Career Q&A: YA Author, Maggie Stiefvater

Ever dreamed of becoming a famous writer? Maggie Stiefvater is living breathing proof that college can help make your dreams come true, but it’s talent and determination that can make or break your “novel” aspirations. Stiefvater is the 27-year-old author of several teen books, including the upcoming (and highly anticipated) werewolf romance, Shiver. Find out how she did it, and what you need to do to crack the New York Times Bestsellers List before 30!

You're not only a writer, you're also an artist. Which comes easier?
I’m not sure. Both require rather a lot of work, cookie dough, and caffeine. When I was younger, I thought that both were things that just flowed out you as you sat there brimming with natural talent. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t getting any better until finally it dawned on me that I would never get better just repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Both art and writing need to be studied and practiced.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Are your characters (like the ones in your latest book, “Shiver”) figments of your imagination, or were they inspired by the people in your life?
Oh yes, I steal a lot! When I meet someone interesting, I definitely ferret away the way they speak or their mannerisms. Usually, I have an idea in my head of what sort of character I will need for a certain situation, and then I dive into real-life examples to flesh them out. I don’t often use myself for a model, but I’ll sometimes take an emotion I’ve felt and exaggerate it - especially for villains.

How do you balance being a professional writer with being a mom and a wife?
I would be lying if I said it was easy, especially with traveling and online promotion, but my husband is a huge part of it. He takes care of the kids on his days off while I work, and he drives while I type away at my laptop. One of the things I learned as a full-time artist, is that creativity can’t be turned on and off like a tap. If I sat around waiting for the perfect moment to paint or write - waiting for my muse to sing sweetly in my ear - I would waste a lot of time. Instead, the moment I get a bit of spare time, my butt is in that chair getting work done. Even if that moment is 11 p.m. at night because you have a deadline the next day.

Would you say that being a woman in the book publishing business is an asset or a liability?
Both. I think it can both help and hinder you, depending on the genre you write. Especially since I write young adult romances (two genres basically ruled by women), so I am in good company. Nowadays, I think good writing trumps all -- it’s far more equalizing than many other professions; we’ve come a long way from when women authors used their initials to disguise their gender. Look at Patricia Cornwall -- hugely successful in a “man’s” genre.

What were some challenges or roadblocks that you had to overcome to get to where you are today?
Every writer has to hear “no" a hundred times before they hear “yes.” I heard “no” in college when I couldn’t get into a creative writing class because I was a History major instead of an English major. And “no” from hundreds of editors and agents as I perfected my craft. And when I finally got my first “yes,” it was qualified: The editor loved the idea, but I had to completely rewrite my novel from scratch. So I did. And the editor was right -- it was better.

I started submitting novels to editors when I was 16 -- I didn’t get published until I was 24. For a long time, I kept my rejection letters in shoe boxes, but then the business went digital, so they live in my e-mail archives now. You just have to keep writing and keep submitting if you want to succeed in this business. Luckily for me, I’ve always been one of those difficult people who only want to do something more when they hear “no.”

What’s your average day like?
A mad scrabble to get breakfast for kiddies and tea for me, then checking my e-mail. I get about two-thousand non-spam emails every month, so dispatching e-mails takes an hour or two. It’s things like interviews, edits, travel arrangements, blog questions. Then, if it’s a day the kids are in school or my husband is home, I jump into writing. Either rough drafting or working on revisions for another novel (I usually am working on two at the same time).

How did you get your foot in the door?
I was submitting my novel directly to editors at mid-size presses and smallish imprints (I don’t know why I decided not to go through an agent), and I got very close to getting a yes at Flux, a young adult imprint of Llewellyn. But my story just wasn’t quite tight enough, so I got a regretful no. A year later, I submitted my next novel to the editor there, Andrew Karre, and he said “Actually, let’s take another look at that first one, shall we?” So we did, and he asked me to rewrite it using everything I’d learned in the last year. I rewrote the first three chapters, he loved them (and so did I!), and he offered me a contract.

Did college help prepare you for your career?
Absolutely. Though I never got to take any creative writing classes, and I frequently felt like I was spinning my wheels, I have had to draw upon everything I learned about writing and deadlines. I was a history major and I did an incredible amount of writing in an incredibly short period of time. I also had to take classes in giving presentations and public speaking. I’ve learned that all-nighters are no more useful in the real world than they are in college-land. And that deadlines are the most wonderful and terrible things in the world.

Any words of advice for someone with the same career aspirations?
Read everything you can get your hands on. Especially the things that are selling well in your genre. I read a lot as a teen and kept thinking “well, I could do better than THIS!” I was of course reading the stuff that had been moldering on the library shelves for decades, not the bestsellers or the books that were always checked out because they were highly sought after. There are a lot of book blogs out there that tell you what’s new and hot, and a lot of book blogs that answer every single question on the writing biz. There’s just no reason to not be informed these days!

Books or websites that may have helped you along the way?
I have a list of book blogs that I read regularly on my website, but a I also like Miss Snark, Agent Query, and Verla Kay’s blueboard.

Final words of wisdom:
Stick to your guns. Read like a demon. Make “no” work for you. Remember that writing is both work and play, and that our goal as writers is to reflect the world like the universe’s best mirror, showing people things they wouldn’t otherwise see or notice. Most of all, do what you love.

Enter for your chance to win an autographed copy of Maggie's new book, Shiver!

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