Today we have author Skhye Moncrief with us to talk about her writing life. Check out her story and the great advice she shares!
What is your brainstorming process for a new book?
Brainstorming for me used to be by the seat of my pants. I’d just jump in and type. I’m formally educated in geology and anthropology so I don’t have an issue with connecting ideas and creating new ones. It’s kind of a strange thing to grasp. But I once told the “kids” in the creative writing course I took at college that to get some great ideas for stories they should just whip through the titles listed on a CD-Rom of National Geographic (for the 20th Century). My instructor gave me a strange look and asked if I knew what the titles meant. Well, yeah! National Geographic titles are natural and cultural history… Just shoot me for knowing what a Tse-tse fly is. Now that I have a pre-schooler and stay at home with Lyme Disease and Fibromyalgia (the two stray cat children who adopted me), I tend to have plenty of time to think stories through long before I type the first word!
Can you explain your typical work week day?
I’m doing good to answer e-mail or blog interview questions. Seriously. But my 4 year old has been reading since she was 3 and a half years old. And she does addition! If I wasn’t so worried about silent “e”s and early math concepts, I’d probably get more written… Truthfully, that stray-cat Fibromyalgia keeps me off the computer. It’s literally on my back (and neck). But I feel pretty good today. I just might have to write after I finish this interview. I have a Native-American story in my head. If I don’t write it, I’ll lose my mind.
Tell us about when you made the decision to write.
Gosh, back when a PhD candidate gave me her story to read. I remembered I wrote a novel for 3 years in highschool. So, I started writing again. I was in grad school. Let’s just say writing was more addictive than department politics!
What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?
Never give up. And always attempt to demystify what other writers tell you is wrong with your writing. You may think everyone is nuts and out to ruin your baby. But there’s a grain of truth in each criticism. Part of the game is learning to sift out the objective info from a critiquer’s bias. I found the best aspect of said advice is learn the lingo. In the definitions of the publishing world’s buzz words, you can learn how to write. You’ve just got to be patient enough to let the language come to you. See. We’re back to “never give up.” Maybe I should add that patience is a virtue. Note, I am not patient. I can attest to this advice given my impatience level runs at around 110%, unless I’m asleep…
Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.
I still need to tweak a were-wolf-space opera, add 35 pages to one of my Time Guardian novels to submit the *&^%$~ thing, and then I’m definitely getting this Native-American story out of my head. As for brainstorming, I just need to decide the cultures from which my Native Americans originate. 
A were-wolf-space opera? That sounds so interesting! Thanks so much for joining us today, Skhye! For those of you who want to read more about Skhye’s work, check out her website here.
Tags: writers on writing
