Alabama with his military family. A high school junior, his interests include writing, reading, history, debating, politics, web design, tennis, fishing, soccer, being active with many community organizations, and serving as a GOODREADS co-moderator for several online groups. One of his favorite genres is writing urban fantasy, but he loves to mix genres.

Kyle is the 3rd place winner of the William Albrecht Young Writing Contest in Davis, California and his winning entry, Banishment, has recently been published in the 4th issue of the Blue Moon Literary & Art Review. Read it here: http://www.bluemoonlitartreview.com

I was delighted to interview Kyle about his life as a writer and advice for other young writers.

Congrats on your recent contest accolade! How did you feel when you learned the good news? What did you do to celebrate?
Thanks Dallas, I felt ecstatic! It’s the first time I’ve been published, naturally I was excited. What didn’t I do to celebrate? I went out to dinner, told everyone who would listen, and went to Disney World. The trip was previously planned but I made it part of my publication celebration!

How and when did you become interested in writing?
In third grade I attended a writing program for elementary school students at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. They compiled our works into one project. It was enormous fun and I loved every minute of it. I’ve been writing ever since.

What is your writing routine like? You sound very busy -- how do you make time to write?
Unfortunately, my writing routine is what some would call chaotic and hit and miss. I am extremely busy with school, work, and extra-curricular activities.When I have a free moment I try to get on my computer to write.

How do you deal with trials of the writing life, such as writer's block and rejection?
When I have writer’s block, I open a blank Word Document, save it, and then write about absolutely anything for as long as I can. Also, I keep lists of plot ideas, descriptions, and words. When I’m suffering a terrible ‘trial’ I select one of the words or one of the summary plots and write about it. Once I get my mind/muse flowing I can transfer my energy to the piece I’m working on. As for rejection, I haven’t been rejected yet. Sending my piece, Banishment, to the Blue Moon Literary & Art Review for the William Albrecht Young Writing Contest was the first time I submitted my writing anywhere. I’m sure I will have my share of rejections as I start submitting more material. I’ll let you know how I learn to cope!

Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favorite authors, wow, that’s a hard question to answer. One of my favorite books of all time is The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald is definitely one of my favorite authors. In contemporary times many authors’ books are a MUST reads for me: Markus Zusak, Richelle Mead, Laurell K Hamilton, and Dan Brown to name a few. I enjoy a range of genres, mainstream books, small press books, and I love to discover a not generally well-known author, for example Maria V. Snyder. Her fantasy novels are amazing! Snyder’s books/series is one I cannot put down.

What is your greatest advice to other young writers?
My advice to young authors is to just write. Write, write, write, and write some more. Even if you are simply writing about an object you see in front of you. Write. Try to write at least once a day. If you have a story in mind, write it down, don’t wait. Just, Write On! (Pun intended.)

What are you working on right now? What's next for Kyle Borland?
Right now I’m working on three stories. That’s just personal projects. I think I will eventually select one of the three and focus on it until it is completed. I am also a writer for a collaborative story hosted by my writing mentor D.B. Pacini. We have six writers and we all met on GOODREADS. Each writer has a turn and must write 2500-3000 words. Then, the next writer continues the story. We cannot kill a character we did not personally create. I’m very excited about the collaborative project. It is interesting and challenging to be part of a writing team.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
I want to thank author D.B. Pacini. She told me about the William Albrecht Young Writing Contest and she encouraged me to enter it. Now she is encouraging me to continue submitting material to literary magazines and journals. She mentored you; you know how insistent she is! Also, I want to thank you for this interview. I appreciate it very much and look forward to learning more about you and about Write On!