Author Interview: Marilynn Griffith

Marilynn Griffith is mom to a tribe of kids and wife to a very handsome deacon.


Plug time. What book or project is coming out or has come out that you’d like to tell us about?

Plug time, huh? Well, I’ll keep it simple and start at the beginning with MADE OF HONOR, my January 2006 release. There’s sort of a funny story behind it because though it’s being published first, PINK (Revell), my February 2006 release was contracted first. I know. I’m confused too. LOL

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

I’ve always written poems and journals and read more than is probably healthy. For a period of several years though, the Lord lead me to read only his Word and I gave up fiction for a time. During those years, I (strangely enough) began to write fiction. I let someone close to me read my writing and they laughed at me. It was NOT a comedy. (Later, I got the same reactions from publishers and realized maybe I was funny and didn’t know it!). I stopped writing for about ten years and then in late 1999/early 2000, I picked it up again. Publication was the last thing on my mind. But someone on the internet read one of my posts on an AOL writer’s board (Kathi Smith are you out there?) and she didn’t laugh. In fact, she kept sending me pens, paper, writing books and emails until I started sending her something once a week. We did that until she got me into her crit group and a very forthright man told me the truth about my writing.

“Do you even know what a scene is?” he asked. I didn’t, but I figured it out quick! Eighteen months later, I’d finished my first novel and landed an agent. Another year and many rejections later, I sold a book. When I got the email, I was sort of confused like I didn’t understand what my agent meant. They wanted the whole series? To BUY it? I was writing when the email came in. I think we went to McDonald’s. It was sort of surreal.

When I got the call (this time it was on the phone) about
MADE OF HONOR a few months later, I’d gotten the hang of things a little better. I was writing again when the call came through and I think I shouted something like, ”We’ll take it!” I think we went to TCBY that time.

Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

Every day. I just spent half the weekend despairing over my first Romantic Times review and wondering if I’ll ever be able to write another book. A friend and I take turns with our “Who am I kidding” breakdowns.

Thank God I have my husband to look at me and say, “So what does that review mean exactly? Everyone else loves the book. They bought the book. And didn’t you say last year that you were praying for three stars? Doesn’t that mean it was a good read?” Well…yeah. LOL It never ends. Writing is very difficult on the self-esteem even if you’re emotionally stable, which if you haven’t figured out yet, I’m not. LOL

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

The best advice I’ve heard yet on writing is “Don’t be in a rush to be published. Being published isn’t good enough. You want to be published WELL.” (Jenny Crusie) Linda Windsor also said something at conference that was simple but timely for me when I heard it. “No book will be published before God says it’s time. Put the thing away and move on. If it’s supposed to be published it will.” That was really basic and something I knew in my head, but when Linda said it, it dropped into my heart and I turned the whole thing over to God for the umpteenth time. Two months later, I got the call (well, email).

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

Show, don’t tell. This is a good advice, but it can also be confusing. If you show all the time, you get a long book at a tireless pace and less character development. This works great for suspense, but for a women’s fiction it doesn’t always fit the bill. On the other hand, all tell is boring.

Still, there are storytellers and writers. Some folks are both. If you’re a storyteller, tell your tale, but use sparkling dialogue, great descriptions and short pieces of narrative throughout. I think any advice that you try to adhere to that hurts your story or your characters is bad advice. I didn’t sell until I wrote a manuscript to the end without any critiques. I had to be confident with the story and make it mine before getting input. Then I knew whether the input made sense or not. Make the story your own, then make it shine.

What’s something you wish you’d known earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

Hmmm… There’s so much I didn’t know. Each house works differently with submissions and revisions. Some take email. Some hard copy. I think the hardest thing to understand was how slow publishing really is. Even after years of rejections, I didn’t really understand the cycles of the industry (everything slows down in summer for big trade shows and conferences). It’s also amazing to me how many people are involved in making one book happen. Art department, publicity, editing, sales… There is really a lot of work by many, many people involved.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has been speaking to you lately?

The same scripture has been speaking to me for about five years now. It’s Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message. "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me... Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” I’m still at the two-step version, but I’m learning.

Is there a particularly difficult set back that you’ve gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?

Getting published seemed to be the end of the line at first. I quickly realized that it’s just the start of a new journey. Release dates shifted, titles changed, storylines I loved changed, things I thought would happen didn’t… It’s an uncertain business. But for every setback I can name a blessing—a great cover, wonderful endorsements, in-house support. There are up and down days, but I have to say when it’s bad, it’s pretty bad. That’s the stuff a lot of people don’t talk about. And I don’t blame them. Generally it’s a waste of time.

