Interview with Emma Jane Phelps

Last week we discovered Tightrope to the Sun, an amazing blog by Emma Jane Phelps. We asked her for an interview and were delighted when she agreed to answer some questions for us. She's currently involved in 2013's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and provides some insight into the mind of a writer. We hope her words inspire you as much as they inspired us. 

My name is Emma Jane Phelps, or just Emma Jane for short.  I am 21 years old and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’m a student at the University of Utah studying English Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing. When I’m not writing or blogging I love to read, go to the theater, see as many movies as I can, go to art shows, hike, take pictures with my friends, anything artistic and inspiring. Anything that can keep my mind moving and keep my soul inspired is my favorite thing, whether that be people watching at the mall or traveling.

(1) When did you first realise that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always loved to read. When I was little my favorite part of my house was a corner nook wedged in between our bookshelf and the couch. I’d curl myself around my favorite pillow, snuggle under my blankets and read for hours on end. Words have always transfixed me and haunted me even from a young age. I remember writing little bits of my imagination on pages in my room and during school even when I was about 6 or 7. 

I guess the real catalyst was in the fourth grade. Every day we had “writer’s workshops” where we had free time to write whatever we wanted, get two peer edits, and submit a final draft that was laminated for a portfolio. It felt so good and so natural to feel words spilling out of my fingertips and I always felt so proud to get those laminated pages back. I even wrote a longer book called “The Test” that was bound for me. Feeling a book that I wrote in my hand and being able to take it home and set it on the shelf next to my favorite books was the best feeling in the world. I’ve been writing ever since.

(2) We’ve read your novel excerpt on your blog and are already totally gripped by your story. Is this the first time you’ve taken part in NaNoWriMo? How long have you been working on this particular story?

Thank you for reading my blog! I always planned to give NaNo a try for years, ever since I heard about it. I tried my first year in college but couldn’t find the time to write among the drudgery of my actual homework. This is the first time I’ve given my all to NaNoWriMo. I decided to do it this year because this is probably the only year I’ll have that I am only working and not trying to balance school as well. It’s been very challenging but somehow I’ve kept my word count up! 

I’ve been working on this particular story for a few years. I hadn’t written anything prior to NaNoWriMo but I’ve had the entire story on my mind since I was 17 and the events I’m writing about began happening. I knew it was meant to be a book. I’ve outlined the story and drafted the characters intensely since I turned 20. Outlining stories and getting characters exact before I begin the writing process has been a hard process. But now they feel so entirely engrained in my mind. They are more real to me than some people in my life.

(3) Do you have a favorite author? Who is your biggest inspiration? 

I have a few favorite authors and inspirations. I have three books that I consider to be the biggest influences in my life as a person and as a writer. The first is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Zusak’s description is like nothing I’ve ever read before and his writing drives me to be better. That book is perfection. His words are perfection. If I could be one fifth of the writer he is I will consider my career a success.

The second is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Everything Fitzgerald writes is pure velvet. The passion I feel from his characters and from his words moves me so much and is so inspiring. I read Gatsby about six times a year. It’s the book I pick up when I can’t sleep at night or when I need the comfort of a favorite book. 

The third is Looking for Alaska by John Green. John Green’s style is probably the style I would compare mine to the most. His words flow so well, he is smart without ever being pretentious or preachy. I read this book at a very hard time in my life and this was the book that made me want to focus on writing Young Adult fiction. All of his books and books of this nature are full of so much hope and zest for life. I want my books to be the same way.

(4) Are your characters purely fictitious, or do you base them on people you know?

For the novel I’m currently working on, everyone is based on people in my own life. This novel is about what I experienced my senior year and for a few years after I graduated high school. These characters are entirely their own people, but they all have a firm foundation in people I know. My best friends will read this book and know exactly who they are. Although it is a cliché, the old adage of “write what you know” is exactly right. When you write what you know, your words take on new life and new passion. It’s also been a very cathartic experience to write about some of what happened to me when I was growing up. 

(5) What are your thoughts on the importance of children’s literature on the social development of young people? Do you think children ought to be reading more?

I think it’s vital for people of all ages to read. It broadens your mind, it lets you feel emotions more deeply, it lets you be more human and more alive. Reading has allowed me to develop such a greater sense of empathy and connection to my fellow human beings. It’s the greatest source of comfort that I know of. Children’s literature is incredibly crucial in our world. We have become so isolationist in this world. Everyone can sit together in one room but everyone is staring at a screen and not communicating. Books and reading help you learn how to communicate and how to connect with people. Our children need that now more than ever. 

As I said before, I want to write Young Adult literature. The teenage years are so scary to face by yourself. When I read Looking for Alaska I went from feeling so alone and lacking so much hope to being swept away by the thought that I wasn’t alone and that I was understood. I want my books to reach out like this book did to me. 

Children should be reading anything they can get their hands on. Whether they are reading Shakespeare or Twilight, as long as they have words swirling in their heads, a difference is being made. It’s like Fitzgerald said,  “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” I think that’s what kids these days want more than anything. To belong. 

(6) What advice can you give to fellow aspiring writers?

Sit down and write. Just do it. In my experience writers are the worst procrastinators. Write for yourself and worry about pleasing others or publication much later. Get words onto a page and don’t be afraid to let yourself suck. I’m really bad at this myself. If I don’t like the words I’m writing, I tend to stop or freeze up. You just have to push through the rough patches and the right words will always come out. 

Read constantly. Surround yourself with inspiration. Never wait to write something that inspires you down. Don’t be afraid of words. Write every single day, no matter what it is or how little you write. For NaNoWriMo I have been writing about 2,000 words a day which is plenty more than I usually write. But you have got to write constantly or you will fall out of the habit. 

Love words. See everything with words in your eyes and an open heart.

(7) Which do you prefer, “real” books or E-Books?

I personally prefer real books because there is nothing better than the feel of a book in your hands or the smell of the pages filling the room. I stare at a screen almost all day everyday and it’s a much-needed vacation to look at the pages of a book rather than a screen. 

That being said, I understand the practicality of E-Readers. It’s awesome to be able to carry hundreds of books with you at one time. I have a Nook and even though I rarely use it, I do find it very nice when I do. Honestly, as long as people are reading at all, I could care less what medium they use. Reading is reading.

You can keep up to date with Emma Jane's work by following her over at http://www.emmajphelps.blogspot.se

The books mentioned in this post are available for purchase here, here & here.