| | | Congrats on your recent contest accolade! How did you feel when you learned the good news? What did you do to celebrate?
Thanks Dallas, I felt ecstatic! It’s the first time I’ve been published, naturally I was excited. What didn’t
I do to celebrate? I went out to dinner, told everyone who would
listen, and went to Disney World. The trip was previously planned but I
made it part of my publication celebration!
How and when did you become interested in writing?
In
third grade I attended a writing program for elementary school students
at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. They compiled our works into
one project. It was enormous fun and I loved every minute of it. I’ve
been writing ever since.
What is your writing routine like? You sound very busy -- how do you make time to write?
Unfortunately,
my writing routine is what some would call chaotic and hit and miss. I
am extremely busy with school, work, and extra-curricular
activities.When I have a free moment I try to get on my computer to
write.
How do you deal with trials of the writing life, such as writer's block and rejection?
When
I have writer’s block, I open a blank Word Document, save it, and then
write about absolutely anything for as long as I can. Also, I keep
lists of plot ideas, descriptions, and words. When I’m suffering a
terrible ‘trial’ I select one of the words or one of the summary plots
and write about it. Once I get my mind/muse flowing I can transfer my
energy to the piece I’m working on. As for rejection, I haven’t been
rejected yet. Sending my piece, Banishment, to the Blue Moon Literary
& Art Review for the William Albrecht Young Writing Contest was the
first time I submitted my writing anywhere. I’m sure I will have my
share of rejections as I start submitting more material. I’ll let you
know how I learn to cope!
Who are some of your favorite authors?
My
favorite authors, wow, that’s a hard question to answer. One of my
favorite books of all time is The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald is
definitely one of my favorite authors. In contemporary times many
authors’ books are a MUST reads for me: Markus Zusak, Richelle Mead,
Laurell K Hamilton, and Dan Brown to name a few. I enjoy a range of
genres, mainstream books, small press books, and I love to discover a
not generally well-known author, for example Maria V. Snyder. Her
fantasy novels are amazing! Snyder’s books/series is one I cannot put
down.
What is your greatest advice to other young writers?
My
advice to young authors is to just write. Write, write, write, and
write some more. Even if you are simply writing about an object you see
in front of you. Write. Try to write at least once a day. If you have a
story in mind, write it down, don’t wait. Just, Write On! (Pun
intended.)
What are you working on right now? What's next for Kyle Borland?
Right
now I’m working on three stories. That’s just personal projects. I
think I will eventually select one of the three and focus on it until
it is completed. I am also a writer for a collaborative story hosted by
my writing mentor D.B. Pacini. We have six writers and we all met on
GOODREADS. Each writer has a turn and must write 2500-3000 words. Then,
the next writer continues the story. We cannot kill a character we did
not personally create. I’m very excited about the collaborative
project. It is interesting and challenging to be part of a writing
team.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I
want to thank author D.B. Pacini. She told me about the William
Albrecht Young Writing Contest and she encouraged me to enter it. Now
she is encouraging me to continue submitting material to literary
magazines and journals. She mentored you; you know how insistent she
is! Also, I want to thank you for this interview. I appreciate it very
much and look forward to learning more about you and about Write On!
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