Tag: British Columbia

Interviews

Interview with Carol Anne Shaw

Pauline Shen
Photo courtesy of Carol Anne Shaw

In this post, we’ll be hearing from Canadian author Carol Anne Shaw. Check out her author bio:

Carol Anne Shaw, resident of Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, is the author of the award-winning Hannah series, plus four young adult novels, and writing guidebook That’s Another Story: Writing with Heart.

For budding writers, the prospect of completing a full-length manuscript can feel hopelessly out of reach. Carol Anne, what advice do you have for writers who are just starting out with a book idea?

Oh, I love this question! And it makes me think of a famous quote by writer Gene Wolfe, who said, “You never learn how to write a book. You only learn how to write the book you’re writing.” So true! I thought once I had a book published, it would be easy street from that point on. Nope.

Writing every book has had its ups and downs, just like the one before it, but I’ve learned that that’s just the way it goes. The middle part is the hardest! That’s when the idea is no longer new and shiny, and it starts to feel like real work. My advice to writers just beginning would be, don’t overthink it. Don’t get hung up on editing or minute details. Just get the ideas down as they come.

If you’re stuck, write a random scene—one that will show up at some point in the novel. You can stitch everything together later on. And probably the most important thing of all? Turn off your phone, or put it in another room. Distractions will KILL your focus.

Carol Anne, share 3 ways you push through a plot snag.

Ew. Plot snags are beasts. Usually, I shut things down and go for a walk. Or, I write a random scene that I know I’ll be able to use in another part of the novel. That keeps my confidence up and the wheels in motion. The third “trick” might be opening a book by an author I admire and just familiarizing myself with how other writers weave stories. I learn so much from them.

In addition to writing, you give back to the community by speaking to groups of children. Your presentations have been described as “fascinating and inspiring.” What has been the most surprising part about giving these author talks? In what ways does this sort of public speaking differ from your previous experience as a high school visual arts teacher?

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Interviews

Interview with T.L. Tomljanovic

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’re hearing from T.L. Tomljanovic, freelance writer and communications specialist located in British Columbia, and member of the Federation of BC Writers. We’ll hear about T.L. Tomljanovic’s writing journey, recent publications, and some advice for new writers on ways to branch out and become part of the larger writing community.

You have a background as a freelance communications consultant, and then you got into writing fiction more recently. How long have you been writing overall and what made you decide to explore fiction?

I’ve been writing professionally for about 20 years. My first paid gig was for a Calgary publisher where I worked as a photo researcher. Outside my usual nine to five, I researched and wrote children’s non-fiction books to spec meaning I had a very clear set of guidelines—word count, reading level, chapter headings, etc. I always wanted to write fiction—I was and still am a voracious reader—but my fear of failure paralyzed. It took the bigger fear of the pandemic lockdown in 2020 to spur me into action. I wrote a story about a goat hunter and Carousel Magazine published it.

Your fictional stories span multiple genres—literary, science fiction, horror, and so on. What inspires your stories and what are your go-to strategies to ensure that you can approach your work-in-progress with enthusiasm?

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