The original post can be found here on Joanne Guidoccio's Blog
Describe your writing space.
In my house I have a downstairs 300-square-foot office 100% dedicated to my writing plus a walk-in closet with a bookcase and shelving attached to the walls. In the office is an 8x12 Turkish rug (reds and blues); a fully-connected desk set lining two walls comprised of a six-foot red-maple desk, a side return, corner computer work desk (with computer and family photos), and side credenza with file drawers (on it sit a TV, printer, and mementos); two red-maple bookcases full of books, awards, and mementos on a far wall; and two red-maple visitor chairs with black fabric. On the walls my desk unit spans are two white boards with scrawled notes and reminders plus framed awards and mementos.
Where my office differs from others is it has a treadmill, an electronic stringing machine for tennis rackets (I have strung my own rackets for the last 25 years), and a battered orange traffic cone that was given to me years ago as an inside joke (no – it wasn’t because I ran over it). Hanging on the other two walls are awards and photos from my pre-writing career.
Most important of all – on the floor in front of the credenza are two dog beds with blankets for our three pups, all rescues. Every morning, they follow me downstairs to work and sleep almost the entire time I am working, and then follow me back upstairs at the end of the day to settle into their big fluffy beds while I go for my walk.
What is your favorite quote?
“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Nathaniel Hawthorne
I love this quote so much, it is written at the top of one of my whiteboards next to my desk. While I don’t necessarily like Hawthorne, his quote resonates with me because it is very true. During the editing phase of a project, I work so hard to make sure the prose flows and is not continually chopped up by long, complicated sentences or overuse of certain words or dialogue tags. I make sure the dialogue flows with just enough action or dialogue tags to ensure the reader knows who is talking without slowing down the scene. Michael Jordon made playing basketball look easy. But when nobody was watching, he was putting in the work.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy my 3-4 mile walk each day after a full day in the office. It is great to get outside, breathe fresh air, and clear my head. I also enjoy bowling (career-high season average of 226), tennis, and fantasy football. And this past year, I tried my hand at fantasy hockey (I don’t know much about the NHL) and really enjoyed it (finished 4th out of 10 teams), so I’ll be back playing it again this year! I also enjoy watching college and pro football, college basketball, and the grand slam tournaments for tennis and golf.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write every day, even if for only 30-60 minutes. Writing every day builds momentum, and if you consistently do this, you will improve. “Practice makes perfect” is an adage for a reason.
Speaking of perfect, don’t let perfection get in the way of progress (paraphrasing Winston Churchill). First drafts are all about getting the story out of your head and onto virtual paper. Don’t get caught up trying to make that draft perfect by agonizing over sentence structure, pacing, word choice, etc. Later during the very important editing process these things will be identified and addressed. It is during editing that a book goes from good to great (hopefully).
Find a writer’s critique group. There are plenty online and possibly in your own town. When I started writing in 2013, I honed my skills in critique groups on Wattpad. I learned a lot from some talented people in a certain “by invitation only” group on the site. Accept criticism in these groups for what it is intended to do – make you a better writer. But if the feedback isn’t supportive and instead just mean or rude, then simply find another group.
What are you working on next?
I have several projects in various stages of development. One is a YA mystery for boys after an agent expressed an interest in me giving it a shot. I have the next Sara book fully plotted and ready to write – I just need to decide how I want to go about it (yes, I understand, this is intentionally vague – sly wink). I am in the early stages of fleshing out a spinoff with Mrs. Majelski – she is a huge favorite of my readers, my editors, and myself. The enigmatic old lady is such a blast to write into my stories, so why not write a story with her as the main character?? I also have the first seven chapters of a political satire written, and have been querying agents for a completed police/crime/detective murder mystery and an international historical thriller. So, just a few things going on.