Interview with Author Jennifer Niven, (Continued...)

What are your long-term writing goals?

I want to create a classic piece of literature--like Pride and Prejudice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Little Prince, The Hobbit--which people will read for hundreds and hundreds of years.

How do you define your own success as a writer?

It is a blessing. The fact that I can wake up every morning without setting an alarm clock and concentrate on my life's passion is amazing and something I'm thankful for each and every day. And I'm proud because I know it is the result of incredible dedication, determination, discipline, and hard, hard work.

Do you have a favorite quote?

I have several. To name a few:

“The writer's only responsibility is to his art... If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the Ode on a Grecian Urn is worth any number of old ladies.” - William Faulkner.

“I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” – Zora Neale Hurston

“That is why, no matter how desperate the predicament is, I am always very much in earnest about clutching my cane, straightening my derby hat and fixing my tie, even though I have just landed on my head.” – Charlie Chaplin

What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

I'd be a rock star, an actress, a private detective, an archaeologist, or a Rockette.

Are there writing courses you'd recommend to new writers?

I would recommend any course that will teach you discipline because it is one of the most vital components to a successful writing career. My screenwriting program at the American Film Institute taught me this, and even though I graduated with my MFA in screenwriting, what I learned there translates into all other writing (and creative) genres. I learned to give and receive constructive criticism, I learned to edit my work and to be willing to “kill my darlings” (those beloved scenes or paragraphs or lines that only clutter the story and do nothing to further it), I learned to put in long hours on my writing, and I learned to be disciplined.

I know many talented and brilliant writers who have never done anything with their art because they are unfocused and lack the daily dedication it takes to be good at their craft. You need to get up every day and work and you need to exercise and tone that writing muscle. There is no waiting for the muse or for divine inspiration. Those things happen, of course, and it is wonderful when they do. But you have to be willing to sit in front of the computer even when you don't feel like writing and you have to be willing to work in spite of everything happening around you.

What are some of your favorite writing books?

To be honest, I am not a fan of writing books as a whole for the simple fact that I think many of them make promises they can't keep. I have always preferred instead to read books by favorite authors and to study their lives and writing habits. And I tend to find inspiration in other artists, who aren't writers by trade—Charlie Chaplin, Harry Houdini, Mary Pickford, George Gershwin—people who were strong, determined, disciplined, driven, who had genius and passion, and who remained true to themselves and to their art.

But there is one book on writing that I always recommend to other writers or to new writers just starting out— If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland. It is easily the most straightforward, honest, commonsensical book about writing that I have ever read.

What advice would you impart to new writers?

To dream big, never limit yourself or your imagination, write something because you believe in it and because you can't help yourself—not because you want to try to sell the next hot idea—and to be prepared to work harder than you ever have. I can't say it enough—belief, passion, faith, discipline. As the actress Madge Sinclair once told me, “You have to have soul stamina. You have to be willing to stick with it, despite disappointments. And you have to want to do it more than anything else in the world.”

To learn more about Jennifer Niven's work, visit her web site at www.jenniferniven.com.

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Diane Domingo is the owner of Bookshelf Editing Services and is also a regular contributor and editor to WritersBreak.com. Diane can be contacted at editor-dd@earthlink.net.