Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted! Today I’m excited to share a writer interview from my friend Chloe Szymanski! Enjoy!
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Thank you so much for doing this, Chloe! I can’t wait!
Absolutely! I’m so excited for this interview!
When did you start writing and what did you write?
When did I start writing? I can’t remember. We’ve got pictures of me at seven or eight years old with a notebook and a pen posing for author pictures. I loved writing, loved creating story worlds, and still love doing both of those things.
My earliest story was about a princess (me) who helped rescue an orphan slave girl. It was all handwritten and I’m missing half the pages of the story, but I think she lived in some fantasy country that really resembled the Bahamas. She had a private litter (you know, the thing people carry you around on?), private bedrooms, a private pool. She was pretty cool.
For a few years, I was working on one story, entitled “Chosen One” with a girl protagonist who looked and acted a lot like me. It was a pretty fun story, but fell apart as I went farther in the writing process. Later, for school, I was assigned to write a short story. I didn’t think I could do it because I could only come up with dramatically long plots. But I did it and we got it published in a private anthology. After that, I dabbled in short stories and wrote a handful of them. I wrote a couple novellas and finally stumbled onto the project I’m working on now.
How have your stories progressed over the years?
Progression is painful. It means admitting you were wrong. And yes… myself at eight years old was writing my stories wrong. But progression is also about making things better. My stories have gotten better in their plots. They no longer have the stereotypical “hero saves the princess” kinda ring to them. My characters have become stronger. They’re not perfect cardboard cutouts, slapped into a world that I thought would be fun to live in. They’re the embodiment of ideas and beliefs, designed to show readers what is truth and what isn’t.
Why do you write?
Harriet Beecher Stowe was the daughter of the president of a theological college in Ohio in the 1800s. In 1851-52, she published her most famous work, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in a cry of outrage against slavery. Her book caused such a massive tidal wave that Abraham Lincoln is recorded as having said upon meeting Mrs. Stowe, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.”
Words have power. Since I can remember, I’ve wanted to be Harriet Beecher Stowe. I’ve wanted to write against injustice in the world and write to tell others about the Truth that can set them free. Words have the power to change people’s lives. Writers, use that power for the glory of God.
If you could go back and give your younger self writing advice, what would it be?
Firstly, don’t make your main character yourself. A good hero has failures, losses, and is usually pretty awful until the author makes them good. My eight year old self did not know that.
My favorite writing quote is by Richard Bach (I have no clue who he is, but I like his quote): “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit”. If I could tell myself one thing, it would be to not quit. All those years of awful stories eventually paid off.
Do you have any encouragement/advice for young writers reading this post?
If your identity is in your writing, then it’s in the wrong place. That might sound weird coming from a writer, but it’s true. You’re going to get bad reviews, going to get negative critiques, and going to struggle with writer’s block. You may think you’re over all that, but you’re not.
Clinging to writing as your identity is building your house in sand. When waves and hard stuff come, your house is going to collapse. Put your identity in the One who is worth it. Writing’s not worth it. Once you figure that out, you’re well on your way to becoming a good author.
Have you published anything? Where did the inspiration for this project come from?
The project I’m currently working on is a fantasy series about a young man who is separated from his past life. Saved by friends he once called enemies, he now is fighting enemies he once called friends. Forged by Fire combines the themes of “The Chronicles of Narnia” with the allegorical elements of Pilgrim’s Progress and the sacrifices of Les Miserables. It’s the first book in my series, “Condemned” and will hopefully be soon followed by the second book, whose working title is Child of the Darkness.
The inspiration for Forged by Fire carried over from those old stories I wrote years ago. I always wanted to write an allegory and hide truths in a tale that would hopefully touch a reader and make them evaluate their own life. My editor will be getting Forged by Fire in October and it will probably be a year before the book is released.
What is the best place for a reader to find you if they were interested in you and your stories?
If you’re on the Young Writer’s Workshop, then follow me there. I would love to chat about anything and everything at any time!
I’m working on building my blog, centered around reading literature that goes against the cultural trend. Since the website is still being built, I can’t release the name just yet. But it should be up and running within the next few months.
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I’m so glad I got to do this interview! For those on my email list, you can look forward to more information about Chloe’s website and blog later. Have a blessed day!
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