Carrie Snyder's latest book -- The Juliet Stories -- was a finalist for the 2012 Governor General's Award for fiction, and her novel, Girl Runner, was published in Canada by House Anansi.
How/why did you start to write?
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I started reading books (or
perhaps slightly thereafter, when I realized that the books I loved reading
were written by people called writers). I love words, language, ideas. I seem
to have infinite patience for the technical challenges of writing books:
crafting characters and story in ways that use carefully deliberated structure
to create momentum, suspense, surprise, pleasure, and emotion for the reader.
How did you become an author?
My first published poems were written when I was 16 and
still in high school, and were published three years later in a well-respected
Canadian literary journal. Over the years I’ve had many mentors who have
encouraged and guided me, including teachers and editors. My first job after
graduating from U of Toronto with an MA in English Literature was in the books
section of the National Post newspaper. This was an excellent crash course on
the publishing industry. The steps to becoming a published author are too
tedious to recount here, but suffice it to say that there were rejections and
disappointments along the way, but I found an agent, who sold my first book,
Hair Hat, to Penguin Canada, and it was published when I was 29. I never gave
up, despite rejection.
What was your first published piece?
Two untitled poems, published in The New Quarterly. Small
literary magazines are enormously important in the life of a beginning writer.
Enough cannot be said about the hard-working, eagle-eyed, supportive, gentle,
warmly enthusiastic editors who nurture new writers and help bring them to
maturity.
How long ago?
My first poems appeared in 1994. My first book was published
a decade later in 2004.
What did you do before embarking on your writing career?
Was it an asset to your writing? How?
I always intended to be a writer. I aimed myself at
developing a career as a fiction writer from a very early age. I have degrees
in English Literature, and my only real “job-job” was at the National Post,
where I worked in the books section, and then later as a copy editor, and also
wrote for the arts section. A great deal of reading and writing – any form of
writing – can only be an asset to one’s career as a writer.
What inspires you?
I love a good story. And I love an iconoclastic character,
perhaps an outsider, or someone who pushes the boundaries of convention in
their time. I read the obituaries faithfully. I’m fascinated by how we make
choices in our lives, and how bound we humans are by our own flaws; but also
how adversity is overcome, painful rifts mended sometimes, and sometimes really
beautiful things happen against all odds. I love the flaws in a character,
almost as much as the strengths. Flaws are what make us interesting.
Relationships are fascinating too. We are who we are in relation to others.
Parting words
Thanks for your interest in my books and my blog,
Leanne. Good luck with your own writing!
(Thank you for the well wishes. It was a pleasure having you visit.)
author photo taken by Nancy Forde
Visit Carrie Snyder's popular blog: Obscure CanLit Mama
