Dawn Vogel’s academic background is in history, so it’s not surprising that much of her fiction is set in earlier times. By day, she edits reports for historians and archaeologists. In her alleged spare time, she runs a craft business, co-edits Mad Scientist Journal, and tries to find time for writing. She is a member of Broad Universe, SFWA, and Codex Writers. Her steampunk series, Brass and Glass, is available from DefCon One Publishing. She lives in Seattle with her husband, author Jeremy Zimmerman, and their herd of cats.
How long have you been writing and what got you started?
I’ve been writing for nearly as long as I could read, writing my first story when I was about four or five years old. I still have a copy of it. It’s a single page, and the plot and character development are lacking. But it does show me that I’ve always been a writer, even though I’ve only been writing for publication for about eleven years now. I think I’ve always been a storyteller, and writing was the natural extension of that.
What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
“Perfect is the opposite of done.” A lot of authors starting out want to perfect what they’re doing, at the detriment of getting it done. I recommend finishing a story, novel, or whatever first, setting it aside, and then coming back to it for editing. And eventually, you have to let it go into the world–if you keep tinkering with one scene or sentence forever, you’ll never get your story out there!
What tips do you have for finding time to write?
I work full time, run a craft business, and help to run a small press, so I understand how busy people can be in today’s world. Because of that, I steal moments wherever I can. On my lunch break, I can get some words written or surf the internet. I choose to do the former. I occasionally write things in the notepad on my phone while I’m on the bus, or in the moments before falling asleep, or even if I wake up in the middle of the night. While it’s ideal to get a solid block of writing time, even if you only write 10 words a day, at the end of the year, you’ll have 3,650 (or 3,660) more words than you did at the beginning of the day. In addition to stolen moments, I also set aside time to write for an hour or so three nights a week, and a couple of hours or so on weekends.
Do you favor the traditional route or self-publishing?
I’ve been published traditionally, via small presses, and self-published for short fiction, and via small presses and self-published for longer fiction. I think that with the prevalence of small presses and self-publishing, there are a lot more opportunities for people to get their feet wet there and then move toward traditional publishing. But it’s also viable to stick with just small presses and self-publishing. I’ll probably continue to be a hybrid author for the entirety of my career.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
I’m an outliner, even for short stories (and sometimes flash fiction). I need a road map to make sure my characters don’t run off in some unplanned direction. I started out as more of a discovery writer, but after a few novels churned around for a long time, I decided I needed more structure. Jumpstart Your Novel by Mark Teppo showed me how to make outlines work for me.
How do you deal with rejections?
When I started out, I took rejection a lot harder than I tend to these days. Having been an editor, and having to reject stories that were well-written and enjoyable to read, but that just didn’t quite fit what we needed, I learned that you can write a wonderful story and still get rejections. So that’s made it easier for me to accept my rejections and move on.
In your opinion, how important is a writing degree or MFA when it comes to achieving success in writing fiction?
My academic background is in history, so I’m of the opinion that a writing degree or MFA really isn’t necessary. I know folks with MFAs in creative writing who are not writers now. It’s more about wanting to write and putting in the work to improve your writing, with or without classes or a degree.
Do you participate in any online or in-person critique or writing groups?
I’m a member of Codex Writers, which is an online writing group for neo-pros. There’s a critique component for people who want to participate in that, but it’s also been a great place to talk about craft and learn about writing from other writers who are in a similar place in their careers.
What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?
I’ve got a novel that’s just about ready to start querying agents with, and one of my big goals for 2020 is to find an agent to represent my novels. I’m also planning to write two or three novels (first drafts), revise a novella, write a bunch of short fiction and poetry, and review books for my website. I keep myself really busy with writing every year, so my goals are often pretty substantial.
Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.
My series of steampunk action-adventure books, which can be summarized as “Firefly on an airship”, are available from DefCon One Publishing: http://www.defconone.com/series/brass-and-glass/
I blog every weekday at: http://historythatneverwas.com
