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Ask the Author: Ron Rash

“Ask me a question.” Ron Rash

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Could you speak a bit on your process for starting and developing a story and on revision? I've enjoyed your work for years — thanks!
Ron Rash My best quick advice is to latch onto a voice or image and let it lead you into the story. Put the story away for a few weeks when you think it's done; then go back and you will see you've missed a lot. Do that several times. Good luck! RR
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Do you have another collection of stories in the works?
Ron Rash I have a start with four new stories, one forthcoming in the Sewannee Review, RR
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Did your novel Saints at the River spring from a drowning that actually happened that way? I loved the book. It would make a great movie...if Hollywood wouldn't mess it up in some way.
Ron Rash Actually, I live near the Chattooga River, and there have been several incidents like the one I describe, though never, thankfully, with a child. Ron Rash
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Do you have any advice for writers working on sophomore novels? Did you face any challenges, other than the challenges all books present, writing your second novel? Thanks for all your work.
Ron Rash Second novels are tough; remind yourself that you've done it once and can do it again. In my second I had the wrong narrator and had to ditch 50 pages and start again. Ron Rash
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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)
Ron Rash Galloway's mother has prophasized that Rachel's child is a deadly threat to Serena, so must be killed. Hope that helps, Ron Rash
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When I was teaching contemporary fiction, One Foot in Eden turned out to be one of my most successful assignments. A student (who should have known better), cheerfully informed me that he hadn't finished any of the other books I assigned, but that he couldn't stop reading OFiE. Even weaker students wrote good papers about it. Did your inspiration for it come from your poetry covering the same themes or vice versa?
Ron Rash The poems first, but most important was teaching high school within ten miles of the Jocasee .
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How do you deal with writer’s block?
Ron Rash I sit and wait--no email or phone--an hour or more. Something usually arrives. As with any answer I give, what works for me may not for other writers.
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How do you get inspired to write?
Ron Rash A lot of caffeine helps, but inspiration is overrated. I find resilience and discipline more important.
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Ron Rash
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