Author Spotlight: Tabitha Chirrick

Welcome to the next installment of my author spotlight. This month, I'm interviewing Tabitha Chirrick, who is a self-published Sci-Fi writer, who recently published her first novel, Overshadowed.

Tabitha, what drew you to write science fiction?

Tabitha: There are two kinds of science fiction: philosophical “this-could-be-the-future” sci-fi, and pulpy “there-are-booms-and-lasers” sci-fi. I’m the shmuck who writes about booms and lasers.

I like Clarke, I like Herbert, I can tolerate me some Asimov, but I’ve always been drawn to what I wish was commonly called science fantasy, by which I mean fantastical stories in future or hi-tech settings rather than places with trees and tiny villages. Think Star Wars or Fortune’s Pawn or Ender’s Game. I find the marriage between the fantastical and the science fascinating, and have always been drawn to stories that fall into this genre. It’s a joy to write in, and feels truly limitless.

Fascinating; "Sci-Fa" should definitely get more attention as a separate genre! What did you think was the hardest thing about writing Overshadowed?

Tabitha: That’s a tough one. I ran into all sorts of challenges: cutting major characters and rewriting over the gaps, balancing multiple point of views, keeping the dark side likeable, and the ending, of course. Had to carefully consider the number of explosions.

But I think, even everything else considered, the hardest part was the beginning. I rewrote the intro almost twenty times – full rewrites, not tweaks or basic edits. I got a lot of feedback over the entire writing process, and every beginning I wrote seemed to have a major pacing flaw. Starting too soon, starting too late, starting too slow, starting too fast, and on and on and on the problems went.

Luckily, I had a lot of patient critique partners, and ended up with a beginning better than all prior versions. Looking back, there are still things I would change (aren’t there always?), but I’m happy with how it turned out. Beginnings are tough. They have to accomplish so much!

How often do you write, and do you have a special time during the day to write?

Tabitha: My writing schedule is all over the place. Whole chapters written in between rounds of Halo, 3AM insomnia notes, paragraphs of plot while I’m waiting for dinner to finish, and, occasionally, a very normal couple thousand words in a writing-only afternoon. I’m trying to make the latter my typical day. I mean, I get the work done, but maybe not in that stereotypical "sitting in a big chair sipping tea while the words pour out for hours" kind of way. I wish that was my process. Tea is good, and I like big chairs.

What is your favorite motivational phrase?

Tabitha: “Just do it.” – Nike . . . or is it Shia Labeouf now? Eh, either way.

LOL! Okay, last question. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Tabitha: . . . Just do it.

Okay, but really, I’d tell them to read broadly, practice deliberately, converse with their writing peers, and, yes, actually do the writing part. Talking about writing isn’t writing. Tweeting about writing isn’t writing. Sharing writer jokes on tumblr isn’t writing. Writing is writing. Do all that other stuff too – those things are fun – but make sure you actually write. Growth happens in the act.

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Tabitha Chirrick is a writer of all things speculative, geeky, and/or badass. Overshadowed - a YA Sci-fi - is her most recent release, though you may have also seen her work in Pigeonholes, Unbroken Journal, or even the International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of California Santa Cruz, lives in Silicon Valley, and aside from reading and writing, her favorite pastimes include cooking, gaming, stargazing, and tempting deadlines via the power of procrastination! You can follow her on her website or Twitter.