As part of my continuing series of interviews with various writers, this month I welcome to Trin Carl to my Scribbles page.
Trin, let’s jump right into the nitty-gritty. When it comes to your writing do you work from an outline plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
I like to see where ideas take me. I could write a paragraph and see something totally different come out of it, and then I just go with that train of thought vs. my original idea. I could write pages alone on a new tangent idea that came to me. My longest writing experience has been 7,000 words in a day.
7,000 Words in one day I bet that wasn’t easy.
No, it wasn’t an easy endeavor. I had to change settings a lot. You see, I had been participating in Nanowrimo in 2013 and I was writing with a group of writers and we had jumped from Peace Coffee to Royal Grounds to Riverside Cafe (sort of like bar hopping)Each stop, I’d write for twenty minutes to writing prompts. It was sorta like a marathon to me.
Speaking to your writing do you proofread and edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
I’ve only began allowing others to edit my work in the past three years. Having others edit my work has flourished my interest in writing. I think it was Hemingway who strongly believed in the importance of peer editing and that having writers in your corner will only help you.
I would agree with that. The more we can help each the better writers we become.
You mentioned for your writing marathon you changing locations. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of writing in varied environments vs. writing in the same environment every day?
I always write in varied environments and make it a habit of never writing from home.
Really, never writing at home?
I feel home is a place you hang your hat but it’s also filled with distractions. Right now, in fact, I’m writing from the comforts of work. I am lucky in that I work in a place where I have time to write, and boy do I take advantage of this. I wake up sometimes around 4am just to write at work. Did I mention I’m allowed to sleep at work too? (Laughs to self)
That kind of support is great. What about writing compliments you received can you list one for us?
One of the best writing comments I’ve gotten is from a reader who said, “I can tell you’ve been a writer for a long time just by reading your work. You’ve got rhythm.” One of my most popular poems is called Sippin’ on Some Sizzer just to give you an idea. It’s the feedback you get from your readers that is pure motivation. I thank all my fans every day for pushing me along.
Well said. Fans are amazing.
Sadly, we’re to my last question. Do you have help from other writers in publishing your book?
I have yet to publish my novel. It’s still in progress but I know a handful of writers from Minnesota who have had their books published on Amazon and in print form. I meet with them once a week at Dunn Brothers Coffee shop. They write in all forms of genres including Historical Fiction, Sci Fi/fantasy and literary. One of my colleagues, Tim Mahoney, has published nine novels. Dead Messenger, a thriller novel based on a Minnesota, 1930’s Barker gang is my favorite.
Sometimes I get comments from the writers in the group like, “I don’t write YA but your work is very appealing. It has a certain tone.” Or, they say that my main character reminds them of the MC in Kent Krueger’s, “Ordinary Grace.” Our group stays late into the night discussing while sippin’ down volumes of coffee. We often have book signing parties that celebrate our work.
That all sounds great. I wish I had more time to spend with you today. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to do this interview.
It was fun thanks for having me.
Keep us posted on your work I would love to spotlight you and your novel when you get it published.
More about Trin Carl:
Trin Carl writes YA and Literary fiction. She enjoys contemporary dance and writing her blog 50schoolsn90days on Blogger. From Minnesota, Trin enjoys the outdoors and all the seasons, especially the fall as it reminds her of her days teaching and attending school at Metropolitan State University. She can be contacted on twitter @theglobaldig or on Goodreads.