Ian Sims is a writer from the Great Lakes region. He currently works in the Chicago tech sector, and in his off-time you can find him funding the Windy City’s used bookstores and ramen shops.
What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
Listen to your readers. Whether a reader is correct in their feedback or not, each point should be carefully reviewed. I often disagree with the feedback I receive but upon deeper reflection notice a solution that appeases both parties. And when you reject the feedback you receive, take the time to delineate your reasons for this. Taking the time to describe your intent can often spark an advantageous conversation between you and the reader that may also lead to further revisions.
Are there any writing resources, such as books or websites, you’d like to recommend?
I taught writing courses during my undergraduate years, and both my writing and the writing of the students I worked with benefitted from Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style as well as Lynne Truss’s Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Establishing a strong foundation is important so that you can break all of the rules with confidence.
I also really enjoy Hemingway’s short preface “The Art of the Short Story” and Stephen King’s On Writing, both of which offered certain guidelines that I have adopted for myself.
If you could go back and find yourself five years ago, what advice would you give yourself?
Everyone gets rejected, so keep on keeping on. I’ve been rejected dozens and dozens of times. On a certain level, there’s always going to be pain associated with that. Rejection of your work feels like a rejection of you, but rarely should it be taken personally (except that time an editor felt the need to write back saying that my story didn’t count as a story).
What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
This is damn hard to narrow down. Literary fiction with magical realism such as the work of Haruki Murakami is a mainstay for me, but I get the most joy out of reading sci-fi works such as those by the late Iain M. Banks or fantasy, especially the books by Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie.
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
Make time to write. Don’t find it. If writing is a serious passion for someone, they need to be prepared to commit to writing every day. Setting an arbitrary word limit can be useful, but I prefer guaranteeing myself a certain amount of time to focus. This way I can still know that I put in the time even if I spent an hour on two haiku instead of writing one or two thousand words.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
Discovery writing is the only style for me. Whenever I’ve attempted outlines, I always end up diverting from the intended story as I gradually come to realize characters motivations or things about the world.
Were you taught anything about creative writing in high school or college that just didn’t work for you?
Freytag’s pyramid was a colossal thorn in my writing for a long time. Some of my earliest teachers had a very strong focus on what a story is, which by itself is extremely reductive. Additionally, other frequent narrative concepts—Chekov’s gun, for example—were restrictive. As Hemingway put it, “It is also untrue that if a gun hangs on the wall when you open up the story, it must be fired by page fourteen. The chances are, gentlemen, that if it hangs upon the wall, it will not even shoot.”
Do you participate in any online or in-person critique or writing groups?
I do not, but I was lucky enough to find a writing partner while I was studying publishing at NYU. She often tries (and occasionally succeeds) at tempering some of my worst writing tendencies. Even if our writing interests differ, the secondary opinion provides an integral forum for critical dialogue.
What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?
My frequent collaborator and I have been editing a novel I finished last year. Within the next year I hope to have the draft edited and polished so that I can begin the arduous process of querying agents.
What book(s) are you reading right now?
Right now I’m reading three very different books: 1) We Are All Stardust: Scientists Who Shaped Our World Talk about Their Work, Their Lives, and What They Still Want to Know by Stefan Klein, 2) The Patriot’s History Reader: Essential Documents for Every American compiled by Schweikart, Dougherty, and Allen, and 3) Hōjōki by Kamo no Chomei.
