Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Memoir, Poetry
What has been your most rewarding moment as an author?
Although my entire career centered around writing—for newspapers, business, and education—I’m new to creative writing. Consequently, my most rewarding moment as an author is yet to come. Thinking positively, I imagine this moment will have something to do with publishing my first book. Until then, the anticipation is pretty thrilling in itself.
What have been some of the biggest helps for developing your writing skills? Written resources, classes or conferences, fellow writers you’ve learned from or have mentored you, other?
I am from Iowa, where I had the good fortune to live close to the University of Iowa and participate in its Writers Workshop community offerings a couple of times. Last year, I participated in online Master Classes with best-selling American writers and I also read a number of books on the writing process. Most recently, I attended the four-part seminar “How to Write a Novel” presented by the San Gabriel Writers’ League. I feel pretty good about the information and insights from all of these experiences that are rattling around in my head now. I’m ready to write.
What’s the best piece of writing-related advice that you’ve received?
A little over a year ago, while out on a walk during a reunion with five college friends, we ran into my favorite English professor from way-back-then. He encouraged me to keep in touch and to share my writing with him. In one of his follow-up e-mails, he said, “And now you (are) looking forward to having your say. Say it. Write it beautifully and honestly, no holds barred. . .” And that’s what I’m going to try to do—be honest, even as I write creatively.
What made you consider writing in the first place?
I grew up listening to my parents tell their stories many times through the years. They were fascinating stories that made me appreciate what life was like for them during the Depression and World War II. It’s amazing how they got by and, then, even met each other after growing up in separate parts of the state when long-distance travel was rare. By junior high school, I knew I wanted to be a writer and write their stories as well as other people’s stories. As it turned out, during my career I wrote other people’s and then organizations’ stories first. Now, I’m starting to work on my family’s stories.
What genres appeal most to you as a writer?
I like stories that are inspired by real life—a mix of fiction and non-fiction. I also like some historical fiction, as long as the fiction parts don’t impose on the personal lives of real people too much. Naturally, it follows that I additionally like memoirs and biographies, whether about famous people or not. In fact, I probably like those by and about people who are less well known or even unknown.
Did your formal education or upbringing/background prepare you in any way to write?
I’ve been writing most of my life, taking journalism classes and working on the newspaper and yearbook in high school then studying English literature and mass communications in college. Much later, I took evening classes while working to get a graduate degree in communication studies. Writing on-the-job everyday and working with some great editors was very helpful to me then and now. I can still remember one of those editors loudly correcting one of my attributions in a story for everyone nearby to hear: “Said is a perfectly good word. You don’t need to use any other word.” That’s just one very small example among hundreds that taught me to write clearly for understanding and to avoid detracting techniques.
Awards:
During my career, I was the recipient of over 30 writing and writing/project coordination awards from the local through international levels. I also was the lead writer for several multi-million-dollar grants. In 1979, my first writing award was from the International Reading Association for a series of Cedar Rapids Gazette stories about an elementary school book-weeding initiative in Iowa. In 2017, during my last position with the University of Houston, my writing helped with the acquisition of the naming gift for the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts.
Biography:
I have been a journalist, communications director and grant writer/director. I recently started to write creatively, believing “it is never too late” to start the next, not-too-physically-strenuous thing. (Age has some limits.) After retiring, I made my forever home in Sun City, Texas, where I enjoy French classes, book club, cinema club, neighborhood activities, and even some exercising. Besides having many new friends in this community, I also keep in touch with older friends, like the five whom I met at Winona State when all of us were freshmen decades ago. There are some good stories there, as well as with my family that includes a son, daughter-in-law, four grandchildren, and four siblings.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/.cwallacenoring
San Gabriel Writers' League 