Laura Engel Interviews Caroline Gilman, June 2021 Member of the Month
I am excited to introduce our SDMWA member, Caroline Gilman as Member of the Month for June 2021. Caroline, thank you for being an outstanding member, for member participation, and for volunteering and helping us with graphics and San Diego Writers Festival. We appreciate you and are thrilled to have you writing alongside of us!
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LE: Caroline, how did you first discover SDMWA?
CG: I discovered SDMWA through my work with Marni. I had a story that I wanted to turn into a screenplay and having never written a screenplay before, I sought out an experienced writing coach in Marni. She suggested I write a piece for the memoir contest and that is where I learned of the wonderful group of SDMWA writers.
LE: Have you always been a writer?
CG: I have always loved writing, especially storytelling. I remember that in Elementary school we had the opportunity to write a children’s book and my teacher laminated our covers and had them spiral bound. I was selected to read my story to kindergarten and first-grade classes and from that moment on I always wanted to write for children. Most recently, I have been adapting my screenplay into a middle-grade novel that I hope to one day publish.
LE: Have writing classes made a big impact on your writing?
CG: Writing classes have had a huge impact on my writing. Writing is a craft, one that takes constant practice and knowledge. I take every writing class that I can. I welcome all of the knowledge and find that there is something to be learned from every class even if the class isn’t in the genre I currently write in. For example, I love the memoir classes, even though I am not currently writing a memoir. They teach us that we are all connected empathetically and can relate to raw emotion. I use the skills I have learned in memoir writing to ground my fictional characters in emotion so that the readers connect.
LE: We’d love to hear about what you are presently writing or what projects do you have going on?
CG: I am currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel.
LE: What are some of your favorite Memoirs? Your favorite Authors?
CG: I had the unique opportunity of reading The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk, followed by meeting the author, Pladen Gyatso who spoke to students at LMU where I attended college. The book is his story about living as a Buddhist monk who spent 25 years enduring torture and interrogation as the Tibetan culture faced genocide. The combination of his written words and the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak was a profound experience that I will never forget.
LE: Any advice for new writers?
CG: My advice to new writers is to find your writing community. From the creative aspect to the business side of the craft, there is so much to learn. Writing can sometimes feel isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. Organizations such as SDMWA allow writers to come together and lift each other up. I have found an amazing writing community through my critique groups, SDMWA, and most recently online.
LE: Thank you so much Caroline and now how can other members find you? Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook?
CG: Members can find me most active on Twitter @carolineg2g and I also run the @MiddleGradeHub Twitter account (with two fellow middle-grade writers) a growing resource for connecting middle-grade writers, promoting writing events, and facilitating small writing groups.