Writerly Wednesday with Cayce Osborne!

Today on Writerly Wednesday, we’re celebrating Cayce Osborne! Ahh, truly, there are few things better than a chance to learn about how writers think and grow a writing community. So buckle in and let’s get to know the amazing Cayce Osborne!

1. Thank you so much for joining us on AZ Pascoe today! Cayce, we’re so looking forward to hearing all about your writing and reading habits. Before we get lost in those wonderful worlds, please give us a bit of background about you. Where are you from? What do you do for work, and what are some of your interests (outside of writing, of course!)? 

I’m from Madison, Wisconsin, USA. We have a huge (over 44,000 students) public university here, the University of Wisconsin, and that’s where I got my Journalism degree, in 1998. In my career I’ve been lucky enough to pursue both graphic design and writing, and for the last 10 years I’ve worked in science communication and outreach at the university, in a job that uses all my skills (including those I didn’t know I had). Every day I get to help spread the word that “Science is Fun” to audiences of all ages. 

Outside of writing, I love to travel, cook, and read. I have two sons, who (as of this writing) are 4 and 7, so they keep me and my husband Mike quite busy as well. As a family we like to play board games, go to movies, and go on geocaching adventures.

2. I keep hearing everyone talking about geocaching! Clearly I’ll have to check it out. On the topic of hobbies, I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that I love to chat about writers as readers too, since I’m a huge advocate for reading widely to learn and grow in the craft of writing… how do you perceive the role of reading in your writing life? 

I absolutely agree with you about the value of reading to grow the craft of writing. For me, one couldn’t have happened without the other. I’m a very instinctual writer—meaning, I wouldn’t necessarily be able to perfectly recite grammar rules if asked. Instead I go by what “sounds” right, and I completely credit my wide-ranging and voracious reading habits with teaching by example and giving me those instincts. 

I’ve been reading ever since I can remember, but the moment it really became importantto me was when I changed schools in seventh grade. I hardly knew anyone at my new school, but the librarian there happened to be a friend of my grandmother’s. When I was feeling lonely or insecure, I’d go spend time in the library. And naturally, I started checking out more books. It’s a habit that hasn’t stopped, and I still make almost weekly trips to my neighbourhood library, which is only a short walk from my house. Aside from interruptions for college and babies, I read about a book a week, sometimes more.

3. A book a week is an impressive stat! And as you’ve noted above, you always have a book with you… a habit I also advocate for. So then, if we’re talking about the importance of books, we have to throw in my favourite interview question. Please, pick one book that you think is seriously underrated and tell us why?

Picking a single book in response to anyquestion is tough for me, because I love so many, but I’ll try. “Underrated” is also difficult, because as books spring to mind I’ve gone online to check their accolades to find that many of them have won multiple awards, and I didn’t even know! I suppose awards disqualify them as underrated. 

How about this one: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It’s the first in a fantasy trilogy. For me it stands with both the Song of Ice and Fire books and the Kingkiller Chronicles (both of which I am a huge fan of). Those series have inspired lots of online lists and articles with titles like: Love Game of Thrones? Then you’ll love these 7 books…I always rush to read those lists, hoping for some new reading inspiration, which is why I’m surprised that it took me so long to discover Assassin’s Apprentice, which was published in the 90s. Assassin’s Apprenticeis the first book in a fantastic series (called The Farseer Trilogy) that can absolutely hold its own next to those other big-name books. And even better: they’re written by a woman. Female representation in sci-fi and fantasy always makes me happy!

4. Ooooh that sounds amazing. And it’s been on my list for a long time, too! I do love a good fantasy novel. To throw a curly question into the mix… what about an author, genre or current literary ‘trend’ you’d like to see set on fire and thrown in the rubbish?

It’s hard for me to write off a whole genre or trend, because a good writer can make anything interesting. A co-worker of mine once said a phrase that has stuck with me. “Don’t yuck my yum.” Which basically means, don’t put down something that someone else loves. And no matter how I answer this question, someone out there will love whatever I hate. So I’ll give you a pet peeve of mine instead. I think it’s the absolute worst when the descriptive blurb on the jacket or back of a book promises something that the actual story doesn’t deliver. Often, when we’re browsing in libraries or bookstores, the blurb all we have to go on when deciding to read a book. If that blurb is misleading, it taints the whole reading experience, and raises expectations that are not met. For me, nothing ruins a book faster.

5. I agree! Sometimes you read a blurb and it’s absolutely gripping… but the book is a different kettle of fish. Few things are more frustrating. What kind of books do you tend to head straight for in a library or bookstore, and why?  

I love the “staff picks” section in bookstores or libraries. If people who are around books all day, every day love and want to recommend a book, then it’s a pretty good bet that I’ll want to read it.

6. That’s a great marker to use! I’m a sucker for the staff picks too: inevitably there’s countless treasures lurking there. When did you first start thinking of yourself as a writer, and what really marked that mindset transition for you? 

Well, my situation is a bit muddled because I was trained in newspaper-style writing in college, then eventually spent seven years working at a magazine, where I was an advertising designer and a staff writer. I guess what I mean is: I was given the professional title of “writer” before I really thought of myself that way, because what I always wanted to write was fiction. At the magazine, I was assigned stories, so none of them truly came from my heart or my head. I’d been toying with the idea of writing a book for years, but I always lost confidence while the ideas were still fresh, and I gave up. Multiple times.

