“Having that accountability can help keep you focused on writing instead of, say, the laundry or the thousands of other things your brain might be telling you to do instead.” –Samantha M. Clark
Samantha M Clark is the award-winning author of The Boy, The Boat, and The Beast and Arrow (both published by Paula Wiseman Books/ Simon & Schuster) and American Horse Tales: Hollywood (Penguin Workshop/ Penguin Random House), as well as the Gemstones Dragons chapter book series (Bloomsbury). In a past life, Samantha was a photojournalist and managing editor for newspapers and magazines. She lives with her husband and two funny dogs in Austin, Texas, and helps other writers through her Young Writing Mentor Substack. Sign up for news and giveaways at www.SamanthaMClark.com.
On Saturday, September 7, Samantha M. Clark is teaching a class for the WLT called “The Long Haul: How to Begin (& Finish) Your Book.“ In this class, you’ll learn how to begin your book, so that you’re setting yourself up to write a successful draft all the way to those wonderful words, THE END.
Here’s what Samantha had to share with us:
Scribe: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you write? How did you come to writing?
Samantha M. Clark: I’m the author of the middle-grade novels THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST and ARROW (both published by Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster) and AMERICAN HORSE TALES: HOLLYWOOD (Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House), as well as the GEMSTONE DRAGONS chapter book series (Bloomsbury). I like to write about ordinary people in extraordinary situations, and most of my stories have some kind of fantastical or paranormal elements.
I came to writing really through stories first. When I was a kid, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet authors and never thought that it could be something I could do one day. But I loved stories and telling stories; it didn’t really matter in what format they were. As I grew up, I told stories in plays I wrote, through acting in plays, writing screenplays, and a career in journalism, but when I started focusing on novels, I knew I had found the media I loved the best.
Scribe: In your own work, how do you approach overcoming the challenges that come with writing, be it writer’s block or craft or business-related challenges?
SC: Finding balance in my day between marketing, teaching, writing, and my editing/mentoring clients is a constant challenge. But one thing I do to protect my writing is schedule specific time every day for my own books. At the start of the pandemic, I began a Zoom writing group with some friends and it has really helped me make sure I prioritize my writing during that hour. We still meet today, and I recommend forming a group like this, whether online or in-person. Having that accountability can help keep you focused on writing instead of, say, the laundry or the thousands of other things your brain might be telling you to do instead.
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?
SC: With seven books now published, as well as foreign editions, I do feel more confident in my storytelling, but I never feel like I know what I’m doing. Each story is different and I’m constantly learning and improving. That does keep it exciting:)
Scribe: What piece of advice do you find yourself giving to writers again and again?
SC: Don’t judge your first draft against published books. It’s easy to do, but published books have had so many revisions to get to where they are. Understand the importance of revision and embrace it. Revision is your best friend when it comes to telling the best story.
Scribe: What is one thing that people will take away from this class?
SC: After taking my The Long Haul class, attendees will leave feeling less intimidated about writing a novel, memoir or any long-form book. They’ll have tools that they can use to guide them, demystifying the process. Next time they get an idea for a book, instead of not knowing where to begin, they’ll be able to say “I can write that!” and get to work.
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Thanks, Samantha!
Click here to learn more about Samantha M. Clark’s upcoming class.
