Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is excited to have as our guest, Dallas Nicole Woodburn who is a 19-year-old sophomore "Associates Trustee Scholar" at the University of Southern California.

 Dallas has been published in several magazines including Family Circle, Writer's Digest, Justine, Listen, Writing, Encounter, and The Hudson Valley Literary Magazine, and books such as Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul IV, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Real Deal series, So, You Wanna Be a Writer?, and Good Friends Come Along Once in a Lifetime.

In addition, Dallas has been the recipient of many awards and has been interviewed by several well-known personalities. Dallas’s pet project is to inspire other kids to discover the joys of reading and writing – and collect and distribute books to hopefully aid the fight against illiteracy.

Good day Dallas and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

What do you think over the years has driven you as a writer? What do you enjoy most about writing?

Dallas:

I feel like the writing profession chose me. Whenever I feel a strong emotion – sadness, anger, frustration, joy – I have the overwhelming urge to write about it. Writing is how I process my world. I would say I most enjoy making connections with people through my writing – I love when I receive e-mails from people who have read my work and say it affected them or they could relate to what my characters were going through.

Norm:

What has been your overall experience as a published author?

Dallas:

Because of my dad’s career as a writer, I always had the idea that you don’t just write for yourself, but for other people to read and enjoy as well. Looking back, I have been incredibly fortunate in my publishing experiences – both of my books are examples of how projects can snowball into things much bigger than you ever even hoped! Publishing my books has taught me not to be afraid to take risks, and to take the initiative when you have an idea and make it happen yourself rather than letting fear and doubt make you wait. Because, why wait? Take small steps towards your dreams, and small steps can lead to amazingly big opportunities!

Norm:

Do you have a mentor, if so, who and why?

Dallas:

I have been very fortunate to have many mentors over the years. My dad is my biggest mentor and role model, both in writing and in life. He is my biggest fan and is the first person who reads my work – his feedback and encouragement are invaluable. I remember when I was little, he would let me type out stories on his computer once he had filed his column for the day – how special that was! I am incredibly blessed that my parents and teachers were so encouraging of my love of writing from a very young age.  

Also, when I was in the first and second grade I was lucky to have an amazing teacher, Diane Sather, who encouraged my love for writing. I remember she had me read one of my stories to the class. I got such a burst of joy from sharing what I had written with others. It never crossed my mind to just write for myself. My high school English teacher, Tania Sussman, became an amazing mentor for me and I now think of her as one of my biggest inspirations and dearest friends.

Norm:

How do you come up with ideas for what you write? What methods do you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it’s salable?

Dallas:

A lot of my writing comes from my real life – even my fiction is often inspired by real life events that have happened to me, that I then tweak and turn into fiction. I also find inspiration in my connections with other people. I get story ideas from my family and friends -- or even just from people I see walking down the street. People-watching is a favorite activity of mine. I also love meeting and getting to know other writers.

For example, recently I was involved with the Santa Barbara Writers Conference as a workshop leader for the Young Writers Program, geared for 14-18-year-old writers. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I taught a two-day short story course for the kids, and the rest of the time I was free to go to the adult workshops and listen to guest speakers, including John Grogan and T.C. Boyle. I felt like I got the best of both worlds!

Young adult author John Ritter was teaching a workshop, and he really took me under his wing -- he's become my mentor of sorts. And, of course, I loved getting to know the kids -- we went out to lunch as a group every day -- and while many of them were a bit shy at first, it was so inspiring to see how they stepped out of their shells by the end of the week. What promising young writers! They amaze me. I'm already looking forward to next year. An added bonus is that I feel like I have a one-year deadline to accomplish some writing projects that have been languishing in my hard-drive -- the thought of seeing everyone again spurs me on if I don't feel like writing, because I want to have work to show them next year!

I think of the writing and business sides of myself as completely separate. When I am writing, I am in creative mode: I don’t really think about salability other than I write something that is interesting to me, something I would like to read myself. The editing process is where the business side comes in a bit, and I try to make it not only the best piece I can but also something that has a sure foothold in today’s market.

Norm:

Could you tell us something about the books you have authored?

Dallas:

They are both collections of short stories. I published my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose, when I was in fifth grade. The Los Angeles Times raved, “If you simply want to enjoy some remarkable writing, it would be hard to find a book more satisfying.” 3 a.m. also received rave reviews:

“Woodburn is a very gifted writer whose work celebrates the beauty and humor of everyday life. She is able to merge different cultures and generations in a thought-provoking and lovely way. I look forward to seeing more work from this very talented young writer.” – Laurie Stolarz, award-winning author of Blue is for Nightmares series

“Emotionally resonant writing, dealing with the universal themes of identity, grief and love, with a little bit of humor thrown in as well. Woodburn helps you recognize and appreciate the finer things in life.” – Catherine Clark, author of Truth or Dairy

“Woodburn's writing shines with both humor and poignancy. Her skillfully developed stories have amazing versatility . It's exciting for me to see writing this mature from someone so relatively young in age.” –Randy Powell, acclaimed author of My Underrated Year 

Norm:

How long did it take you to write your books, including research, writing and editing time?

