Wordsmith Interview – Marlene Olin

Location: Coconut Grove, Florida

Education: B.A. from the University of Michigan

The Writer

What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as a writer?
I’ve always kept journals and written stories about my life. I’ve got stacks of the stuff.  But I’m a private person and found it difficult to share these stories with the outside world. Around three years ago I switched to fiction. It was liberating. As of today, I’ve had over thirty-five stories accepted for publication in both online and print journals.

What is your ultimate goal as a writer?
I take my writing very seriously. My goal is to find an agent and a larger audience for my work. I’ve been a stay-at-home mother most of my life.  Like the pinch hitter on a baseball team, I’ve warmed the bench, waiting around until I’m needed. I’ve finally come to a stage in my life where I can focus on me. My goals. My fulfillment. Writing seems to complete the definition of who I am.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?
It’s a very lonely, isolated undertaking. I’m constantly reminding myself that my work is good, that the time I’m investing in polishing my craft is worthwhile.

The Work

Tell us about your work in Crack the Spine.
This piece of micro fiction is entitled “Anticipation.” It’s only forty-eight words long.

Is there a main theme or message in this piece?
I’ve always noticed a man’s hands. They all tell a story.

What inspired this work?
I was sitting last summer in a craft workshop conducted by Justin Torres.  It was part of a Writer’s Conference held annually in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Justin gave the group an exercise. Write about sex, he told us.  But you can only use words with one syllable. We were given two minutes. When our time was up, he said that we could change one word to two syllables. Then we read our work aloud. Some of the results were pretty hilarious.  There are a lot of body parts that are only one syllable! But everyone seemed to like how my piece was subtly sexual, more sensual than graphic.

Tell us about another project you have published or are currently working on.
I recently completed two big projects. One is a collection of short stories entitled “An Unobstructed View.”  The other is a novel I’m calling “A Forever of Nows.”

What inspired this work?
“A Forever of Nows” is a particularly close to my heart. My daughter Rachel, who is thirty-five, was born with spina bifida. She’s been challenged by health issues, learning disabilities, and Asperger’s Syndrome. But she’s a success story. She graduated from college, works as a library assistant, is married and lives independently. There aren’t many books on the market that she can relate to, that really encapsulate the autistic experience. I believe my novel does.  It’s a coming-of-age story about a girl on the autism spectrum. It chronicles her life from age six to twenty-two, both from her point of view as well as her mother’s.

Where/When can we find this work?
Right now, my novel lives inside my computer. I’m trying to navigate the world of publishing, hoping to give the   story a voice. You can find many of my short stories online if you google my   name.

The Methods

How often do you write?
I work every day, usually two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. If I’m not writing something new, I’m revising.

Where do you write?
My most productive place is the desk in my kitchen. My miniature poodle Maggie sits by my feet. But I bring a pad and pen with me wherever I go. I’m always writing down observations, pieces of dialogue, ideas for stories.

How many drafts do you generally go through before you consider a piece to be complete?
After I finish a short story, I usually give it to my husband.  Then he reads it and says, Huh? The next step is to share the piece with my writing group. We meet once a week at the local library. We read our work aloud which is extremely helpful.  I’ve learned to focus on rhythm, to listen to the cadence of my sentences. You also catch a lot of errors. Even though I know I should sit on my stories and revisit them months later, I have no patience.  I send them out right away. Once the creative process is finished, I want to move on to the next piece. The stories are lined up in my head like planes on a runway.

What is your usual starting point for a piece?
Most of my stories are character driven. I think I’m pretty good at observing people and the way they interact. But I recently took a workshop with Benjamin Percy on building suspense in fiction writing.  So I’m focusing more on plot points, action scenes, creating tension.

The Madness

Who would play you in the film of your life?
Natalie Portman.

What makes you laugh?
My previous answer.

What makes you cry?
The fact that they would cast Kathy Bates.

What’s in that cup on your desk?
Diet Coke.

What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
My newborn grandsons.

Cats or Dogs?
Definitely dogs.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
A Sophie’s Choice kind of question.

Additional Reading on Marlene

I write an essay every month for Arcadia Magazine’s Online Sundries blog. They’re funny, nonfiction pieces. I hope they’re funny. Are they funny?

Twitter profile: @writestuffmiami