Interview with Barbara Smitherman on "Free-Writing Technique"

Yesterday I told you I would be speaking with the author of "Free-Writing Technique"-Barbara Smitherman. I interviewed her about the article she submitted to From A Writers POV for our featured article for the month of June.

If you have not had the chance to read her article, you can do so here: http://fromawriterspov.webs.com/featuredarticle.htm Be sure to leave a comment.

Barbara explained some great tips to us about Free-Writing. Read her interview below


Dominique Watson: (DW) How long have you been a writer?

Barbara Smitherman: (BS) I have actually been a writer most of my life. I wrote for the High School newspaper and I have written many plays for schools and for the church. Although I have been writing for years it wasn’t until last year that I decided to actually write a novel and attempt to get it published.

DW: What are common mistakes that writers make when putting a novel together?

BS: I believe that one mistake that some writers make is not making an outline first. I have found that writing an outline of each chapter helps tremendously. It helps the writer stay on point while writing. An outline also helps against writers blocked. Having an outline helps to inspire and encourage. So not having an outline is one mistake. Another mistake I believe many writers make is in the area of research. either too much or not enough. Even if the novel is fiction there should be some factual areas that need to have been researched. Some times after doing research it is easy to want to add much more than is needed this then becomes an area of boredom to the reader. Or on the other hand they have not done enough research which in many cases will make the novel unbelievable.

DW: Explain in detail how the left side and the right side of the brain can affect the writer.

BS: The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa, thus the old adage that left handed people are in their RIGHT mind. A good way to explain it would be like a habitual liar, they do not stop to THINK they just fabricate stories. It is the same way for a writer they should not stop to think about proper punctuation, grammar; spelling etc. they should just write. The right side of the brain is the side that produces creativity. It is the right side of the brain that lets one visualize what they are writing about. Some words have strong visual associations which the right side of the brain can come to grips with allowing the words to flow easily. If one just writes without stopping to THINK then they are working out of the right side of the brain the creative side. Once the writer stops to think about what they are writing or stops to think about particular words then they are working out of the left side of the brain the analytical side. The left side then analyzes the work and the writer may then become very critical of their work which can cause discouragement. In a normal person the two sides of the brain work together in harmony to bring about balance which is what it was designed to do, but in the case or writers it is a good idea to tap into the right side of the brain and its creativity.

DW: Is Self-Editing better than hiring someone to edit your work?

BS: That is a little difficult to answer since it’s strictly an opinion and not a die hard rule. I believe that another set of eyes is always a good thing. After writing the piece and reading and re-reading, the writer has a tendency to over look things that may really need to be addressed. Sometimes it is a phrase that sounds perfectly correct to the writer but may be better stated another way. I didn’t pay an editor my publishing company has an editorial staff. But one thing I did was contacted a retired high school English teacher and had her to look over my manuscript. She helped me tremendously in the area of punctuation, grammar spelling and word usage. Some one who has an expertise in English but who is not an editor per se usually will charge a very small fee if any at all. Although the first edit should be done by the author them self, I strongly believe we need some one else, an impartial person to read and edit our work.

DW: How long do you think a writer should "Free Write" before going back to edit.

BS: That is strictly a personal choice. I like to write at least an hour, but everyone is different. If all a writer can do is fifteen minutes at a time then do it at fifteen minute intervals. But attempt to write as long as you possibly can. It seems that you can write a lot longer when you free write as opposed to analytical writing. The main thing to remember regardless to how long you free-write is take a break, go get something to drink walk around, check the mail etc. before you go back to edit. This allows both sides of the brain to work in harmony the left side to analyze and the right side to creatively correct the bad spots, thus allowing the author not to feel as though they have wasted their time. But always remember when you free write you will make some boo-boos that need to be corrected. I find this particularly true since I, like most people, think a lot faster than I type.

DW: What is one tip that all writers should keep in mind when writing a novel?

BS: The one tip that I can give that all writers should keep in mind is simply you are not writing this novel for yourself. You are writing it for others to read. No matter how much you like your work the question is will other people like your work. Always put the reader first while you are writing. Always remember the who, the what and the why of your writing: Who is most likely to read this book. What will make it appeal to that audience and why should they want to read this book.



After reading Barbara's article I never thought about how one side of our brain works different from the other. I thought this theory was very interesting. I have to say, I agree with Barbara. We get our best work done when we free write. I also have to agree that an outline is very important when writing a novel. Her tips were great and even helped me as a writer.

So what did you think? Leave a comment on the interview and Barbara's tips below by clicking comment. Give us your feedback on the article and what you read today.

Don't forget:
Starting tomorrow, tune in all next week to From A Writers POV Ning Network's first Poetry Week Workshop. All week we will do exercises on poetry writing and give tips. If you are someone who would like a little more knowledge, practice and help on poetry writing, join our group where the workshop will be featured: http://fromawriterspov.ning.com/group/thepovwritersworkshop

Signing Off,

Dominique Watson