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Welcome, Ilie Ruby, Author of The Salt God’s Daughter

 

If you’re a mother and a writer, you know how hard it is to make the writing happen. Some days, I’m lucky to get the skeleton of a story down on paper. Other days, I’m grateful to rewrite my to-do list. Plenty of those days, I’m up until midnight. Because balancing motherhood and writing is a daily challenge for me, I love to hear from successful authors who accept that challenge head on. And, win.

Ilie Ruby is one such author. Her new novel, The Salt God’s Daughter, has received lots of praise and attention. I’ll post my review of her book next week. But for now, Ilie stops by here today and shares with us how one mother writer makes it all happen.

Welcome, Ilie!

~

You know those color-coded schedules for families? Those charts that hang on the walls of people’s kitchens? Those have become our saving grace. I’ve had to become a very organized person, which is not at all the way that I used to be.

Internally, I was always incredibly organized in my thinking, for example when creating a novel it was easy and natural for me to remember where all the pieces fit. But externally, I was always very free-flowing and spontaneous. Three little kids later (with myriad activities and educational requirements)—I don’t have a choice but to become organized in my life as a mother.

The only way I get any writing done is to schedule my writing time in some rather strange hours—at night. I just love to write at night and I start after the kids go to sleep and then I write for four hours or so. This works for me because I am a natural night owl. 9pm has always been the high-point of my day and when I’m the most energetic and creative.

Now, I bet you want to know about sleep—when do I sleep? I’ve learned is that I don’t require as much as I thought. I’ve learned that my body is stronger than I ever knew. I always thought that as you got older, you became more frail. For me, it has been quite the opposite. In many ways, I feel younger today than I did ten years ago—healthy, strong, creative, and yes, organized!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Christi!

Ilie Ruby is the author of The Salt God’s Daughter and the critically-acclaimed novel, The Language of Trees, which was a Target Emerging Author’s Pick and a First Magazine for Women Reader’s Choice. She is also a painter, mother to three, and teaches writing in Boston.

About the Book
Set in Long Beach, California, beginning in the 1970s, The Salt God’s Daughter follows three generations of extraordinary women who share something unique—something magical and untamed that makes them unmistakably different from others. Theirs is a world teeming with ancestral stories, exotic folklore, inherited memory, and meteoric myths.

For more on her book, read Stacy Bierlein’s review and interview with Ilie at The Rumpus. You can also visit Ilie Ruby’s beautiful website, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her Facebook page.

Interested in Mother Writer swag? Click the Mother Writer image above (and thanks to E. Victoria Flynn for providing the link).

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Michael Perry, Date Night, & a Writing Prompt

Technically, I don’t meet up with my friends at the retirement center until Saturday, but today is as good a day as any to introduce this month’s writing prompt.

I admit, I’ve never read any of Michael Perry’s books. He’s published several (his most recent hit the New York Times Bestseller list); he’s a Wisconsin writer; my husband loves his work. I know he’s good. Still, I had only admired the covers of his books when I made a date to attend his reading with my husband last week.

Let me say two things. First, It isn’t easy to plan a date night when you’re working hard and minding kids and scraping together money for a sitter. But this night was worth it: I love author readings, my husband loves Michael Perry’s books, and we stopped at a local burger joint for dinner, where I ate the best bag of fries. Ever. Not to mention the company of the man sitting next to me.

Second, the best part of a good book is listening to the author read from it, especially when an author, like Michael Perry, reads so well. It was an excellent event. He filled the spaces in between excerpts with life stories and glimpses into a writer’s world (to which I can relate). He is one of those authors I would love to sit and visit with for a while. Rather, I’d love to sit and listen to him and my husband visit for a while. They would have plenty to discuss. My husband isn’t a writer, but he tunes into life’s small details that I tend to ignore; he makes note of people living on the periphery. He’s a man of many questions, and because of that, he knows a little about a lot. Michael Perry does the same – the details, the people, the questions we all ask – and weaves those observations into great prose. Now, the question for me isn’t so much if I’ll read his book, but which of his books I’ll read first.

