-- World of Writing Interview --
Tracy Krauss is a high school teacher
by profession, and a prolific author, artist, playwright and director by
choice. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan
and has gone on to teach Art, Drama and English – all the things she is
passionate about. After raising four children, she and her husband now reside
in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC where she continues to pursue all of her
creative interests. She has several romantic suspense novels and stage plays in
print. For more information visit her website at http://www.tracykrauss.com
Q: Where are you from?
I grew up in a small prairie town in Western Canada. The
minimalist landscape and wide expanse of sky definitely had an impact on me, especially
as a writer. Even though I no longer live there, I can still conjure up the
vivid sensations that a prairie wind or a turbulent thunderstorm brings. I
tried to bring a sense of this struggle between man and his environment into my
most recent novel: Wind Over Marshdale.
Q: When did you consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always been a storyteller and had some early success
and encouragement through my school years. However, I think I finally
considered myself a writer somewhere in my thirties. I had been relentlessly
banging away at the typewriter for years with nothing to show for it but stacks
of loose-leaf pages. It took many more years and countless rejections for this
closet writer to finally come out into the open.
Q: Do you use more than one voice in your writing?
I have never written anything in first person. I do often
use multiple points of view, but I’m not sure I’m ready to venture out of my ‘third
person comfort zone’ yet. I’d rather experience the story vicariously, so to
speak, than have to take on the actual persona of the character.
Q: What is your profession and educational background?
I have a Bachelors degree in Education with majors in Fine
Art and minors in History and English. I currently teach secondary school
English, Drama and Art. Since our school is fairly small, I get to wear
multiple hats, but I enjoy every aspect of my job. It meshes well with my
compulsion to write, my hobbies of painting and drawing, and the volunteer work
I do as a director and playwright.
Q: What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
Beyond the technical aspects of writing, probably the best
advice I’ve ever been given is to write with passion. I’m not talking about
writing romance. What I do mean is that you have to love the story you are trying
to tell, otherwise it’ll come across as mechanical. Don’t worry about trends;
just write from the heart.
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and
weaknesses?
I’m pretty good at juggling multiple projects. This has
been helpful when trying to edit a manuscript, write fresh material, produce a
play, promote a new release, and somehow keep my job and family intact. The
down side of this same attribute is that I tend to say ‘yes’ sometimes when I
should say ‘no’. I try to do too many things at once, or I take on projects
that don’t really serve my purposes.
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I appreciated your thought provoking questions, Lillian. thanks for having me here.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure to feature you on the blog today, Tracy.
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