Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Welcome Marilynn Griffith!



I would like to welcome author Marilynn Griffith as she stops by on her whirl-wind blog tour 2005. I first met Marilynn at the Denver ACFW conference in 2004 and again at the Nashville ACFW conference in 2005. Her infectious enthusiasm and sunny disposition is an encouragement to all who meet her. MADE OF HONOR, Marilynn’s urban chick-lit novel, is published by Steeple Hill CafĂ© and will be available in bookstores on December 27th. The buzz is, “This debut novel is fabulous!”

MD: Marilynn, how long do ideas percolate in your head before you start to write?
MG: My ideas usually come to me in series and it’s often about two years between the idea and publication. I have some ideas I’ve been thinking about for about three years that I’m looking forward to writing soon.

MD: What kind of goals do you set when writing? Daily? Chapter? Scene?
MG: When I’m first drafting, I try to write a scene a day. When I’m behind, I’ve been forced to do a whole chapter, but I don’t always like the results. A scene a day (3-7 pages) is a good pace for me.

MD: How do you get past the trap of procrastinating when you are writing?
MG: I don’t know. I’ve never gotten past it! Though often what I think is procrastination is my mind working out something in the story that doesn’t quite work.

MD: How detailed do you chart your character’s personalities?
MG: I don’t chart them exactly. I do a lot of journaling and discovery of their childhood experiences. I usually have to write three chapters to see who they are and then come back and try and figure them out. I’ve used the Myers-Briggs personality assessment to get a better understanding of characters I’ve already written.

MD: Are you a plotter or a seat-of-the-pants writer?
MG: I’m a plantzer, I guess. I do both. When I do a proposal, I have to have the synopsis worked out and the story line detailed, but I try not to be so detailed that there isn’t any room left to play. In just about every book though, something happens that I don’t expect and I end up having to rethink some things.

MD: What’s the best advice for a new writer?
MG: Smell the roses. Publication is such a wonderful goal, but don’t make it the focus of your life. It’s a heartbreaking business. If you depend on it to fulfill you, you’ll be sorely disappointed. As God opens doors, walk through them even if they don’t have your end goal painted on the door. I think any publishing credits or writing experience helps. Think, live and write your passions.

MD: How long did you write before your first book was under contract?
MG: I always wrote. I just never considered trying to get published. I wrote for about three years (for about 3-4 hours a day though) before getting my first contract offer.

MD: What are your dreams for your writing career?
MG: A year ago, I would have had a nice bulleted list for you, but now I’m not so sure. I’d like to make people laugh, cry, pray and come back for more. I want to give grace to women and their families.

MD: How many books have you written? What’s in the pipeline?
MG: I’ve written five books so far. I have the last two books in my Shades of Style series with Revell. After that, there may be some stories about life on the other side of the altar. We’ll see.

MD: Thanks, Marilynn. Good luck as you continue your tour. Keep us posted on your upcoming releases.

11 comments:

Camy Tang said...

Great interview! Thanks, Mary and Megan!

Except *I* wanted the orange M&Ms. Sheesh. I guess I'll make do with the green ones.

Camy

Megan DiMaria said...

Don't worry, Camy. When you do your first blog tour, I'll save the orange M&Ms for you.

LaShaunda said...

Great interview Megan,

I like M&Ms with peanuts any color will do. LOL!

Dreaming of my own blog tour. :)

Happy Holidays!

upwords said...

Hey everybody! Thanks to Megan for doing this and thanks to you for reading. Megan got me on the M&Ms although I actually like the red ones from the Christmas bag. Hey, stop this chocolate talk. You're making me hungry! LOL

Blessings,
Marilynn
who will pass out M&Ms for both Camy and LaShaunda on their blog tours

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

Mary and Megan that was a great interview!

Mary in the last three days, I've learned so much about you, wow...especially about your insights on writing!

Heather Diane Tipton said...

Great interview! Thanks, Mary and Megan!

um... I don't like M&Ms can I have something else for my blog tour?? LOL

Megan DiMaria said...

Okay, everyone. I promise to personally cater to each one's whim for snack food prior to the interview when you are on your blog tour. Just have your people call my people.

Jenny said...

Of course, you know you can have your m & m's personalized, right? That's what I want...all in blue. Wait! Maybe I should go green (I've heard they are an aphrodisiac). No, blue, no... How about I get my book published first. Then my people will talk with your people, K?

Great interview, BTW. Mary, I've listened to your ACFW class several times on MP3 and learn more each time.

Megan, I've enjoyed your Christmas posts, getting to know you a little better. Seeing you once a year at conference just doesn't cover as much as a cahnce to see through your eyes here. Great blog, Kiddo.
Abundant blessings!

upwords said...

Jenny,

Stop listening to that mp3! It's dangerous. LOL

Thanks for reading,
Marilynn

Paula said...

I didn't know you had a blog! Where did I miss this???

Great blog. Great job with the interview. It'll be fun having you in blogland. Love you, girlfriend!

Paula said...

PS Can I have Stephanie's chocolates instead of M & M's?