Who: Ruta Sepetys

Claim To Fame:Ruta Sepetys is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a “crossover” novelist as her books are read by both students and adults worldwide. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is renowned for giving voice to underrepresented history and those who experienced it.  Her books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes, are included on over thirty state reading lists, and are currently in development for film and television.

Where To Find Ruta: Her Website, Amazon, Twitter

Praise For Ruta: “Ruta Sepetys acts as champion of the interstitial people so often ignored—whole populations lost in the cracks of history.” — The New York Times Book Review

When and where do you like to write? Are you the same-thing-every-day kind of writer or can you write anytime, anywhere?

I can write anywhere, but if possible, I prefer to have a large chunk of dedicated time to write. If I can carve out several days to write, I can immerse myself in the characters and story. And if that’s the case, I love to write at our family’s cabin. It’s remote and quiet. But that’s not always possible. If I only have a short window, I try to write early in the morning.  

Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits before you sit down to write?

I refer to my approach as “fire writing.” I take a deep breath and then tell myself—

The world is on fire. 

You must get this done. 

Go.

This technique forces me to write something, anything. I’ve mentioned in the past that I’m a reviser even more than a writer. So I find that what’s important is to get something down. So generally, my first drafts are very ugly! For me, the real writing comes in the revision.

Have you ever experienced a prolonged creative rut or a spell of writer’s block? If you have, how did you get through them?

For me, a “block” of some sort is generally related to fear. So if I find I’m in a rut, I confront myself with questions: 

What am I feeling? 

What is it that I fear? 

What’s the worst thing that can happen?

Once I confront and face my fears, it seems to pull the power from them. If I’m stalled, I also try to change my environment. I take a walk, exercise, listen to music, or let my mind wander to something else. When I return, I’m usually able to pick it back up. Because I write historical fiction, another approach that sometimes works for me is to read back through some of my research notes and sources. 

Deciding on an idea to pursue writing about can be the most challenging aspect for a writer. Do you have a sense of where your best ideas come from? How do you come to the point of ‘this is something I want to write about’?

Inspiration for my books usually comes from hidden or underrepresented parts of history.

I’ll become aware of ideas through news articles, research, or readers who suggest an idea to me. I have a list of over 25 ideas for novels. I review my list and try to get a feel for what idea I’m most excited about and feel I can stick with for several years—because I’m notoriously slow researching and writing books! Once I finish a book, I sit down with my agent and editor and discuss the next project and how best to approach it.

How do you know if something you’re working on is not worth publishing or not any good? Have you developed any criteria that lets you evaluate your own work?

This is a great question. When writing something, I’m generally too ‘close’ to the work to be able to evaluate if it’s any good. Fifteen years ago I joined a writer’s group and they are always the first to read my writing. We email each other drafts of our work and then get together to review and critique. My writing group is tough! And I’m so grateful to them. It’s incredibly helpful to have four other people read my work in advance. Once my pages make it through my writing group, I revise and share with my editor, agent, and a few research partners through my revision process.  All of my books are a team effort and I love that collaborative process! 

Your books are incredibly researched. Can you talk about that process and your method for organizing material?

Research is my favorite part of the process! I begin by reading all of the first-hand, non-fiction accounts I can find surrounding the time period and area I’m writing about. Prior to meeting or interviewing witnesses or family members of victims, it’s important to me to have a solid grasp of the general history. Once my nonfiction reading is complete, I try to travel to the location where the events occurred and interview people who either experienced the time period or were affected by it. I also meet with historians and academics who have spent years researching it. In addition, I read through the archives and historical accounts, and keep copious notes throughout my process to refer back to as I write. The research process for each novel generally takes me about three years.

What does a successful writing day mean for you? And how do you finish out a day of writing? Do you have a process, or is it just that you know you’ve hit a natural stopping point?

I consider a writing day successful if I get new material down. Even just a couple pages. I love revising but sometimes find it difficult to sketch out the first draft. So if the writing is flowing, I choose a stopping point where I’m not exactly finished. That way, when I return the next day I can jump right in and keep going. 

What books or writers have most influenced the way you think and the way you write?

I am drawn to hidden history and stories of finding strength through struggle, so I look for topics and writers who embrace those elements. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl has always been an inspiration. In terms of fiction, I’ve always loved Edith Wharton, Daphne DuMaurier and Truman Capote. In the young adult genre I greatly admire Kate DiCamillio, Jennifer Donnelly, and Julie Berry.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

My advice for aspiring writers: 

[*] Give yourself the courage to fail. Failure—big failure—is a prerequisite to success. 

[*] Draw upon your own emotional truths and fears and weave them into your writing. That will give your work a feeling of authenticity

[*] Don’t worry if your draft is a mess. Revise, revise, revise. 

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