An interview with Karen Harrington

Janeology
Karen Harrington

Today I'm pleased to announce that author Karen Harrington has agreed to answer my not-so-original questions about reading and writing. Harrington has written Janeology, and you may visit her website to learn more about her and her novel.


1. How does your reading life influence your writing life?

Very much. Many times when I'm reading a book, the way an author structures his/her book gives me an idea about how to structure a piece I'm working on. For example, after reading Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue, I felt empowered to include a series of linked family stories in the novel. Reading her book and seeing how it worked made me realize a story like that could be done successfully. At other times, another person's writing just underscores why I love to write in the first place. For this reason, so many of my books have sentences underlined in them or pages dog-eared.


2. What book inspires your "writerly envy" – that is, which book do you wish you had written yourself? Why?

Ten years ago, my answer would have been A Farewell To Armsby Hemingway. That particular story was, and is, so lean and realistic. His style stayed with me for a long time until I realized that, as a reader, I liked stories with a little more meat on the bones. About a year ago, I read Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg. Right now, that is the book I wish I had written. There’s something very conversational about Berg's writing, as if she is actually telling you a story over a cup of coffee. It reads so easily and simple, with just the right amount of purple prose, which is how you know it was a very hard piece to write.


3. Which classic stands as an example of all that you dislike in writing?

I can't really think of anything that stands out in this way. Of course, I read many of the classics in school and not all of them were inspiring and often they left me thinking, "Why is this book a classic?" Now that I've written a few books myself, I understand more about the challenge of just getting words down on paper in any order so I find that I'm allergic to severely disliking anyone's writing. I expect I may grow out of this allergy one day.


4. Which author, living or dead, has influenced you most? How?

As I mentioned in #2, Hemingway was a huge influence. Two of my favorite writing professors had a great affection for him and their enthusiasm was contagious. In those classes, I remember how all the writers broke down Hemingway's work and could see how lean it was, how it didn't get in the way of the story. Those rules of lean writing stayed with me through my years as a speechwriter and now as a novelist.


5. How do you write, with a paper and pen or with a computer? Does your method of writing change as your work progresses?

When I am outlining a story, I start with pen and paper. Then, I write exclusively on the computer. The method of writing doesn't change from draft to draft, but the location does. When I'm first starting a piece, I can write just about anywhere, with any music or distraction. When I'm really getting into the final drafts and working out the problems of the plot or an awkward passage, I find that I need to be in my house, alone.


6. Do you make time for both reading and writing each day? How do you juggle reading, writing, and motherhood?

I definitely write everyday, even if it's just a paragraph. I don't always make the time to read. I'm probably like most people who wish there was more time. As for the balance of roles between writing and motherhood, I am lucky this year that both my girls are in school three days a week. I have the luxury of fifteen hours a week to myself for the first time in five years, so I use this time exclusively to write and edit. And now that I'm a mother, I realize that I had time to write twenty-five novels! What did I do with all that time?


7. Speaking of reading and writing, which, if you had to choose, is more important to you? Which of the two could you not live without?

I'm going to do that thing with this question that no questioner likes and say "I can't answer this." The truth is that both are equally important to the writer. It's almost a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" situation because reading is essential to the writer and the more good books you read, the more you want to write.


8. If you could own only three books for the rest of your life (not counting your own), what three books would you choose to keep? Why these three titles?

First would have to be a dictionary for all obvious reasons. I use a dictionary every time I write so I could not live without it. If we are talking strictly fiction, the first would Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg because I’ve found it's one of the few books I want to read more than once. And for the same reason, I'd keep The English Patientby Michael Ondaatje – another book I've read several times. And last, Madame Bovaryfor its powerful language and story (and because I keep trying to write the modern version of this book).


9. Do you have any special "rituals" to prepare yourself to write? (For example, do you have to have a certain cd playing, or a certain drink in hand?)

For each new project, I do like to choose specific music that gets me into the story quickly. I find that music can get me into the writer mood faster than anything else. I usually create a soundtrack on iTunes for each project. And of course, I must have copious amounts of coffee!


10. Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what techniques do you use to get through it?

I get asked this question a lot and, until I'm proven otherwise, I always say that I don't believe in writer's block. For me, this kind of block usually has to do with fear of something that prevents a writer from continuing. I love the quote from Sylvia Plath – "The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." I think this is so true. It's where the block comes from, which is why a creative person must believe in herself above all things. For me, if the story I'm working on is one that I'd like to read, that's all I need to keep going.


11. Which author inspires your idol-worship? Is there anyone you'd be absolutely gaga to meet in person?

I think it would be great to meet Stephen King – both as a writer and as a person. He seems to have remained very real and true throughout the years. I'd love to have a conversation with him about his career perspective and if he is ever truly satisfied with his work.


12. Beyond simply telling a good story, what do you see as a novel's most important function (or functions)?

When a reader is deeply engaged in a story, she is transported to another place and time. I think this is one of the great balms of life – to be able to get lost in a story and forget one's life for a few hours. Like other forms of entertainment, a book can offer escapism. And many brilliant novels also offer insight into life that may speak to someone's soul or offer them a new perspective. I like to believe that if at least one other person has imagined something and written about, then there must be something both private and universal about it that connects all people. That said, I don’t know if writers should necessarily be conscious of these functions while they are writing. They should just write because they want to personally see how a story turns out. But these ideas do tend to be the end result for readers.


13. Finally, it's an open-mike question. What would you like my readers to know about you and/or your work?

First, I hope readers would enjoy Janeology and be left with a hunger to know more about their own ancestors and family stories, because that was the curiosity that captured my attention as I was writing it. Now that the novel has been out for several months, I have a new perspective on that particular story (I'm still revising it in my head), the publishing business (it takes a certain personality to endure) and how I hope to develop as a writer. Among my favorite novelists, I've noticed that it is often his/her fourth or fifth novel that is the stellar, incredible book that makes me go back and read all the previous books to observe how they developed. Ever so humbly, I hope this is the path I am on.