Q & A with Cecilia Aragon Writers in the Secret Garden: Fanfiction, Youth and New Forms of Mentoring

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Where did you grow up/live now?

I was a shy, nerdy girl who was too smart — and, as the daughter of immigrants from Chile and the Philippines, a complete oddity in the Indiana town where I grew up. So I left early and headed for college in California. Then I spent 20 years in the California Bay Area, and today I live in Seattle, where I’m a professor at the University of Washington.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Or what first inspired you to write?

I wrote and illustrated my first picture book when I was four years old, with the immortal title Wasting Kleenex. By the time I was ten I was writing lots of stories, including a lengthy fanfiction based on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I wrote an original novel when I was nineteen that I have sworn no one will ever see. But I didn’t seriously start working on writing as a career until ten years ago. Since then I’ve written over a million words. Maybe about 1/3 of that is fanfiction, 1/3 original fiction, and 1/3 nonfiction.

What do you think makes a good book?

Something that immediately makes me curious about what happens next, or how something happened. When I read the first chapter of a book and it gives me chills of delight, I know I’m in for a wonderful experience.

What inspired your book?

Katie Davis and I met by chance over lunch at an event at the University of Washington. She’s a professor at UW's Information School who specializes in digital youth, child development, and education; her interests dovetailed well with my expertise in human-centered data science and the study of very large text data sets. Over lunch, we happened to discuss recent news stories in which “experts” claimed that young people couldn’t write – and agreed that we didn’t believe it. My teenage children and Katie’s young sister all defied this stereotype, writing lengthy stories, sophisticated essays, and actively participating in fan communities. This contradiction struck us as fertile ground for research, and so our collaboration began.

How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?

I have so many ideas; the problem is finding time to write them all out. When I’m walking, or riding the bus, or reading an interesting news article, I’ll often come up with a new story or research idea. I usually get several of them every day. My files contain so many story ideas that I won’t have enough years in my life to write them all. 

With fanfiction, what often sparks an idea is a plot hole in canon, or a missing explanation as to why the characters behave the way they do, or simply a desire to put two interesting characters together and see what happens. The most fun part about writing fanfiction is I can get a story idea, post the first chapter online, and get immediate feedback on whether I should continue or not.

I have tons of first chapters of original fiction languishing in my file cabinets or on my hard drive that I’ve never shown to anyone, and so I have no idea whether they might appeal to readers. But with fanfiction, I can post a chapter and if it gets an enthusiastic response with dozens of reviews in the first day or two, I know it’s worth continuing.

That kind of instant and voluminous feedback is characteristic of distributed mentoring online, and is extremely valuable for a writer. As a matter of fact, many published authors who’ve written both fanfiction and original fiction have commented on the sheer abundance of fanfiction feedback, and how much they love it.

Is there a message/theme in your book that you want readers to grasp?

We should trust young people more. They are teaching each other how to write on their own. Maybe we should support them and provide them guidance with learning rather than creating artificial structures and standardized tests.

Also, fanfiction doesn’t deserve its bad rap! We talk in Writers in the Secret Garden about the important role fanfiction can play in society.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned when writing?

First, the breadth and depth of the fanfiction community. We had no idea that millions of young people were writing and reading fanfiction, and what’s more, that they were finding their identities and teaching each other how to write.

It also surprised us to find a new type of mentoring among young people in online communities, what we ended up calling distributed mentoring. Rather than traditional one-on-one mentoring, young people are mentoring each other in small pieces that all together make up much more than the sum of the whole. We describe distributed mentoring, how it arises, and why it works in detail in the book.

What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?

I have a demanding full-time job, a family, and take care of special-needs family members. My husband is sick and unable to work, so my job provides our only income. My father has Alzheimer’s, and I’m his primary caregiver. It’s always difficult to carve out enough time to write.

What’s the best writing advice you have ever received?

Believe in yourself.

What are you working on now?

My memoir: Flying Free: How I Used Math to Overcome Fear and Achieve my Wildest Dreams, about my journey from fearful, bullied child to champion pilot and beyond. It’ll be out from Blackstone Publishing in fall 2020.

You can read more at http://CeciliaAragonAuthor.com/ and sign up for my newsletter about my writing life, or follow me on
Twitter https://twitter.com/CeciliaRAragon,
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/CeciliaRAragon/,
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18981003.Cecilia_Aragon,
or Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cecilia-aragon

to stay in touch.

