RPLA Showcase: E.J. Wenstrom

Q: Where do you get your story ideas?

A: I think for any writer of novels, the real question is how do pick your ideas–ideas come from everywhere–riding the bus, skimming Pinterest, late night TV. And they come all the time. One can collect ideas so much faster than one can write a novel. It’s quite frustrating. But when I choose an idea, I’m really choosing a character. Once I have a premise, the basic idea of the protagonist starts to form. The ones that speak to me and don’t stop, those are the ones I chase. 

Q: Anything in particular about your award-winning RPLA entry that you’d like to share?

A: I had such great fun writing Mud: Chronicles of the Third Realm War. It was my first novel, so I let myself sink into the world and the character for a full five years and really gave my heart over to it. It seems to have paid off–the feedback I get from readers is that Adem, Mud’s sad, desperate golem hero, is what makes them fall in love with the story. I’ll also say this–it didn’t end how I first expected it to. I knew what I had in mind wasn’t right because it would not fully pan out in my mind, but once I got there in my draft, the plot took some sudden turns and a few characters deeply surprised me.

Q: Who do you credit with inspiring your writing?

A: Quite frankly, adulthood. Something about sitting in an office every day left me so frustrated, with this constant voice in the back of my mind asking, This is it? Writing has become a very necessary outlet to add critical dimension to my life. It never even occurred to me that I could write until an internship my senior year of college. I wanted an editorial gig but the only one I was accepted to was writing for a lifestyle magazine. The managing editor there was my Godsend–he took the time to coach me, show me difference between writing that is “fine” and draws a reader in, and then how to make words my own. It has changed everything about my life.

Q: Any tips for new writers?

A: Read. Write. Read more. Write more. So much of the drafting process has to happen on a gut level, you have to fill yourself up with enough stories and practice to make sure your gut steers you well. And then, once you have that writing on the page, find a good critique group. Get feedback from them over and over and over. And this is the hardest part, but don’t let your ego get in your way of listening to them.