Dallas:

 It’s hard to calculate exactly, because both of my books are collections of stories I wrote over a number of years. I wrote the stories in Pimple throughout elementary school, and when I decided to put them together in a collection I went through and edited them, which took a few months. 3 a.m. is a collection of stories I wrote during high school, and the editing process took about six months. My novel manuscript, which I recently completed, took me about a year and a half to write and another year to revise – and I expect there will be more revisions when I find an agent and a publisher.

With school and volunteer commitments, I often don’t have as much time to write as I would hope for – but I’ve found that if you love something enough, you will make time for it. I try to make at least fifteen minutes a day, every day to write – and even if I am feeling tired or uninspired, often if I start writing I get swept into the story and write pages and pages.   

Norm:

How did you find representation for your books? Did you pitch them to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish these types of books? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Dallas:

 Pimple is proof that with a lot of hard work, a lot of perseverance – and, yes, a lot of support, too – a small idea can snowball into something bigger than you ever dreamed. My snowball began as a snowflake when I applied for and received a $50 grant from my elementary school to write, publish and sell a collection of my short stories and poems -- but I think here's what set my proposal apart: I would use the profits to repay my grant, so the school could offer an extra one the following year.

My first printing, done at a Kinkos copy shop, was modest: twenty-five staple-bound forty-page books. Actually, they were more like thick pamphlets, but no matter – to me, they were books, my books, the most beautiful books I had ever laid eyes upon. J.K. Rowling wasn’t more proud of her first Harry Potter hardcover edition.

My fellow students and teachers, bless them, acted as if Pimple was at the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List. The first twenty-five copies promptly sold in a couple of days. Can you imagine what a turbo-boost this was to a fifth-grader’s self-esteem? I was pursuing my dream, but I wasn’t pursuing it alone – my family and friends and teachers were right there with me. So I went back to Kinkos, ordered twenty-five more books – and soon sold all those as well. After three more trips to Kinkos, where the workers now knew me by name, I searched out a publishing business and ordered 700 glossy-covered, glue-bound, professional-looking Pimples.

My little forty-page dream evolved from a snowball into a blizzard, with reviews in the national magazines CosmoGIRL! and Girls’ Life; booksignings, radio interviews; even a “Dallas Woodburn Day” at the Santa Barbara Book Fair. I still have to pinch myself, but Pimple eventually sold more than 900 copies – to me, it seemed like 900,000! – and I repaid two school grants.

I published my second book, 3 a.m., with iUniverse the summer after my senior year of high school. I had done of a lot in the writing world since Pimple debuted -- I wrote the play my high school produced and broke out into the freelance magazine world -- but I was itching to share another collection of fiction.

 In addition, I feel my growth and development as a person can be traced through the growth and development of my writing: from Pimple’s childhood poems about peanut butter sandwiches and magical stuffed animals coming to life; to 3 a.m.'s more complex themes dealing with love, grief, self-discovery and internal awakening. I was interviewed on the nationally syndicated PBS book talk show "Between the Lines" about my experiences writing 3 a.m. -- at nineteen, I am the youngest guest to ever be featured on the show.

Norm:

I understand that your pet project is combating illiteracy. How did you become interested in this project and could you tell us something about it?

Dallas:

Writing and reading have given me so much fulfillment and self-confidence, and opportunities that I never would have been given otherwise – like traveling to New York to be a guest on The CBS Early Show when I was writing a column for Family Circle magazine. I feel other kids should be exposed to writing and reading as well, to encourage their self-confidence and self-expression.

When I published my first book, There’s a Huge Pimple On My Nose, in fifth grade, the teachers in my elementary school asked me to talk to their classes, and then I spoke to other classes throughout the school district. I still enjoy talking to kids about writing. At the beginning of my talk, I ask the kids if any of them are interested in writing, and usually a few shy hands raise. In contrast, at the end of my talk when I ask the same question, a lot more hands raise. The students told me they didn’t know that kids could be writers. They thought they had to wait until they were adults.

I started the web site for Write On! (http://writeon.zest.net) and held my first essay contest in 2000; I got some entries from the local area. Now, seven years later, I’m still holding writing contests and I get submissions from kids across the nation, and even some from Canada . I’ve been blown away by the writing skills and the responsiveness of these kids and teenagers. I also hold an annual Holiday Book Drive and in the past six years have donated 8,342 new books to underprivileged kids.

One of my favorite parts of this endeavor is delivering the boxes of books to the charities – the kids are so excited; they swarm the boxes as if they’re filled with candy. It’s been such a great thing for me as a person, and also as a writer. You hear how reading is declining in the face of television and video games, but I have found there are a lot of kids who love to read and write. It’s not a dying art; there is still an audience out there. I believe that writing and reading hold a special place in our society.

