Fighting Prose Interview with Caryn Emme!

Welcome to my in-depth writers series Fighting Prose. Where I talk to authors in the industry on what their process is like and what it takes for them to keep on creating, through all the odds.

How long have you been writing?

Feels like my entire life :) However, I didn't start seriously writing until about 5 years ago.

What's your favorite genre to read? Write?

I love to read Historical Romance and Spirituality and I love to write Historical Romance. I might try a Young Adult novel...have a few ideas floating around...

How do you get in the mood to write?

I write when I have time. For me, it's not about my mood. I am a working mom of two - time is precious. If I wait for my mood, the time never comes! I have realized that writing takes discipline. So, I any window of time I can get, which means I write every day. Some days I write more, some less, but writing happens every day.

How do your characters come together?

I find my heroines reveal themselves first. I get a flash of their main character traits and names almost instantly. Slowly, their back stories are revealed. I try to ground their main inner conflict with some kind of tie to their past - like real people. It ends up being really fun how the character just takes off and reveals herself as you write. The male characters take me longer to figure out...I do try to keep true to male characteristics of keeping things inside, of trying to fix and protect, of needing to be told what we want explicitly (lol)...I've learned a lot about masculinity (not just my idea of it) as I've written the heroes of my stories.

How do you get your ideas?

They come to me. I think I was influenced at a young age by the Spanish Telenovelas we always watched - so fun and dramatic! And, very romantic too. I also get my ideas from the trials of relationships in modern living and then I adapt them to the historical settings of the regency time period.

Who do you admire in the writing world?

Kate Chopin and Jane Austen. Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn.

If you're not busy writing, what are you busy doing?

Yoga practice! I love yoga and it has taken me into deep spiritual practice too. It has also awakened my creativity in ways I would have never imagined! I'm busy with my two kiddos and husband too, family is deeply important to me.

Have you always been creative?

I suppressed my creativity for while in the desperate need to be organized and ordered. But, I realize that is not my best, nor my true self. I am a creative soul who needs to apply that to everything. While it's fun to experiment with painting and cooking, my main creative outlet is through writing.

Have you ever had writers block? If so, how did you get out of it?

Yes. I let the story/novel just sit for a while and work on something else.I go to yoga and practice for an hour. Usually by the time I get back to it, I'm open and ready and the story flows.

When you sit down to write, is it easy or hard? If it's hard, what makes you keep showing up?

Honestly? It's easy...I normally plot every single chapter (using the good, old fashioned plot graph we all learned and I taught in English class!) - so, I know where I'm going. That doesn't mean I don't deviate as new things come up, but I have a guide. On days when it's hard, when new ideas don't mesh with what I've plotted...I just keep going. I love writing and I know the story will reveal itself and unfold if I don't give up. It always does.