Ask the Author: Kim MacQuarrie
Answered Questions (6)
Kim MacQuarrie
I lived in Peru for four years and then spent probably another year making documentary films down there for television. During that time, I traveled to most South American countries. But I always had in the back of my mind the idea of one day traveling from Colombia in the North all of the way down to the tip of the continent, to Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn, following the spine of the Andes. So I finally pitched that idea to my agent, she pitched it to my publisher and, voila, I got to fulfill that dream....4,300 miles worth of it--it was a great experience.
Kim MacQuarrie
The initial inspiration comes with the initial idea--which, if it is to be in book form--you better be very inspired by! After that, at least with non-fiction, there is a long research phase, which I always enjoy, which pretty much means reading everything you can find on a subject, taking notes, etc. After that, depending on whether you need to travel to get further information, you start the rather arduous part of writing and writing and writing and writing and then editing and editing and editing and editing and so on. That's the hardest part--or at least the endless self-editing is. For that, I just try and set up a schedule and stick with it. But for me, the editing takes the least inspiration and simply requires sitting down and getting it done.
Kim MacQuarrie
I just finished a book, "LIfe and Death in the Andes," which is coming out soon, so actually I'm involved in the marketing aspect of that book. Book writing is kind of like working on an assembly line, like putting a car together, component by component. Eventually, the car is finished and someone delivers it to a car lot somewhere. That's where advertising comes in. So that's what I'm doing now--writing some OpEds to coincide with the publication, doing some guest appearances, and that kind of thing.
Kim MacQuarrie
Learn your craft, then tackle something you are really interested in. The basic components of writing really haven't changed that much in the last 500 years or so: building characters, telling story arcs, creating hooks, and so on. Read anything by Flaubert or read Don Quixote--nothing has really changed since. It's similar to being a carpenter--a chest of drawers or hanging a door really hasn't changed much, probably, in a thousand years or more. But to create a solid chest of drawers or to do a good job at hanging a door--you have to learn the basic techniques. Writing is no different.
Kim MacQuarrie
Exploring subjects in depth that you would never have done so otherwise. Meeting people you never would have otherwise, and having an excuse to interview them. Learning about new things, visiting new places, reading new things. And, of course, the satisfaction that comes with any craft--of doing your best at shaping and then finishing something that, at the very least, is highly satisfying to you.
Kim MacQuarrie
I'm fortunate in that I've never experienced that. And rarely do I start a piece and later decide that that's the wrong direction. I tend to outline things before I start, even though sometimes the outline is very basic--like on the back of an envelope. That helps keep me going in the right direction. Also, I'm a firm believer that your mind does a lot of work on a project while you sleep. I always pay a lot of attention to what my mind has figured out, just when I wake up, and make sure I jot it down.
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