We had so much fun talking with Eric about many things, but especially about his new novel Bull’s Labyrinth. (Eric reads the whole first chapter—so, so good!)
In this episode of Sentence to Paragraph, author Eric Witchey talks about tackling duel POV, the long road to publication, the absurdity of writers who don’t read, and more.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIC WITCHEY
- Facebook Eric M. Witchey
- Twitter @EWitchey
- Eric blogs at Shadowspinners
- Learn more at www.ericwitchey.com
Eric Witchey has sold more than a hundred short stories in many genres to publications like Clarkesworld, Writers of the Future, Writer’s Digest, and many others. He has published four novels. His most recent novel is called Bull’s Labyrinth. He also recently published a collection of short stories called Professor Witchey’s Miracle Mood Cure. Eric has been a working writer and teacher of writing for more than twenty-five years. He is a native of Oregon, and currently lives in Salem, Oregon.
Interview Highlights
- You must become a teacher in order to learn to write fast (and how teaching goes back to perception). He mentions teaching at Willamette Writers Conference and Wordcrafters in Eugene.
- His thoughts on the “How to Write” market, teaching, and how to learn writing.
- His development as a writer, and paths forward for writers—conferences, classes, writing groups, and teachers. His most influential teacher: James N. Frey.
- Eric’s recommendations for how to structure an effective critique group and how to give principled criticism.
- Thinking of himself as a writer—not (just) a novelist or short story writer or technical writer.
Surprise tip: The value of critique groups is to learn from analyzing other people’s work, not having your own work critiqued.
Start early, work often.
Make mistakes faster.
Put it in the mail.