How do you define success as a writer? What does it mean to trust your gut during your revision process? What are some ways we can create an impact with our stories? We talk about it all and much more with A.S. King!
Amy, also known as A.S. King, is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Ask the Passengers, Still Life With Tornado, I Crawl Through It, and her newest, and very anticipated, novel Dig which will be released on March 26th, 2019.
In our conversation, we talk about balancing humility and ego, defining success, and finding confidence as a writer. She dives deep into what it means to be privileged and how we can be an ally to those whose experiences are different from our own. She shares powerful crafting advice on building out strong characters and trusting your gut during your revision process. And she gives us a sneak peek into her newest novel Dig and the history that sparked its inspiration.
Books and resources:
Wild Blues by Beth Kephart and William Sulit
Vermont College of Fine Art: VCFA
Authors Marlon James, John Updike, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway
Poet Kate Tempest
The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Authors Salman Rushdie, Tom Robbins, William S. Burroughs, Albert Camus, Gabriel García Márquez, and Andrew Smith
Check out these highlights:
- Amy talks about balancing humility and ego and how the artist mindset can prevent us from celebrating our accomplishments (4:00)
- The importance of appreciating the moment and being proud of your achievements (11:40)
- How to find your writing’s purpose and overcome the fear of calling yourself a writer (23:55)
- Why it’s so powerful to define what success looks like for yourself separate from how society defines success (31:25)
- Amy digs deep into what it means to be privileged and shares how we can all become allies for each other (36:00)
- She gives a snapshot of her new novel Dig and what inspired her to craft her story (49:05)
- Tips on building strong characters throughout your novel (01:11:30)
- How to trust your gut during your revision process to cut out unnecessary stuff in your drafts along with many other editing tips (01:15:30)
- How your writing can make a huge impact on your readers (01:27:15)
“If I’m creating, I’m happy.”
-A.S. King
“Life is a massive balancing game inside your mind.”
-A.S. King
“You’re a writer if you’re writing. That’s it.”
-A.S. King
“I want to make somebody cry. I want to make somebody think about a relationship that they have in a different way even if it’s with themselves or with the world.”
-A.S. King
“Revision is great because it’s where you get to really dress your character in what’s comfortable for them and what fits and what’s real.”
-A.S. King
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Learn more about “Dig”
Learn more about A.S. King
A.S. King is the critically acclaimed author of many novels for young adults and middle readers, including Still Life with Tornado. Her fiction has earned numerous awards, including an L.A. Times Book Prize, a Printz Honor, and over fifty starred reviews. The New York Times called her “one of the best YA writers working today.” She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.
