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Readers’ Questions
Is Zena Shapter your real name?
Yes! Zena means ‘woman’ in Persian and, since my parents had already called my brother Adam, which means ‘man’ in Hebrew, when they read the definition of Zena in their baby name book, their minds were made up – the balance of A:Z man:woman was too good to resist! And ‘Shapter’ is my hubbie’s last name. I kept my maiden name as a middle name, but took his last name as mine so the whole family would have the same last name, and because it sounded like a good writer’s name!
What’s it like working as a writer?
You need to have a certain mindset to work as a writer. You need to be incredibly self-disciplined – otherwise you might spend all your writing time watching movies or updating your website (oh… wait, oops!). You also have to be able to spend a lot of time alone, because writing is a relatively solitary vocation. Next, you have to be good at juggling commitments. Few writers get to write only their words all day long; so the better you become at juggling commitments, the more time you’ll have to write. After that, you’ve got to come up with ideas, write about them, and keep yourself fit in the process! Sitting still for hours each day isn’t good for anyone. So I like to go for a run or a walk each morning – whatever gets the blood pumping – to wake up my metabolism and focus on what I’m going to be writing when I get home. Most importantly, you have to enjoy creating meaning with words and through them reaching out to readers – just like I’m doing now!
Where do you write?
When I first started writing fiction, I wrote during my commute to and from work, on the ferry, bus or train, as well as sitting on a park bench at lunchtime. I used a PalmPilot and was often distraught when it wouldn’t upload my precious new words at the end of each day. When I got a mobile phone, I did once write a story on that, which turned into an mStory! But now I have a laptop and love writing on the sofa, on the deck, or in a quiet corner of my local library (I love libraries!). I have a desktop computer too, in a study nook in my hallway, but I save that space for editing and mentoring. Want to see my study nook and sofa? They’re over here, along with a bunch of other authors’ writing spaces. Want to see my writing space on the deck? It’s right here:
Which stories have influenced your writing?
Books, poetry, movies and series have all been a part of my literary heritage. The words that influenced me the most are listed over here, and the visuals that influenced me most are here.
How did you become a writer?
Not every path to writing is easy, or organic. The first thing I ever touched was a pen. I was a baby, and the doctor examining me had a pen in his top pocket, so I grabbed it! When I started showing signs of writing talent, that became a family joke. One early sign was at about ten years old, when my teacher accused me of plagiarism because a poem I’d written about owls and hedgehogs was too good for my age. You can read that poem over here, as well as some other poems – because I then wrote poetry voraciously for the next fifteen years. I wrote short stories too, read widely (my reading journey is over here), and always knew I’d write novels one day – I just wasn’t sure when. I did go on to read English Literature at uni, and I did then work in publishing for a bit. But then like many young adults in their early 20s, I decided I wanted money to travel, and to do that I felt like I needed a different career. I had the academic record to attract a law firm, and I knew by then I could tell a decent story, so why not tell stories for clients? The firm sponsored me to return to uni, where I worked hard to excel as an intellectual property solicitor. But a few years into practising law, I realised I had strayed too far from my path. After that realisation, which I’ve written about over here, I wrote my first science fiction novel (about a lawyer!), went back to working in the creative industry (as a copywriter and editor), and have been there ever since. That novel eventually became my solo debut, Towards White.
Writers’ Questions
What’s your favourite worldbuilding technique?
I’ll give you two:
- Whether the world you’re creating is in an imagined location or a real one, make notes on that world before you start to write, jotting down its various intricacies and peculiarities, or by storing scenes or landscapes in your mind. Maybe sketch out some locations too. Then, as your characters experience their story, have them notice only those details relevant to their state of mind in each scene, ideally through their non-sight senses (such as smell, sound, touch, taste (if appropriate), as well as feeling and thinking). Don’t rush this. Pace it out across the whole scene. If you follow this technique, by the end of each scene you’ll still be throwing in new information about your world, but your reader won’t feel overwhelmed by all the details.
- Imagine your scene is in a silent movie, or on a planet where you don’t understand the language, and suggest meaning through characters’ actions. So much of what we understand isn’t said verbally.
What’s your top tip for unpublished writers?
I’ll give you three:
- Be raw. Publishing is an extremely competitive industry. To stand out, you have to use the one thing you’ve got that no one else has – you! You’re the only person in the world who’s had your experiences, history and relationships. So open up a vein, as they say, and bleed.
- Don’t try and get published before you’re ready. Before you approach any publisher or agent, get your work absolutely ripped to shreds, either by an experienced reader or editor. Mabnuscript assessments can help guide you, but being shown – with red pen all over your work – more clearly pinpoints your weaknesses and strengths.
- Realise that a description of an incident is not the same as a character having a problem they have to solve.
If you’d like further help, please get in touch. I’m a writing mentor and editor with decades of experience and I run a professional creative support business. If you live in Sydney, I also regularly teach creative writing workshops where I help writers further behind me in their writing journeys. Come along and I’ll teach you what I’ve discovered about writing over the years. Check out my appearances page for the next date.
What’s best: being a planner or pantser?
Until recently I always thought being a planner was best, because I feel more confident about creating a world if I’ve thoroughly researched it in advance. But then I realised that sometimes I’ll think about a story for weeks, months even, until one day – BAM! It jumps straight from my brain onto the page fully formed. That’s more of a pantser’s technique. Confused, I explored the issue via my blog, asking Are all pantsers really planners?, and now I believe there’s a sliding scale between the two techniques, and where you sit on that scale will depend on the project in question. So there’s no right or wrong. There just is, or is not.
What three things can I do right now to advance my writing career?
1. Follow me online. Only kidding! Just make sure you’re following all the publishers, writing centres, and authors who interest you. That will help you stay up-to-date with what’s happening in the world of publishing, writing opportunities relevant to you, and how the careers of your favourite authors are evolving.
2. Support other authors. Authors remember those who help them. Buy and review their books. Comment on their posts, blogs and reels. Share their links. Promote them where you can.
3. Interact. Converse with readers and writers both online and at events. We all love stories, and you might learn something, sometimes in the most surprising way.
Interview Me!
If you would like to interview me about my books, writing process, influences, or anything else you’ve seen on my website, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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