Tell us about yourself.:
I'm the Editor-in-Chief at From Addict 2 Advocate and Two Drops of Ink. I'm also the author of the memoir Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate. I recently celebrated 32 years of abstinence-based recovery.
My memoir reflects a lost child who started using drugs at age 9, managed rock bands, gave up her children, and was mandated to treatment by her employer. With only ten months in recovery, a chance encounter with a 74-year-old Native American helped me find my purpose – opening North House, an award-winning residential facility for women.
In writing my memoir, I thought it was necessary to understand a good memoir's correct mindsets and mechanics. That research helped me write my memoir and create Memories into Memoir: The Mindsets and Mechanics Workbook.
I'm an avid reader, grandmother, and mother to two daughters who are also in recovery. Their children were born after they got sober and are all now teenagers with a greater understanding of the hereditary aspects of addiction, so we are optimistic that they will not continue in the cycle of addiction.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?:
I was born in Indiana and grew up with several educators in my immediate family. Reading, discussions of history, and mid-west values were the norm, and family was important.
Moving to rural Tennessee and labeled a Yankee was the beginning of bullying, and I found release and comfort in a journal. At age four, I understood that the black squiggly lines on the page told a story or described something, so words could take me somewhere else or help me process what was happening to me.
Encouraged by my father to write, I wrote terrible poetry but created strong characters in my short stories—these make-believe protagonists stood up to the bullies – something I couldn't do.
It was not until I opened North House that I returned to writing, creating the Therapeutic Integrated Educational Recovery System (TIERS) used by the women in the house and other men's and women's recovery homes.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unlike Mark Twain, I don't make it a habit to write in bed; however, I am like Vladimir Nabokov and keep a sleep/dream notepad next to my bed for the 3 AM inspiration.
I also never destroy my darlings, whether it's a killer sentence or three paragraphs. I may not use them in a post for the two blogs, but file them under the topic. I review the darlings each time I write to see if I can finally use them.
What authors have influenced you?
I was born in Indiana and grew up with several educators in my immediate family. Reading, discussions of history, and mid-west values were the norm, and family was important.
Moving to rural Tennessee and labeled a Yankee was the beginning of bullying, and I found release and comfort in a journal. At age four, I understood that the black squiggly lines on the page told a story or described something, so words could take me somewhere else or help me process what was happening to me.
Encouraged by my father to write, I wrote terrible poetry but created strong characters in my short stories—these make-believe protagonists stood up to the bullies – something I couldn't do.
It was not until I opened North House that I returned to writing, creating the Therapeutic Integrated Educational Recovery System (TIERS) used by the women in the house and other men's and women's recovery homes.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. Don't call yourself any of the following:
Aspiring
Newbie
Soon to be published
The next New York Time Bestselling Author
If you write, you are a writer. Give yourself credit for overcoming fears and obstacles and writing.
Please show your work to family and friends and ask that they give you an honest assessment of the work.
Don't take criticism of your writing personally. You're still a writer; you need to learn to edit better, revise, and proofread.
Study books on grammar, syntax, and how-to for writers, both fiction and non-fiction.
Read. Read things that aren't New York Times Bestselling books. Read books on "your" topic or niche.
See if an aspect of your niche is under-developed, and that may be where your writing can take center stage.
Submit guest posts, enter contests, and keep writing.
And last? Keep writing and improving.
[Read more…] about Author Interview: Marilyn L. Davis
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