Karin Adams: The IAN Interview

Karin Adams

Karin Adams was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University in the field of ancient languages and texts. After teaching at the University of Winnipeg for seven years, Karin returned to writing fiction. Shortly after her first novel was published, Karin began sharing her love of the writer’s craft by offering creative writing workshops. Since then, writing and teaching writing have been at the center of Karin’s life. She has written four more books including the acclaimed middle grade novel Frostbite Hotel and has shared her novel-writing process with thousands of writers of all ages and stripes.

IAN: Please tell us about your latest book.

Karin Adams: It’s time to crush the blank page, shed your writer’s angst and write the novel you were meant to write! The One Week Writing Workshop:7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel shows you how to write a novel step by step.

I’m presenting you with a complete writing-workshop-in-a-book! I’ve broken down my own writing process into a methodical series of fun, inspiring bite-sized activities that you dive into almost immediately upon opening the book. I’m going to help you draw out your own ideas and grow them into something special. I believe in learning through doing and gaining confidence through action. I’ve taken this approach since 2010 in my creative writing workshops with thousands of participants—and it works! By the book’s end, you’ll have practiced a complete novel-writing method with your own ideas and have everything you need to write the novel you’ve been dreaming of.

The book “works” whether you’re a new writer with lots of questions about the craft, or a more seasoned writer looking for inspiration or a fresh perspective. Plus, the book “converts” into a reference guide for your shelf ready to help you out the next time you face a creative crisis or run up against writer’s block.

IAN: Is The One Week Writing Workshop published in print, e-book or both?

Karen Adams: Both.

IAN: Where can we go to buy The One Week Writing Workshop?

Karen Adams: My book is available in Paperback and Hardcover, and on Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Google Books, and Apple Books. You can find all the book details and purchasing information here: KarinAdams.com

IAN: What inspired you to write The One Week Writing Workshop?

Karen Adam: Over the years, I’ve discovered a passion for sharing my writing process with others. It’s exciting to watch how my lessons help spark stories and the joy of writing in those I’ve worked with. I’ve also seen stuck, reluctant writers come out of their shells when doing my activities. I wanted to capture and recreate the energy of my in-person workshops in book form with The One Week Writing Workshop. While we won’t be in the same room, I wrote the book in a way that makes it feel like we’re in this together. Plus, the advantage of the book format is that you can go at your own pace, doing more or less in a given session depending on your mood and circumstances. That’s not always possible in an in-person workshop!

IAN: How did you come up with the title?

Karen Adams: I’ve offered different standalone workshop sessions and a variety of themed writing classes. But by far, my most popular program was my week-long workshop series that focused on my writing process start-to-finish. Each day, we explored a different step in my process, from generating ideas right through to doing revisions. I decided to take that week-long program and turn it into The One Week Writing Workshop book.

IAN: What do you hope your readers come away with after reading The One Week Writing Workshop?

Karen Adams: I hope that readers come away feeling confident in themselves as writers and inspired to write the stories they’ve always wanted to write. So often when we’re getting started, we can be intimidated by the immense distance between the story idea percolating inside us and the finished novel we want to produce. I want to help writers to see that that big, intimidating gap can be broken down into small steps—in fact, I’ll even show you which steps to take! And because you start taking steps right away, immediately shaping your own ideas into something real, we can shrink that gap rather quickly and get on with joy of writing.

IAN: How is The One Week Writing Workshop different from others in your genre?

Karen Adams: What I love about books in general is that there is room for many voices and perspectives. It’s the same with writer’s guides, and I like to think of my book as another helpful voice alongside the others. What I believe I’ve done differently in The One Week Writing Workshop is to put a premium on taking immediate action. So much of what I’ve learned about the writer’s craft has come through the act of writing itself—and of course that’s where the joy and magic is to be found, too. So, instead of presenting theoretical lessons, beat sheets, or story templates to digest before you begin to write, we leap straight to the actual writing. Of course, we cover story essentials as we go, but we take it all in in bite-sized chunks to maintain our writing momentum, and to allow you to discover for yourself what writing is and what it means to you.

IAN: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Karen Adams: One of my fondest memories from childhood is story time before bed with my mom. When she read me my first chapter book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, I was in awe of this pictureless book that put so many pictures in my head. I wanted to do that one day, too. And—it’s what I’m doing now!

IAN: What was the hardest part of writing The One Week Writing Workshop?

Karen Adams: There are over 70 lessons and strategies in my book and it was very important to me to keep my explanations brief. I wanted my book to prompt my readers to write and explore, not to lay out every single thought I’ve ever had about writing. That’s how I conduct my in-person workshops—a little bit of presentation, then participants write. However, in a live workshop, you have the benefit of visual aids to point to in real time, and of course the floor is open to your participants’ questions and clarifications—not so in a book! So, I worked hard to keep things brief and lively while still trying to anticipate what readers might wonder about and making sure all the information was there. I did a lot of reflection not just on my workshop presentation notes, but also on the questions and discussions that arose in the sessions to best distill them into book form.

IAN: Did you learn anything from writing The One Week Writing Workshop and what was it?

Karen Adams: I knew that I loved writing fiction and I knew that I loved working with other writers in-person. With this book, I’ve discovered that I also love to write about writing. I won’t call it easy, but writing The One Week Writing Workshop certainly felt quite natural for me. I’m very happy with the book’s tone, which I think feels friendly and conversational. I hope my readers think so, too.

IAN: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Karen Adams: If you ever feel overwhelmed, remember to take things step by step wherever you can. Break whatever place you’re at or whatever creative problem you’re facing into smaller steps, or even into just one step—then take it. Often, even doing one small action creates forward movement and a sense of momentum that can fuel you to take another, and then another. 

IAN: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Karen Adams: If you have the desire to write a novel and are nurturing even the smallest spark of an idea, you can absolutely do it. Certainly, there are skills to develop and concepts to learn and it will take creative energy, but with a little guidance and some concrete action, you can be well on your way to telling the story you’ve always wanted to tell.

IAN: Tell us about your next book or a work in progress. Is it a sequel or a stand-alone?

Karen Adams: I’m getting ready to launch an online video course based on The One Week Writing Workshop at AuthorinYourCorner.com I’m also in the process of putting together a writer’s guide specifically for teachers and writing group leaders.