Date night and a good book. That’s all it takes to bring to light your next writing prompt.

From Visiting Tom:

I can make no special claim on Tom Hartwig. The path to his door was well worn by a parade of feet other than my own before I first crossed his threshold, and so it is right through the present. I visit him whenever I need a piece of iron cut, bent, or welded. Sometimes I visit in the company of my wife and two daughters; we bring food and stay for supper. Sometimes I visit to drop off a dozen eggs. Sometimes I visit just to visit. I rarely come to Tom seeking anything more than ten minutes of his time and a size-sixty-eleven welding rod. He is not my mentor, I am not his acolyte, we are simply neighbors. And yet with each visit I accrue certain clues to comportment — as a husband, as a father, as a citizen. (I also accrue certain clues regarding the fabrication of cannons, the rebuilding of Farmall tractors, and how to run a sawmill, although due to my profound mechanical ineptitude, any observations I might make in these areas should be regarded as anecdotal rather than instructional).

The Prompt.

Man on doorsteps, SwedenNeighbors. They are a critical part of our landscape whether we live in the city or in the country. They can make or break our time on the block. I’ve had questionable neighbors, good neighbors, absent neighbors. There was Linda, skin and bones, who lived on the first floor of our Irving Street apartment building. She kept her door open a crack, and you couldn’t help but peer inside as you passed by. Then, there was eighty year old Ruth, who welcomed us to our first house with a strong Irish smile. She stopped by with homemade chicken noodle soup every chance she got. And, the couple down the street whose whole front yard is made up of creeping phlox? Sometimes I wonder.

Tell us about your neighbor, about a time you depended on their kindness, in action or in thought, or about the time you discovered their secret.

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* Black and white photo credit: Swedish National Heritage Board on flickr.com
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Q&A and Book Giveaway with Author, Yuvi Zalkow

“Even in my real life, I lose track of the plot.”
~ from A Brilliant Novel in the Works

That’s explains it, right, the life of a writer? We search for structure in our stories; we work to uncover the solid theme, running throughout, that will pull all those messy details together. We need to know how it all turns out. We get lost, make mistakes, back up and try again. Sometimes, all that happens on the page; sometimes it’s happening everyday with the people around us. Writing fiction isn’t so different from living life.

A Brilliant Novel in the Works, by Yuvi Zalkow, introduces readers to a man, named Yuvi, who is a writer struggling to find order in his life and in his fiction. Like most writers, he is easily distracted by the story lines of those around him, namely his brother-in-law and his wife.

Yes, the protagonist’s name is Yuvi. No, this isn’t a memoir. Yes, you might wonder what is truth and what is fiction. But, don’t let those questions distract you from the compelling tale of a writer in search of the perfect ending for his novel and a man struggling through the murky middle of his relationships.

I’m thrilled to host Yuvi on the blog today, where he shares a bit about his book, about taking risks, about creative therapy and his secret to success. I’m also excited to give away a copy of his debut novel. It’s so easy to enter: leave your name in the comments. That’s it. Random.org will choose the winner on Tuesday, September 18th at high noon. I love saying that, high noon.

Now, welcome Yuvi Zalkow!

CC: The way your book transitions between the (protagonist) Yuvi’s personal story to the stories he writes for his novel, illustrates so well the mind of a creative: we always turn to our art of choice to explore and examine bits and pieces from real life that confound us. I’m guessing the Yuvi in the book is a panster (when he wears pants, that is). What about you? Do you write with an outline, or do you close your eyes and let the words fall where they may?

YZ: First of all, nice way to work pantslessness into your question!…

I definitely start writing any story by just letting some voice or character explode out of me, without worrying about where it is all heading. For me, the first important thing is a strong voice. But I eventually transition into a writer who needs a rough outline to proceed. Towards the end of the first draft of this book, I began sketching out how I wanted the next draft to go.  Nothing too elaborate, but a list of 10-20 connected steps roughly describing the shape of the story and the arc of the key characters. This book had virtually no plot in draft one. I’m not saying that the published work is a plot-heavy story, but it definitely has far more of a shape than draft one. Drafts 2 to 1,000 (ish) were mostly about shaping the story and taming this loud voice into a decent story. For instance, it took a lot of time to figure out exactly which of (protaganist) Yuvi’s personal stories should go in the novel and where exactly they should appear. I did a lot of shaping and editing and trashing in those later drafts.