Also, our research group at UW maintains a tumblr blog about our fanfiction research:
https://ffanalytics.tumblr.com/post/181788901675/hi-im-ruby-and-im-part-of-a-group-of

Sara’s Music List for Woodhouse Hall

When I write books in the 21st Century Austen series, I like to listen to mostly women. I do add in men but mostly for songs that will be a bit faster paced. I have a Pandora station that rotates my favorite musicians, but I also keep my favorite songs on a small iPod shuffle to listen to when I need to work through scenes. I listen to the music while I run through the scenes in my head, trying to see multiple ways it could work out basic on different sets of details. Here’s the main list of songs that helped me write Woodhouse Hall.

Lenka

• The Show

• Everything At Once

A Fine Frenzy

• What I Wouldn’t Do

• Electric Twist

• Blow Away

• Whisper

Jem

• They

Regina Spektor

• Fidelity 

Ingrid Michaelson

• Far Away

• Giving Up

• Keep Breathing

• Everybody

• The Chain

• Breakable

Kate Nash

• Pumpkin Soup

• Foundations

• Merry Happy

Jimmy Eat World

• Bleed American

• A Praise Chorus

• Sweetness

• Just Tonight

• Pain

• Work

Ariana Grande

• Problem

• Break Free

• The Way

Q&A with John Danenbarger, author of Entanglement: Quantum + Otherwise

Q: The generational aspect of Entanglement: Quantum + Otherwise is one of its most fascinating elements. Can you talk about what inspired you to approach this story from the different generations of this family? 

A: It was definitely an inspirational moment that created this thread of the story. At home, I had created a wall of family portrait pictures which reached back to the beginnings of photography to my great-great grandparents as young boys. I think my family must have been quite egotistical since they wanted to be photographed back when photography was not so easy. One day as I stood in front of the wall, I felt a rush of sadness as I realized that what I knew about each of these people was as thin as the paper on which each picture was printed. And simultaneously, I realized that I, too, would soon only be one of these pictures, if ever I were so lucky. 

Q: Most quantum entanglement stories are science fiction of some kind. How do you think that the idea of quantum entanglement adds to the complexity of this very literary novel? 

A: Obviously, quantum physics is somewhat mysterious as of yet. We humans look at this part of our existence the way a new-born or small child looks at the world – as something important and something to learn about. And, if we, as adults, continue to be curious, as we should, quantum physics is that exciting and mysterious world. So why not add it to the story as a fringe benefit, just over the edge of our sense of reality? 

Q: The book is literary fiction, but there is an underlying element of crime thriller running throughout. Can you discuss these genre elements of your writing? 

A: As a very wise person told me straight out, every good story is a crime thriller, more or less. Or maybe she said, a mystery. If the story does not have an underlying mystery, it is not an interesting story. And, since this story is definitely about death and its consequences, my including a murder or two was a natural. The only difference with this story and defining it as just a murder mystery novel is that the formulae rules of the murder mystery genre in this book are broken. 

Q: What are you reading right now? 

A: That is a somewhat ambiguous question for me since I am always reading two or three books, the audio versions on the treadmill. Just finished this week Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond, Einstein by Walter Isaacson, and Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman. Just begun Blowout by Rachel Maddow and am debating what in my wish-list to choose in addition. Wishing in this sense means I wish I had more time to squeeze them in all at once. My mood is for some literary fiction, so the short list at the moment is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, Quichotte by Salman Rushdie, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, or Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. But then I may suddenly discover and decide on a non-wish-lister like The Cockroach by Ian McEwan or The Topeka School by Ben Lerner. 

Q&A with Alexis Marie Chute, Below the Moon

.When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Or what first inspired you to write?

I have been writing since as far back as I can remember—and even before I could hold a pen. As a child, I was very creative and cerebral. I was always coming up with stories and adventures. Fortunately, I didn’t lose that trait as I grew up. I find writing inspiration everywhere, at all times. My brain is a sponge for my environment and stimuli. Sometimes this is overwhelming, but most often I use this hyper-awareness to my advantage.

Where/When do you best like to write?

I like to write surrounded by candles and incense. I cannot have distractions or a busy desk. My music choice is typically classical, like Vivaldi or Mozart, and nothing with words as I find I begin typing what I am listening to. I like to write at my vintage style black wood desk by the window in my room. My actual work-desk in the office is too distracting for me. I don’t have a “best time” to write except when I am crunching a deadline. I love deadlines as external motivators.

