Life's Funny That Way

Interview Answers D2T2

Interview with Ben Langhinrichs

> 1) What was the best thing you learned from being a Spotlighter?

I'm not sure that I could name one thing. I most enjoyed the combination of pressure to meet the challenges and the friendly interactions between the spotlighters. Too many of the experiences I have writing are solitary, and it was really good to be part of a team.

> 2) What did you ultimately take away from the challenge… what is the one thing that
> sticks with you the most, even today?

I met a bunch of people I like, and I felt good about the challenge. Still, the thing that sticks with me is partly confidence in writing essays and other non-fiction.

> 3) How were you able to cope with the new demands to your writing schedule?

It was not my busiest time of year, so I was mostly able to fit it in, but it was also very close to a vacation, and I simply couldn't do the reviews required. That was disappointing, as reviews have usually been something I get done easily.

> 4) Why would you (or would you not) recommend the Author’s Spotlight to other
> writers?

This is a great way to stretch your skills, and even more your confidence. Like NaNo, which you seem to have participated in, the Author's Spotlight proves to you that you can do things you weren't sure you could.

> 5) Did you find a new interest in any genres that you had not previously written in
> extensively that you are still writing in because of the challenge?

Perhaps the closest is a sense that essays or other non-fiction are not out of reach. It is probably due to this confidence and interest that I could later write One voter , of which I am quite proud. I also developed more confidence in my versatility as a pot, which then led me to my self-imposed challenge in August to write 13 poems based on a small set of prompts (see Baker's Dozen Poem Cycle ), and that turned out very well.

> 6) What was your favorite piece that you wrote during the challenge and why?

This is tough. I really like the "D4T1 - The Bad Hair Decision"  essay, but the poem "D2T1 - Cold Grave"  was a lot of fun to write as well.

Interview with Michelle Berardo Klear

1) What was the best thing you learned from being a Spotlighter? I learned that I could write more than poetry.
>
> 2) What did you ultimately take away from the challenge… what is the one thing that
> sticks with you the most, even today? I learned that I liked the challenge to get inspired and it pushed me to really reach beyond my comfort zone.
>
> 3) How were you able to cope with the new demands to your writing schedule? Yes. At the time I was all into it!!
>
> 4) Why would you (or would you not) recommend the Author’s Spotlight to other
> writers? I am doing it again, so I guess I would have to recommend it. ha ha...I I would tell them to push beyond what they think they can do.
>
> 5) Did you find a new interest in any genres that you had not previously written in
> extensively that you are still writing in because of the challenge? The only thing I liked writing before was poetry, but now I am comfortable with all kinds of writing, it really helped me move into other area's.
>
> 6) What was your favorite piece that you wrote during the challenge and why? I would have to go back and reread everything, but I do know that I really liked the short story or kids story, my kids loved it and that made me very happy.


Thank you to both authors who took time out to answer my questions!

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