Norm:

How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Dallas:

The Internet is a wonderful tool for connecting with readers and writers across the country, and even across the world! I find it incredibly exciting. I created my website, www.zest.net/writeon, in 2001 and have gradually been updating and adding to it ever since; I started my blog, dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com just this past summer. I also publish a monthly e-mail “Write On!” newsletter that features a book review, writing prompt, and inspirational quote each issue, along with updates about my writing life – it’s a great way to keep in touch with readers and writing friends.

I am a huge believer in what my writing buddy and role model Carolyn See calls “charming notes” – whenever I finish a book or magazine article I enjoy, I take a moment to e-mail the author and let them know how much I liked it. I have been able to forge many writing friendships this way, and also glean words of advice from writers I admire. Writing can be a solitary, lonely profession, and the Internet is a terrific resource to connect with other writers who are going through the same things you are.

Norm:

What's the most difficult thing for you about being a writer?

Dallas:

 In truth, while writing thrills me, it also terrifies me. I fear I will run out of words, or spend weeks on a story that does not blossom. I worry about “writer’s block” – I swear, wrestling alligators must be less daunting. 

Yet why do I choose to spend hours each day or night with my fingers tapping across – or worse, sitting motionless on – the keyboard, staring at a computer screen? I guess because writing is a lot like running – and not just because it’s an activity most normal people regard with eyebrows raised. Running is hard, but – as I learned when I was forced to sit out my high school sophomore and junior cross-country seasons because of leg injuries that eventually required surgery – not running is harder.

The same goes with writing. Writing is hard – tortuous, tedious, boring, scary. But, for me at least, not writing is harder. The thrills are worth it.  I may not always enjoy the sometimes-tedious, sometimes-dull, sometimes-terrifying process of writing – but I love the sweet satisfaction of having written.

Norm:

Where do you see yourself (with regards to writing) in the next five years?

Dallas:

I’m in the creative writing program at USC and also minoring in business because one of my ultimate goals is to start a publishing company some day and focus on young writers and breakthrough writers. As a young writer, sometimes it can be hard to get people to take you seriously and get editors to even read your work. I believe that young people have a voice and opinions and a life perspective that just as important as the voice of adults.

Moreover, there are so many books for young people that are written by adults – but who knows what its like to be a kid better than a kid herself? I have struggled to break through a prejudgment people may have of my writing simply because of my young age, which is why I would like to focus a publishing company on the work of young and breakthrough authors. I also hope to get into the MFA (Masters Degree in Fine Arts) program so I can eventually teach Creative Writing at the university level.

I’m hoping to make it as a writer. I’ve completed a novel manuscript, and I’m sending it out to agents. It’s a young adult work entitled The Identity Theft of Dani Norhall, which is a character-driven novel with some mystery, suspense, and a twist ending. I wanted to explore the gray area between truth and fiction, and the way writers tend to put bits of themselves into their writing. Through Dani’s journal writing you can see something is not right in her life and world, but she’s unwilling to talk about it directly. You find out more about her through the “fictional” stories she writes.

Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Dallas:

 I believe on the most basic level, writers simply owe their readers a good story. We read to be entertained, to be transported away from our everyday lives to a different place. This in turn allows us to learn and grow and teaches us compassion, because for the duration of the book we put ourselves in the shoes of another person or people via the characters of the book. 

Norm:

Many writers want to be published, but not everyone is cut out for a writer's life. What are some signs that perhaps someone is not cut out to be a writer and should try to do something else for a living?

Dallas:

Writing is incredibly rewarding and exciting, but it can also be very difficult, not to mention financially unstable. It can be lonely to spend hours upon hours with only the company of your own imagination. You need to have a tough skin to deal with rejection, and a strong belief in yourself and your work. I think people generally don’t choose to become writers – they become writers because they can’t imagine a life without writing. That’s the way I am – I can’t imagine being anything else.

Norm:

Where can we find out more about Dallas Nicole Woodburn?

Dallas:

Please visit my website, www.zest.net/writeon, or my blog, dallaswoodburn.blogspot.com. I always love to receive emails from readers and writers!

My book 3 a.m. is available at my website and also at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

Norm:

What is next for Dallas Nicole Woodburn and is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Dallas:

I have started to write another novel, which I’m in the early exciting stages of – writing and waiting to see where the story will lead me. I'm also writing a monthly comic strip and advice column for Listen magazine, a publication that encourages kids to make smart choices and stay away from drugs and alcohol.

In addition, I’m writing various freelance pieces and sending out queries to magazines. I’m having fun working on a play script to hopefully be produced as part of my school’s One Act Play Festival in the spring. I’m also the coordinator for the Young Writers Program of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference – I really enjoy interacting with other young writers, and I hope to expand the Young Writers Program and continue to be involved with the conference for many years to come.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Thank you for taking the time to interview me!

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon 3 A.M.