Catapult Staff: What Makes You a Better Writer?

Absorb everything. Write most of it down. If it’s still magic after you finish, cut until all that is left are the words you want.

“A sharp editor, and a firm deadline.”

–Nicole Chung, Managing Editor, Web & Community

“What makes me a better writer is reading other people’s books. You have to read if you’re going to become a better writer. But I also think not writing helps you become a better writer. Divert your attention a bit and do something else, no matter how trivial or goofy it may seems, and watch where your mind may lead you. Relinquish control. Give up control and watch your story expand.”

–Morgan Jerkins, In-house Contributing Editor, Web

“The problem is, I don’t know! Reading! Can reading be the answer?”

–Julie Buntin, Director of Writing Programs; Associate Editor, Books

“One thing that makes you a better writer is listening to other people. The stranger on the plane who wants to tell you his life story all the way through your red-eye flight? Just let them keep talking. The worst-case scenario: you learn what a boring story sounds like. Even a conversation that isn’t interesting is interesting, if what you care about is structure and style, and people’s quirks. There are characters everywhere and there’s material everywhere. I guess this magpie habit is why Milosz says that ‘when a writer is born into a family, the family is finished.”

—Jonathan Lee, Senior Editor

“I don’t know if this process makes me a better writer, but it’s the way I am a writer:

Absorb everything. Write most of it down. If it’s still magic after you finish, cut until all that is left are the words you want. Be sure you keep the scary shit. Read aloud. Decide if it’s strong enough to withstand surgery. If so, cut again, swap out better words. Read to a friend. Let it sit. Cut. Swap. Cut. Read once more. Set it free when it seems alive enough to fly.”

–Kelli Trapnell, Production Associate

“I think the two most essential things for me are empathy and community. Building and exercising empathy allows me to inhabit my characters’ experiences in a more convincing way. It is also just a really big part of being a human being! And I’d be lost without my community of writers. Writing can be so isolating. I think it’s important to support your peers, and look to them for support in return.”

–Casey Gonzalez, Creative Project Manager; Associate Editor, Black Balloon

“Candy.”

–Colin Drohan, Writing Programs Coordinator

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