Then came my kids, and lots of things got put on hold while they were babies. Parents can easily lose their sense of self as they devote so much of their love and energy toward kids. I don’t believe this is a good thing for the parent or the children. Once my kids were out of the baby stage, I tried to get back some sense of self. I wanted something that was just mine. I set a goal for myself to finish a book (even if it was a terrible one) by the time I turned 40. Once I accomplished that goal, I finally felt like I could call myself a writer.

7. I love that you have a story behind that conceptualisation of your writing identity. The creation of the author ‘Cayce Osborne’ as it were! It’s interesting that we all use different markers in that sense to define when we’ve ticked the box. What about your writing production itself? Do you find it easy to get your butt in the chair and get the words out, or do you have rituals/processes to ease yourself into it? 

Because I’m a mom and I work full time, I really just have to grab the moments when they come, so no, I don’t have a specific ritual. Once I learned how to push through the doubts and get a draft on the page, the actual writing came easier. For me, the hardest thing is finding the time, not getting the words out. I think giving myself permission to write a terrible first draft was key to killing those overcritical thoughts and finally finishing the projects I start.

8. Finding time is an eternal struggle for writers… let alone with having kids! I can imagine that adds another level of challenge & is a key factor in your process. What does your writing routine normally look like—when and how often do you write? Would that remain the same in an ‘ideal world’?

In an ideal world I wouldn’t have to work full time and I could devote a chunk of each day to writing. But in reality, my writing time comes in various forms: during my lunch hour at work, stealing a few hours at a coffee shop on the weekend, on the couch while my husband watches a TV show I don’t care about, planning a solo dinner out with my laptop so I can sneak a few hours in on a weeknight. This winter I took my first self-directed writing retreat to finish my second book. I went to stay with my mom in Florida and it was fantastic!

9. A writing retreat sounds truly amazing! And it’s fantastic to hear that you’re finishing your second book, too! Everyone always asks where writers get their ideas (I’m a big fan of discovering them as you write, like I talk about here). Are you a ‘real world’ harvester for ideas to use in your stories, or do you find inspiration elsewhere?

I get little seeds of ideas from the real world all the time. And then often when I start writing, those seeds will take me all sorts of places I don’t expect them to go. Real-world places I’ve gotten ideas from include: my own childhood, my grandmother’s childhood, an old roadside tavern my dad likes, a sign I saw while on a road trip, a podcast (this has happened several times), and my own reading habits. 

When I was ready to attempt a second book, I sat down and made a list of everything I love to read about—those tropes or settings or situations or types of characters that immediately make me want to pick up a book when I see it at the library. Looking at that list led to the inspiration for the novel I just finished writing.

10. If you could sit down with one person (no need for it to be an author!), to chat about writing, who would you pick? Why? And what would be the one thing you would have to ask them? 

I would sit down with Kelly Link, who is one of my favourite short story authors. She has written multiple books, runs a small press with her husband, and has a literary journal. Her stories are so full of imagination and the bits of her personality that she shares on social media makes me think she’d be a great person to chat with. I would pick her brain about all things writing and publishing. And the one question I’d have to ask is who her favourite authors are. I’m always looking for more reading recommendations!

11. Wow, Kelly sounds like a fascinating person to look into! I’ve linked her website up above so anyone who’s interested can also check out her page. I appreciate the ongoing search for more books: it’s a journey! But every author brings something different to the page. What do you think is a particular gift or flair you bring to your writing—something that makes your work uniquely Cayce Osborne’s?

That’s a difficult self-assessment to make, but I’ll try. I enjoy breaking conventions and looking for unique ways to frame a story. I’ve attempted many different formats and storytelling methods, including: journal entries, online forum postings, letters, and scientific papers. I also like to use sentence fragments, which aren’t always grammatically correct. Especially in dialogue, because who speaks in perfect grammar all the time? (I’ve also been known to make up a word or two.)

12. Dialogue is a wonderful, tricky skill to have! And I love that you’re always experimenting with form. I think one of the hardest things when you first start writing is finding other emerging writers to chat with and learn from. Having a blog seems like a great place to address that challenge! So, what’s the one piece of advice you would give to other writers that has served you well in your journey so far? 

This is not a unique piece of advice, because I’ve seen it many places and have already alluded to it above. But I think it’s an important one, and writers can’t hear it often enough. I credit this with being the reason I was finally able to complete my book. Here it is: It doesn’t have to be pretty, or perfect, or even any good at all. Just GET THE FIRST DRAFT DONE.

So many of my false starts when I was trying to write my first book involved me re-reading what I’d already written and getting discouraged, instead of plowing ahead. There will be plenty of time for revising later. Don’t even think about self-editing before you get the whole story on the page. That magical, scary first draft is when the surprising moments happen, when the story leads you down paths you didn’t realize were possible. If you spend all your time looking back instead of enjoying that journey, the magic is lost and you get bogged in doubt. 

Thank you so much inviting us into the incredible and creative world of Cayce Osborne today! Of course, now you’ve given us a little insight into your wonderful writer’s brain, we’d love to know more! Where can we find your published work and your social media profiles/webpage/blog? 

My short fiction has been published in the Dread Naught but Time short story anthology from Scribes Divided Publishing; my flash piece, Favorites, won the Exposition Review Flash 405 Contest (August 2017) and was then nominated for the Vestal Review Award (VERA).

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter, and I collect my stories and occasionally share blog posts at www.cayceosborne.com.

Tune back in next week for more Writerly Wednesday adventures!

–A.