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Carol Rifka Brunt Interview

Posted on 27 February 2013. © Copyright 2004-2024 WriteWords
A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
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WriteWords talks to Carol Rifka Brunt, aka WW member CarolS, about her writing and recently published novel Tell The Wolves I'm Home

Where and when did you start to write?

I’ve always been a huge reader. When I was a kid I had library cards at not only my town library, but also from libraries in neighboring towns. And I’ve always written in some way or another; Journals, bad teenage poetry, etc.

I really started to write in a serious way—--working on craft, trying to get the work to a publishable level--—after having my first child. I was at home a lot and so writing became a bit of a mental lifeline. I took a few classes here and there and joined a community-based writing group. And then I just kept writing. Short stories for the most part, a few of which I managed to publish in small magazines, and recently my first novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home.

What do you love about short stories? Do you write in any other forms?

This question makes it seem like I’m primarily a short story writer, but at this point in my writing life I see myself mainly as a novelist. I think I’ve always been a novelist and that’s probably why the short story form has always felt like a struggle to me. I always felt like I had more material, or there were more ideas I wanted to explore, than I could actually fit in a story. I have no end of admiration for writers who manage to give the reader a whole world in a short story. A good story is always more than the sum of its parts. Getting that right is a very hard thing to do

What are your other passions?

I’m terrible at multi-tasking. Between writing and looking after three kids, I don’t have a lot of energy for other passions these days.

What distracts you from your writing?


The internet.




A longer version of this interview is available to WriteWords Full and Community Members.
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Comments by other Members



Account Closed at 17:20 on 27 February 2013  Report this post
INteresting interview, Carol!

CarolS at 14:03 on 28 February 2013  Report this post
Thanks, Petal. It's been great to watch your growing success with short story sales.

MPayne at 18:49 on 28 February 2013  Report this post
Yes, good interview, Carol. I particularly like your advice for new writers.

CarolS at 10:50 on 01 March 2013  Report this post
Thanks, Michelle!

EmmaH at 10:32 on 03 April 2013  Report this post
Fascinating, Carol! I too love your advice to aspiring writers. Interestingly I was just reading Scarlett Thomas' CW book where she recommends you draw up a kind of matrix of all your obsessions and interests and use it to combine them for a story.


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