Are you LDS and a Writer (published or unpublished?)
Want free publicity?
If you're LDS and write LDS-appropriate material, this section is designed to help your readers and prospective publishers find out more about you, including where to see samples of your work online.
The interviews are a self-interview. It's a bit odd, but since you choose which questions to answer, each interview will be a bit different and you'll be comfortable with the results. You can choose what best represents who you are. These are friendly interviews. I don't like to make people look bad. Since you write your answers, you can edit to your heart's content up until submission.
Who is eligible to be interviewed: Any active LDS writer, age 18 or older, whose writing does not harm the church or disparage it. You may write for LDS or general markets, be self-published, published online, or traditionally published. If you are entirely unpublished, you will be listed in the Up and Coming Section of the site. This is an opportunity, if you're unpublished, to attract attention, so it is helpful to have a website or blog, so a potential editor or publisher might read your writing. Proofread well--shine in this interview! My publisher "discovered" me through my online writing--every now and then, people do get discovered in this business. You can't count on it, but it happens.
Instructions: You don't need to (and shouldn't) answer all the questions here. Instead, select those you wish to answer. If the Basic Information section is long, due to an extensive career, I may give you an extra page just for the Basic Information section.
The remaining sections: The questions and answers to the remaining sections, after you finish Basic Information, must not take more than two pages in Microsoft Word (single spaced.) Otherwise the page is too long for comfortable internet reading. Select wisely, therefore, but be sure you give enough information to make the interview interesting. There is no limit to the Basic Information, since I can create an extra page for that if needed. (Well, don't submit a novel!)
You are encouraged to email a photo to be included in the interview.
If you would like a personal interview done by email or instant messenger specifically about a published book, please let me know when you submit. This would be posted in addition to the generic interview. I will need to read the book, but you can email a manuscript, which is much less expensive for you. Ask first, please, to be sure I have time. Your self-interview will still be on the site, giving you additional publicity.
Please let me know if your books are available on Deseret Book or Amazon, so I can post ads for them on the site. If they aren't, include a link in the publication list as to where they can be purchased.
How to submit this interview: Use the email address below. (You must have javascript enabled to see it.) Send me the interview in the body of the message. Include, at the start of the submission: I give Terrie Lynn Bittner permission to include this interview on her site without payment for as long as the site is operative. Then type your name and the date under that statement.
Contact Me! (If you don't see an email address, enable javascript.)
The Interview Questions:
Basic Information:
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Name
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Pen name if you use one (If you do, let me know if I can list the real name.)
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Location (country, state)
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Types of writing you do
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Publication list (include urls if you'd like, to online writing.)
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Awards
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Website(s) (include description)
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Your official bio
Sort-of Personal Information:
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Tell us about your family.
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Hobbies
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Career (besides writing)
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Strangest job you've ever had
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What's on your desk or in your writing area?
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How do you write your rough drafts--computer, typewriter, pen…? Have you always done it that way? If not, why did you switch?
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What kind of writing do you wish you could do? Why?
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Name one question people ask you about writing that drives you crazy. How do you answer it?
Your History:
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When did you first start to think of yourself as a writer?
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Tell us how you first became published.
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Describe a turning point in your writing life.
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Did you ever have a mentor? How did your mentor help you?
Your Current Career:
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Why do you write? What drives you? What motivates you? What do you hope your writing will do?
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What process do you follow when you write--do you outline? Start with characters or plot?
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Do you let anyone see your work before it's finished? Why or why not?
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Where do you write?
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Does it matter to you where you do your writing? Why or why not?
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When do you write?
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If you have young children, what do you do with them while you write?
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What would make you feel you had reached the top of your career?
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Did you enjoy reading as a child? What did you read? Did you write as a child? What did you write?
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If you write for children: How do you keep up with what kids today are like?
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Does your writing tend to have a theme--something special you like people to draw from it?
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How did you find your current publisher?
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Are your books traditionally published or self-published? Why did you choose that method?
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What are you working on now?
Advice for Others
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What advice do you have for new writers?
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What surprised you about being a writer?
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If you've done book signings, give us your best advice/stories about them.
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If you're self-published, tell us what we should know about self-publishing. What are the advantages? Disadvantages?
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What are your favorite promotional methods? Do you have any promotion tips?
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For authors who don't write what they initially expected they'd be writing: What did you originally plan to write? How did you end up writing something different? How do you feel about that or what has this taught you?
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Do you ever write for free? What are your guidelines for deciding if you will write for free?
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Do you have a favorite book/website/resource for writers you'd like to share?
The Gospel and You
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If you write LDS books: How does writing an LDS book differ from writing a mainstream book? How far are you willing to push the gospel standards in a book? What advice do you have for people writing LDS books?
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How does the gospel influence your career?
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If you write for a general, non-LDS audience, how does the gospel influence your writing?
Extra:
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Choose your own question--ask a question I didn't ask and answer it!
