World of Writing - Interview

World of Writing - Interview

In today's World of Writing Interview, we have Francine Falk-Allen joining us. She is the author of No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from a Wild Handicapper on Aging and Disability - and also -Not a Poster Child: Living Well with a Disability—A Memoir. Francine Falk-Allen was born in Los Angeles and has lived nearly all of her life in northern California. As a former art major who got a BA in managerial accounting and ran her own business for thirty-three years, she has always craved creative outlets. Over the years, this has taken the form of singing and recording with various groups, painting, and writing songs, poetry and essays, some of which have been published. Falk-Allen facilitates a support group, Polio Survivors of Marin County, and also a meet-up writing group, Just Write Marin Count her Amazon Central Page to find more about her.  

Q: Welcome, Francine. I'm glad you were able to drop in to discuss your experiences in the realm of writing with our readers today. Why don't we start by having you tell us a little about your journey into writing?

 

A: I have always enjoyed writing, since I was in grammar school; I won an award for an essay in fifth grade, in 1958, so that encouraged me. My first published work was a poem in a cookbook in 1976, and I published a couple of essays subsequently (and also did a number of procedural manuals for employers!). I became more serious about writing when I decided in 2011 that my disability story might make a good book; I published the book in 2018.

Q: I'm actually quite curious about Not a Poster Child, could you tell us a little more about it?

A: It details what it was like to grow up with a disability due to a polio-affected leg, and how that affected all of my life as a woman navigating relationships, career, socializing, spirituality and all else that “normies” do.

Q: I realize each book is unique but could you share the length of time you end up putting into the books you write?  

A: First of all, I don’t write full time or even daily. My first book took me about seven years from the time I started it, thinking at first it was just going to be a long essay, until it went through eighteen re-writes, a developmental edit, a copy edit, a proofread and more of my own reviews, and was finally published. My second book was based on material I had deleted from the first book, so with that substantial start, it took me two or three years to flesh it out and go through faster developmental and re-write edits, and a copy edit. From the time I pulled the first material from the first manuscript and organized it, and then began adding to it until printing, that was a total of five years, but it was substantially about three years of time that I dedicated to it.

Q: Thank you for sharing that as I feel the behind-the-scenes work is often in the dark, a lot of people are unaware of the work a writer takes on and how a book is actually written. Because you mentioned writing for your employers, I'm curious if you have written in this genre before.

A: Not really. My first book had material that was informative, and was a memoir of life stories, but this one is primarily self-help and accessible travel information interspersed with a lot of stories—which might potentially also be considered memoir material.

Q: Ok so lets delve a little deeper into the topics you write in. These seem like they would be helpful resources for people facing physical issues. Do you have anything you'd like to share with our readers who either know someone or are also in this situation?
 

A: Aging does not need to be a time when all the things we loved to do are given up, although it might be an era when we make modifications and change our priorities, especially regarding what we can or cannot do. People who have had disabilities all their lives probably have an easier time adapting to aging and some additional loss of function, thought it might still be upsetting as it occurs.  There are many good books, some good websites, and good teachers who address physical therapy, yoga, accessible travel, caregiving, and support groups which can greatly assist in transitioning from fully able to less so. 

Q: What are the benefits from participating in groups and organizations?

A: First of all, one of the most important aspects of aging well is to have a strong social network. Although most of us have friends or relatives we love to interact with, it is especially rewarding to find groups—even small ones—who share interests or difficulties that our loved ones may not experience or be drawn to. One of the groups that has been integral for me has been the meet-up writers’ group I started, Just Write Marin County; we get together and write quietly for two hours once or twice a week, and have met on zoom throughout the pandemic. I wrote the lion’s share of my books in these meet-ups.

Q: After releasing 2 books in your career, so far, what are your thoughts on the publishing industry?

A: I had originally planned to find an agent and then pursue a traditional publisher, but after hearing more than one female published author recant the difficulties they’d faced with New York City male-owned publishing (which is where most of it is based), I thought, well, in my late sixties, I didn’t want to spend the probable two years courting them, maybe landing an offer, only to find that they would edit my book into something I had not intended, and also prescribe my title and cover. So I sought out a hybrid press (different from pay-to-play “vanity” presses, which print anything you submit to them), which vetted the manuscripts they accepted, provided guidance, and had the same distribution channels as “the big dogs.” It has still been challenging at times; my ideas about how to do business, as a former tax accountant, have sometimes differed from the publisher’s, but overall it’s been a good decision. 

Q: It sounds like you have some handy business skills to bring forward into your career as a writer. Are there any 'tools of the trade' you'd like to recommend for authors in the marketing stage? 

A: If you think you’ll be done when you finish the book, that’s just the birthing; expect to do a lot of promotional writing to bring that baby out into the world and introduce it to everyone. Given that women aged over fifty or sixty buy the most books, you need to find out where they are and invite them to read your work, if your writing is appropriate for the older female demographic. Older women are on Facebook more than any other book-buying group, so I advertise there; I have found that the more I spend, the more books I sell, with simple attractive ads including my book cover, a couple of brief positive review phrases, maybe a graphic of an award I’ve won, and some little graphic that moves around (such as a cartoon of a person reading a book and nodding her head). When blogging, it’s not attractive to do sales pitches; just write about something you know about or find interesting and then invite readers to comment. 

Q: What are your current favorite websites?

A: The websites I go to are generally for medical, travel or news information. Favorite websites for authors are:

https://shewritespress.com  

https://lauradavis.net  

https://writersdigest.com  

National Association of Memoir Writers https://www.namw.org    

John Matthew Fox www.thejohnfox.com

http://betsygrazianifasbinder.com

Q: Fantastic! And your favorite authors?

A: So here are my favorite authors: Dave Eggers, Jane Austen, Louise Erdrich, Frederik Backman, Anthony Doerr, Julie Ottinger, sometimes Barbara Kingsolver, Elizabeth George the mystery writer (not the religious writer; I have not read her), Tony Hillerman (RIP), Colum McCann, sometimes David Sedaris, Bill Bryson, Tara Westover, Katherine Heiny, Elizabeth Strout, Mary Plouffe, and as a teenager, Charlotte Bronte, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Hermann Hesse, and JD Salinger.

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