Talking Anthologies: Interview with the Authors of Grit for the Oyster

According to Wikipedia, an anthology is literally a collection of literary works whether it be a collection of poems, short stories or even short novels, bounded into a single volume for publication.

Have you ever wondered what goes into the makings of an anthology? We interviewed four authors – Joanna Bloss, Debora Coty, Suzanne Woods Fisher and Faith Tibbetts McDonald - who have written and published an anthology titled Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers which was released by Vintage Spirit on August 2008. We wanted to find out what they have to say about the process so we can learn how we can do it, too!

Thank you for this interview, girls. Can you tell us who came up with the idea for your anthology?

It was Suzanne's idea. We got together through a writers conference in California in 2006. Although we were all on different legs of our writing journeys we were united by her vision to create a motivational book for writers that affirms, builds confidence and inspires, while at the same time offering practical guidance.

Can you give us a brief rundown of what your book will hold for the reader?

It is a book full of personal essays interspersed with loads of practical advice from well-established writers like Terri Blackstock, James Scott Bell, and Liz Curtis Higgs. We talk about gaining experience, dealing with jealousy, overcoming obstacles and lots of other issues that beginning and seasoned writers face.

How hard was it to collaborate? Did you do this by email? In person?

Almost 100% by email. As each essay was completed it made the rounds among the four of us for editing and feedback. The tracking changes feature on Microsoft Word was invaluable for this process. We contacted all of the authors via email and almost everyone we contacted responded quickly and graciously. It's amazing how technology aided in putting this book together.

How long did it take for you to compile it?

Almost two years from the time we started to the day it was released.

Can you share any funny moments putting it together as a team?

Not too much side-splitting hilarity. However, Deb is the comic among us and her analogies, like comparing rejection to horse poo, kept things light. When one of us would be frustrated with something, either to do with the book or in our personal lives, the others would generate an appropriate amount of humor and support. Suzanne filled our mailbox with "Quick Q's." Somehow being interrupted to answer one of her Q's didn't seem as intrusive as having to drop everything to answer a question!

Did you hit any low points? Anything go wrong that you can share with us?

Thankfully, the process went pretty smooth overall. The only real low point for the book was when we realized that the bigger named publishers were probably not going to be interested in us because they felt our niche was too narrow. However, each of us faced some pretty major low points in our personal lives during this time...issues with angst-filled children, aging parents, unemployment...it was great to be able to share our burdens with one another and know that our writing careers could continue even through the trials.

What do you feel is the overall reaction from your book? Any kudos from readers you´d like to share?

We've been delighted with the positive feedback we've received. Here are excerpts from a couple reviews: "Readers will feel invited into the warm conversation and will walk away with new confidence, new writing habits, and new writing goals." and "Grit for the Oyster is one gem that I will refer to regularly. I found myself highlighting, circling and placing asterisks by words from authors Fisher, Coty, McDonald, and Bloss (as well as the pearls from the established writers) so that I can refer back to them. This is one book that won't collect dust on the shelf like some of the other books that I have with advice and tips for writers."

Do you plan more anthologies?

Each of us is very busy with writing projects of our own, and we really haven't discussed the possibility of collaborating on another project; however, it was such a great experience, we could probably be easily persuaded in that direction!

Thank you so much for this interview, girls! Can you tell us where we can find out more about your new book, Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers?

You can order it on Amazon or direct from the publisher at www.vrpublishing.com. We'd also love to have you stop by our blog that offers even more advice for aspiring writers at: www.gritfortheoyster-book.blogspot.com. Thanks for having us!