CC: Throughout the novel, Yuvi takes risks, most of which leave him in precarious positions or in the middle of conflict. But, finally taking the right risk is what leads him to The End. Much, if not all, of writing takes courage. While writing your novel, was the biggest chance you took?

YZ: Wow. I’m getting nervous to answer this question already 🙂 The scariest thing for me — and I realize this may not be quite what you mean — is that step of giving a trusted friend/writer/mentor/reader my whole manuscript for the first time. I remember there was a point where I was thinking: do I show the public the steaming pile of a manuscript or do I hide it and forget about it? I had already read the individual scenes aloud in a writing group but no one had seen the thing as a whole piece of work. This novel is a very personal one (as you can quickly imagine upon reading it) and I felt very exposed to let others see it. I was terrified that they would say: “You’re crazy. You’ve got nothing comprehensible here. Give it up!” I think it takes a lot of courage/strength/risk/stupidity for a writer to take their work out in the world and say, “Yes, I want to see if I can make my words affect other people.” Particularly if you’re doing something that doesn’t follow some well-known standard. As it turned out, as messy as that draft was, my friend could see the power of what I was *trying* to do, and she helped me get closer in achieving it.

CC: I love the videos you make that spotlight all the different facets of the writing life (like tips for time management or the secret to everything). How does working in two different mediums, print and video, keep your creativity in balance?

YZ: To be honest, right now the two mediums keep me creatively IMBALANCED. It’s really just a lack of time. The videos take loads of time and eat into the writing. Since I have a day job and a family, I’m struggling with doing everything right now. But I love doing them both… it’s so much fun because they both are creative endeavors that use very different parts of the brain. Writing is harder. The videos are therapy in a way. I’m scheming up a few ways to do them both in a more balanced way because I hate to let either go. But I haven’t struck a balance yet. Regardless of the (im)balance, each medium has connected me to fabulous people (some as nuts as I am) and I’m thankful for that.

CC: What are you reading these days?

YZ: Wow. I haven’t been reading a whole lot of published books lately — between preparing for my book release and reading my friends’ manuscripts in various writing groups, I’m pretty underwater. But I read THAISA FRANK’S latest collection of stories ENCHANTMENT. Beautiful stories.. And I listened to the audiobook of the fabulous YA novel THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. And I also listened to the GODFATHER on audiobook because I love the movies (I & II) and I wanted to see (or in this case, hear) how the book was structured. Hmm… I think I’d like Marlon Brando to play the role of Yuvi in the movie version of my book… Though Al Paccino will also do. What do you think? Surely you must have also pictured one of those two as you read my book… 🙂

CC: Since this novel is about a writer struggling to write a novel, I wonder if, maybe during a middle-of-the-night rewrite, your Muse or Genius (or perhaps your wife) revealed some secret to success? In other words, do you have any advice for writers on the rise?

YZ: My secret to success is to be skeptical of any secret to success that is delivered with too much confidence. Thanks so much for chatting with me, Christi. In an online world where there is a lot of writing about writing, you really stand out with great insights into the craft and into the writing life.

CC: Thank you, Yuvi!

For all you readers and writers, don’t forget to leave your name in the comments for a chance to win a copy of his great novel! You can also check out more of Yuvi’s work on his website (where you’ll find his I’m a Failed Writer video series), follow him on Twitter, or subscribe to his page on Facebook. Read two other great interviews with Yuvi, as well, on Laura Stanfill’s blog and at The Surly Muse.

Yuvi Zalkow writes and worries in Portland, Oregon. His stories have been published in Glimmer Train, Narrative Magazine, Carve Magazine, and others. He is working on a second novel (about one Jew obsessed with napkins and another Jew in the Klan). He recently received an MFA from Antioch University, which makes him feel official.

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