What are a few of your favorite books? (Not written by you.)

Oh man. There’s not enough room. I read a lot of young adult and science fiction books, not to mention nonfiction, classics and mainstream in addition to Christian titles. I love poetry, especially anything by Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks or James Weldon Johnson. In the past year, Lisa Samson’s TIGER LILLIE, Jeanne Ray’s EAT CAKE, MAMA by Terri McMillan and Lisa Tucker’s THE SONG READER were some top adult reads. GATHERING BLUE, a young adult title by Lois Lowry is probably my top read for 2005.

If your authorial self was a character from The Wizard of Oz, which one would you be and why?

Where do you all get these questions? LOL I’d have to go with the cowardly lion, though part of me is him after he gets the courage and the other part is before. There is my confident side who believes in the story and the other side who shows up when it’s time to write and says, ”You want me to write what?” LOL

What piece of writing have you done that you’re particularly proud of and why?

I don’t know that proud is the right word. MADE OF HONOR is special because I’d never written in first person and I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I got a lot of varying feedback on the book, but I went with my gut and it sold. That really encouraged me as a writer. I’m really excited about PINK and the Shades of Style series because I wrote about characters from several cultures. That was scary but rewarding.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Writing is a mental occupation. Everything happens in your head. The ups and downs of publishing can affect your head and mess up your writing. It’d be nice if the creative could be separated a little more, but I don’t see that happening.

Can you give us a view into a typical day of your writing life?

If there was a typical day, I probably could. There isn’t. Sometimes I’m doing a first draft. Other times I’m doing a revision that requires a quick turn around. There’s also proposals and the great ideas that come while I’m doing the dishes. There are also press releases, web site content, blogs, duties as officer in a writing organization and critiquing for my partners and my mentor group.

On an ideal day, I get up, kiss my high schooler goodbye, read my Bible, workout, help my elementary kids out the door, make breakfast, see husband off to work, worship with the little kids and clean house, check email, do a little editing, make lunch and eat with little ones, take twins to preschool, do errands or clean, write during toddler’s nap, check email, receive high schooler (if she doesn’t have dance team practice), pick up twins from preschool, receive elementary kids, make snack, pick up anybody who had after school activities or doctor appointments, check homework, check email, make dinner, hang out with husband, put kids to bed and write some more.

Like I said, ideal writing days don’t often happen. I catch it where I can. I wrote my first four books homeschooling. This next one will be interesting. I’ll probably do a lot of writing when everyone is in one place over the holiday break.

If you could choose to have one strength of another writer, what would it be and from whom?

Let’s see. The honesty of Claudia Burney, the power of Gail Hayes, the imagery of Sharon Foster, the emotion of Lisa Samson and the humor of Kristin Billerbeck. That’d be a nice start. LOL

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I had some dreams, but God is continually modifying them. At this point, I want to continue to write good books and build a readership. Since my children are small and my main focus at this point, I don’t get too detailed. I try to think in terms of “career” instead of “book” but in truth, each “book” can really affect a “career.” Basically, I just want to be able to keep telling stories.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

At least once a week. Sometimes every day. Usually as I’m typing. LOL Then I remember I have contracts and I really want to know what happens!

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

The writing itself. Sometimes it’s so good that it’s like I’m crying and laughing and praying and singing and it’s just amazing. That’s my favorite part. That’s what I show up for, though it rarely happens. Then I actually read it and see how much work it needs. That’s the hard part.

How much marketing do you do? Any advice in this area?

When I was first contracted, I had a marketing plan and all this stuff I was going to do to buzz my books, all these places I was going to go. Now I look at that file and laugh. Marketing is cool, but the bottom line is my time is best spent writing a better book. There are no short cuts to making it in publishing. A readership is built one reader at a time. I had an ezine for multicultural writers (www.wordpraize.com) before I was published and started a blog for some Christian chick lit authors (www.faithchick.com) once I was contracted, but both about getting the word out about the genres.

My personal blog is pretty personal and was started more as a diary than anything. I’d like to think that some of the people who come there will buy my books, but who knows? I write articles, speak and do some email marketing and press releases to my local media, but in the long run, I think you have to write great books again and again and again…

Parting words?

Thanks. Thanks to you Gina for having me and to your readers for stopping by. I really enjoy these interviews. If you’re a reader, buy the books you want more of. If you’re a writer, write the books you want more of. Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord and bring somebody with you. If you enjoyed this interview, please stop by MarilynnGriffith.com and say hi!