“Protect your heart. The writing journey is not for the faint of heart.” -Cherry Lou Sy
Cherry Lou Sy is a writer and playwright originally from the Philippines currently based in Brooklyn, NY. She received her BA at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU and her MFA in playwriting from Brooklyn College, where she has been an adjunct lecturer in the English and American Studies departments. Cherry is also a teacher with PEN America’s DREAMing Out Loud. She has received fellowships and residencies from VONA, Tin House, and elsewhere. Love Can’t Feed You is her debut novel.
In August, we’ll be joined in conversation with three writers – Sarah LaBrie (No One Gets to Fall Apart), Erin Quinn-Kong (Hate Follow), and Cherry Lou Sy (Love Can’t Feed You) – who are just days away from the publication of their debut books. We’ll discuss their journeys so far from idea to the book deal & all of the preparation for publication – everything that makes up the unique and thrilling experience of publishing your first book.
This is the first of a special two-part Third Thursday that will cover the path to publication. In November, we’ll welcome our panelists back for a follow-up conversation to hear how those exciting days post-publication unfolded.
Here’s what Cherry had to share with us in advance of our August event:
Scribe: What was the inspiration for your book?
Cherry Lou Sy: I was inspired to work on this book after reading Marguerite Duras’s book The Lover. I was so intrigued by the idea of this fifteen-year-old French girl who has a relationship with a twenty-seven-year-old Chinese man. Their relationship was taboo. Their age gap is similar to my parents’ age gap and I had never read a colonial interracial romance where the man was Chinese. My mother is Filipina and my father is ethnic Chinese. I wondered what would happen if the characters in Duras’s book would have children, but set with my specific background.
Scribe: From idea stage to completed manuscript, how long did it take you to write your book?
CLS: If including publication, then six years.
Scribe: Has there been a moment of epiphany in terms of your work, when you thought, “This is it! Now I know what I’m doing?” How long did that feeling last?
CLS: I was in a year-long novel generator course and by the end of it, when I finally finished some semblance of a first draft, I thought I had something. It lasted for a few months until I started looking for representation. Some agents look for super polished work. Some are willing to work with you because they see potential.
Scribe: Was there a moment of doubt or struggle while writing your book, and how did you push through that moment to keep going?
CLS: There were always moments of doubt. I had to develop a writing discipline so that it didn’t matter if I felt like I had nothing left in me to push through with the writing. The writing routine made me feel that I was taking one step at a time to get to my destination.
Scribe: What’s one piece of advice you would go back and give yourself (or someone else) during the early days of your project?
CLS: Protect your heart. The writing journey is not for the faint of heart. Create a writing routine that will get you through most days. Create experiences outside of reading and writing. Move your body.
—
Thanks, Cherry!
Click here to learn more about our August Third Thursday Panel.
