I am so delighted to have the fantastic writer Margo Candela as our guest today! She is the author of The Brenda Diaries (SugarMissile, Oct. '11) Good-bye To All That (Touchstone, July '10), More Than This (Touchstone, Aug '08), Life Over Easy (Kensington, Oct '07), Underneath It All (Kensington, Jan '07) and the short story and essay collection, Life Observed (June '11). More Than This was a Target stores Breakout Book and an American Association of Publishers national book club selection at Borders Books. Good-bye To All That was the only novel picked by Los Angeles Magazine for its 2010 Best of L.A. list.
I have been an avid Twitter follower of Margo for quite a while now -- she is always full of great advice and inspiration! If you are on Twitter, I would definitely recommend following Margo @MargoCandela and @BrendaDiaries. Read on for Margo's insights about filling the idea well, venturing into e-book publishing, and the merits of creating an outline for your book.
What would you
like readers to know about you as an introduction?
I write novels
that feature funny, smart, decent but flawed characters because I find those
kinds of people interesting. I usually write with the radio or a movie playing
in the background because I grew up in a big, noisy family and it helps me
focus rather than distracts me. When I’m stuck on a plot point or not feeling
inspired, I do something that is as far away from writing as possible like
vacuuming.
Tell us about The Brenda Diaries. What was your inspiration/motivation behind this book?
I have a real fascination
with work and how people identify with what they do for a living. When I was
writing The Brenda Diaries I wanted to explore a character whose genuinely
enjoys working, but isn’t ready to settle into a career.
What has it been like to venture into e-book publishing? Any advice for other authors?
It’s essential
that the final product to be as professional looking as possible. I work with cover
designer, ask for feedback on the last draft and, most importantly, hire a copy
editor because I know I can’t and shouldn’t copy edit my own work. It’s a
lot of work, but there’s also a lot of freedom that comes with e-book
publishing.
How did you
get started writing?
I’ve always been
a voracious reader, but never imagined writing would be something I’d do
professionally. As a teen, I’d write short stories just for fun, but it wasn’t
until I joined the staff of community college newspaper that I saw that writing
as a career was a real option for me to pursue.
What is your writing process like?
Once I have an
idea that I believe has real potential, I commit to writing a
chapter-by-chapter outline. It makes the process of actually writing the novel
much more manageable. Plus, it forces me
to see if there’s enough to idea to turn it into a story that has a beginning,
middle and end.
I always write on
a computer, my penmanship is atrocious, and write my first draft knowing there
will be at least three others before I get to a final polish. I set word count
goals and deadlines to keep myself on track.
How do you get
ideas for what you write?
I get most of my
ideas when I’m not forcing myself to come up with them. I read tons of
magazines and am always keeping an ear and eye out for quirky things. The rest
is just having a good imagination and the willingness to do the work to turn
that idea into a novel.
What are some
of your favorite books?
My all-time
favorite book is Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth. I read it at least once
a year just for fun. Anne Tyler has written more than a few books that I love
including Celestial Navigations.
What is your biggest advice for young people reaching for their dreams?
There’s no way of
getting out of doing the actual hard work to achieve a goal. It takes time, discipline
and perseverance to achieve anything in life.
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Visit Margo's website at www.margocandela.com
She's on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/margocandela
Follow Margo on Twitter @MargoCandela and @BrendaDiaries
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