In the 30th in a series of posts on 2017 books entered for The Story Prize, Jennifer Caloyeras, author of Unruly Creatures (Vandalia Press), discusses her writing and reading habits.
What influenced you to become a writer?
I come from a family of writers and I really tried hard NOT to be a writer because I resisted going into the family business. My father is a screenwriter and television writer and playwright and my sister is a novelist. I moved away from writing to become a teacher and then a songwriter, which I did for many years, but eventually, I couldn’t ignore my desire to write and I came back to it, but not until my late twenties. I have achieved a good balance now between writing and teaching writing at UCLA.
Describe your writing habits.
I try to write on a schedule. My schedule doesn’t necessarily include specific times. I have two kids and I feel like our schedule is always in flux. Instead, I focus on completing goals. I’ll make a set of writing goals for the year, for the month, for the week, and for each day. Whatever the goal is, I try to meet it.
Where do you do your best work?
I can get a lot of writing done in a short period of time, but I’m also easily distracted. If I could go hole myself up somewhere, I could get a ton done. Unfortunately, that opportunity doesn’t happen all that often. I have a desk in a family office that I work from when no one is home. If I get stuck, I’ll go for a walk to clear my head and work through a problem I’m facing in my writing.
How do you know when a story is finished?
It’s never done! I have found myself, on more than one occasion, still editing my writing on my way to do a public reading of my published fiction.
Describe your reading habits.
I am an avid reader and get through anywhere from two to four books a week. I am constantly adding to my to be read pile. I don’t go anywhere without a book and find that I can get a lot of reading done throughout the day: in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, waiting for carpool, next to my kids doing their homework. I made it a priority to read because I love it so much. I try to vary the material I read, although I mostly stick to fiction. I’ll move from contemporary to classic, to short stories, to young adult, to historical fiction, to works in translation. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I am going to read next! And I think that everything I read has an influence on what I write.
What influenced you to become a writer?
I come from a family of writers and I really tried hard NOT to be a writer because I resisted going into the family business. My father is a screenwriter and television writer and playwright and my sister is a novelist. I moved away from writing to become a teacher and then a songwriter, which I did for many years, but eventually, I couldn’t ignore my desire to write and I came back to it, but not until my late twenties. I have achieved a good balance now between writing and teaching writing at UCLA.
Describe your writing habits.
I try to write on a schedule. My schedule doesn’t necessarily include specific times. I have two kids and I feel like our schedule is always in flux. Instead, I focus on completing goals. I’ll make a set of writing goals for the year, for the month, for the week, and for each day. Whatever the goal is, I try to meet it.
Where do you do your best work?
I can get a lot of writing done in a short period of time, but I’m also easily distracted. If I could go hole myself up somewhere, I could get a ton done. Unfortunately, that opportunity doesn’t happen all that often. I have a desk in a family office that I work from when no one is home. If I get stuck, I’ll go for a walk to clear my head and work through a problem I’m facing in my writing.
How do you know when a story is finished?
It’s never done! I have found myself, on more than one occasion, still editing my writing on my way to do a public reading of my published fiction.
Describe your reading habits.
I am an avid reader and get through anywhere from two to four books a week. I am constantly adding to my to be read pile. I don’t go anywhere without a book and find that I can get a lot of reading done throughout the day: in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, waiting for carpool, next to my kids doing their homework. I made it a priority to read because I love it so much. I try to vary the material I read, although I mostly stick to fiction. I’ll move from contemporary to classic, to short stories, to young adult, to historical fiction, to works in translation. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I am going to read next! And I think that everything I read has an influence on what I write.