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story has characters that are simultaneously loveable and deplorable. The plot is unexpected and varied. There is a lot at stake, and the risks and rewards are always in flux. I can always tell a story is good when it keeps me up at night, lingers long after the last page, and I wish I had thought it up!

What inspired your story?

My 8th Island Trilogy was inspired by the belief that we will go to extreme lengths to save those we love. The three unlikely characters learn that their past selves do not define their present bravery. They rally against unsurmountable odds and learn that they possess strength they never imagined. In many ways, the trilogy is a fictionalized look at the resiliency of the human spirit. That is a topic I am obsessed with and optimistic about!

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Is there a message/theme in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

The resiliency of the human spirit is what percolates up in most of my work. It’s the dogged determinedness that I see in so many people, no matter the hardships they face. They inspire me, and because of them, I want my work to inspire others.

What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?

My greatest challenge in writing any book is getting my bum in the chair, overcoming that procrastination. Once I’ve gotten over the initial hump, and am in the flow, I’m good to go in that department. Then the next struggle is when to stop editing. I am a relentless, picky, and perfectionist kind of editor. There comes a point, however, when I need to hold back and declare a book, “FINISHED!!”

.What is the one book no writer should be without?

A dictionary and thesaurus. Though I use these tools online now, I am constantly referring to them while writing my books.

How Do You Find Time to Write as a Parent by Chelsea Falin

Writing as a parent is hard, especially since my youngest is an incredibly rambunctious almost-two-year-old. He literally tries to climb walls. I think I’ve really perfected it, however, since I’ve been working from home since my daughter (now 10) was as young as my son is. I work as a freelance content marketing specialist to pay the bills – hoping that one day my books will do that instead!

One thing I’ve found useful is “teaching” the kids what I do. My son likes to pretend to write, and that will keep him entertained for twenty minutes or so. I’ll let him get a little screen time (no shame for me, it’s all learning stuff!), and if he gets really antsy, we take a break to go outside for a while.

Since my daughter is ten, she’s also a huge help. She often watches her little brother for me, or at least keeps him entertained for half an hour here or there while I’m in the same room. It helps that he LOVES his “tissy” more than any other person in the world, so he behaves a lot better when she plays with him!

Mostly, I feel like it’s a lot of trial and error. Sometimes the day goes well and get a lot of writing done during the day while my daughter is in school and my son just plays. I work through naptime, and sometimes I have to wake up early or stay up late to get my quota met. I aim for between 2,000 and 10,000 words a day – although I did write 20,000 one day in an insane writing frenzy! That’s definitely not the usual, but I wish it was!

Writing What You Know by Bernadette Walsh

Like many of my books, JOHNNY BE GOOD is set on the North Shore of Long Island where I currently live. And like my other books, it also examines the delicate balance of mother-daughter relationships in a middle-class Irish-American family. As you may have guessed from my name, I’m writing what I know.

One of the benefits of  “writing what you know” is that you don’t need to do a lot of research and you don’t have to conjure a scene based on second hand resources. An intimate knowledge of a locale and a social strata allows the writer to delve deep and provides the reader not only a window into a particular setting but a window into the writer’s actual experience of a setting. When I write about the pebbled beaches of the North Shore I infuse those descriptions with recollections from my own life: my daughter's first sandcastle, a stolen beer after the homecoming dance, a clandestine kiss beneath a striped umbrella.

But there’s a downside to basing the setting of your angst filled novel with scenes from your own life. The Centerport church I visit on Sunday is no longer only a place where I find solace, it is also where my character Ellen from my second novel, THE GIRLS ON ROSE HILL, sang at her mother’s funeral. And the beach where my husband and I stroll together on lazy afternoons is not only where we reconnect after a hectic week but now is also where my teenaged character Maura in COLD SPRING was seduced by a much older man. 

Because as writers we spend so much time creating and nurturing our characters, they are in many ways real to us, and to an extent we feel what they feel. Thus there is a danger that my character’s experiences of the settings of my own rather undramatic life may in some ways taint those settings for me. For now I’m willing to pay the price of my fictional and real worlds colliding if it allows me to connect more with my characters and create a richer more nuanced book for my readers.

Bernadette Walsh has been writing contemporary and paranormal romance for over ten years. She has published seven novels to date. While Bernadette has hopped around genres, all of her books to date have a common theme: strong women handling what life throws at them the best way they can. www.bernadettewalsh.com