Can you tell us what your novel is about?  

T

How did you approach turning your story ideas into a novel?  

T

Is there a particular genre your writing explores?  

I started off writing pretty literary stuff that was mainly about relationships, and I still do focus on that. But I've gotten increasingly more interested in exciting plots. I stay away from strictly writing in genre, so I wouldn't say I write thrillers or crime novels or anything like that. In the world of publishing, this is called upmarket fiction or book club fiction, where you have a fast-paced story and an interesting plot, but it’s still character driven and still very reflective and introspective. I’m going for that blend of literary and commercial which is really hard to strike, but so far I'm liking where I'm landing here. 

Why did you decide to attend Drexel’s MFA program?  

我

Why did you enter the writing contest?  

When the contest came about, I figured, like many of the students in the MFA program, it was such a gift to have an opportunity to submit to a contest where the reward was publication. I can't say that I've heard of any other contest that offers that kind of award, at least in novels. I submitted it on a whim, not expecting much, because you get used to rejection in the world of writing. I joined Drexel’s MFA program to be fully immersed in this writers’ community, and not only did I graduate from Drexel with an MFA, where I am a part of this world, but now I’m going to be published as a result. There's no greater honor to me, and there's no greater way to be fully immersed in the Drexel community. It feels like everything has come full circle.  

What will you take away from your time in the MFA program?  

I joined the program for the camaraderie, for the community, for having people to bounce ideas off of. So, the big takeaway from the program for me is that to be successful as a writer, and to make a career out of it, you have to be in community with other people. You really have to trust your work with peers who are also writers. You also have to trust your work with people who are more experienced than you and who might have different ideas than you. It can feel scary, but at some point, regardless of how personal it feels you have to hand your work over and be open to feedback. Prior to the program, I wrote a novel, and I made little changes here and there, and that was my book. Since the program, I'm much more open to writing as a collaborative process where other people get to have input. That is something I'll hold onto for the rest of my writing career.  

Do you have any advice for writers who hope to one day be published?  

Everything you write is a learning experience. The first book I wrote took me about 12 years to finish off and on. I'd put it down for a year or two, and then pick it up again. But when I finished that first book, I was empowered. I knew I could write a book. My first book took over 10 years, my second book took about eight months to write, and the same for the third book. Finishing that first book made me realize I could do this. Before book one, I thought of a novel as this precious thing. ‘This is my masterpiece. This is my work of art.’ When you realize that it might take you four or five novels to get published, instead of treating a novel as a precious thing, you treat it as this exploration, an act of discovery. It frees your writing in many ways and opens you up to new ideas. That approach to writing is often what it takes to craft a book that's disciplined enough, but also imaginative enough, to be published.