1. Do you like writing the beginning of a book or the end better? Why?
I definitely prefer writing the beginning of a book! Beginnings always feel a little bit like magic to me—for me they’re all about creating atmosphere and intrigue. Plus it helps that at the beginning I haven’t gotten far enough into a draft to run into any problems; I can write whatever I want, without having to worry about tying up what’s come before in a satisfying way.
2. What have you learned about yourself and the world from writing?
I’ve learned so much! Sometimes it’s picking up odd little factoids in my research—for instance, I now know how emergency sprinkler systems work even when a building doesn’t have power, and I know why fish don’t bump into each other when they swim in schools (look up something called a lateral line). But some of it’s been seeing people respond to my work and learning about the ways we find meaning in each other and the written word. Some of it, too, has been in looking back at my own work and realizing how the things that are important to me find a way to come through even when I’m not aware of it.
3. How do you hope your writing/work will impact your readers?
I think the best way to describe what I hope for is to say that I hope my work makes its readers lean closer. Maybe that’s out of recognition—seeing themselves in a moment or a character—or curiosity or horror or disgust or interest or maybe it’s just, “Huh, that’s a cool sentence.” Whatever the case, I hope my work makes its readers participate in it, so to speak.
4. Have you always loved to write?
Always, even when I’ve hated it.
5. To date, what is your favorite chapter you have ever written?
There are a couple contenders, and I think if I were picking my “best” chapter I’d have a different answer, but I have a huge soft spot for Chapter 11 (at least I think it’s 11?) in Wilder Girls, wherein Byatt tells a story about something she did in grade school. It was such a fun chapter to write; her voice came really naturally to me, and I love experimenting with form.
6. How much of your time do you spend reading vs writing?
I’m a slower writer these days, so I end up with not nearly as much time to read as I would like. I try to balance it so that when I’m off deadline I’m reading as much long form fiction as I can, and when I’m in the thick of my own writing, I’m reading essays and shorter non-fiction.
One Page a Time 