An Interview with … Author and Book Coach Dianna Sinovic
Dianna Sinovic’s background as a journalist compels her to always ask the why or what if when she approaches a new story. What makes us human? What if we were not? She writes stories of mystery, horror, paranormal, and speculative fiction, the same genres she edits and coaches other writers in. Her novel, Scream of the Silent Sun, is slated for an April release.
When she isn’t in front of her keyboard, you’ll find her on a hiking trail or paddling a canoe somewhere in Pennsylvania. In addition to the Bethlehem Writers Group, she’s a member of Sisters in Crime, the Horror Writers Association, and the National Association of Memoir Writers. Her website is www.dianna-sinovic.com. Her flash fiction appears monthly on the blog A Slice of Orange.
Interview by BWG member Diane Sismour
Bethlehem Writers Group: What inspired you to start writing fiction, and how has your journey evolved over the years?
Dianna Sinovic: I have been writing as long as I have been reading. My parents used to read after dinner, and I can still recall sitting with them and turning the pages of a book even before I knew what the words meant. I think it was that early exposure to stories that inspired me to craft my own. Later, though, when I trained as a journalist, the emphasis was on prose that was short, concise, and real (just the facts). When I returned to fiction writing, it was difficult at first to break away from those restrictions because they were so baked into my writing process. These days, I have to rein in my word counts, which is hilarious in retrospect.
BWG: Can you walk us through your creative process, from idea conception to the final draft?
DS: I’ll use a short story as an example, since it’s a much faster process. I keep an electronic file of story ideas/concepts/a particular detail that I can turn to for inspiration, but if I’m still stuck, I find that picking random words out of my American Heritage Dictionary can also trigger an idea. If I’m writing to an anthology theme, that’s also a way in to a story.
For me, the concept often starts with a character doing something. Once I have that, then the brainstorming really begins—the what-ifs I pose until one seems right. Although I usually know where the story is going, the actual ending can cycle through a number of iterations before I’m satisfied it’s finally “right.”
Then I turn it over to a close friend who does my alpha reads, and follow that up with a round of revisions based on what they’ve flagged. At that point, if there’s time before a deadline, I share the piece at a Bethlehem Writers Group critique session for more feedback—and inevitably more revision.
BWG: What themes or messages do you find yourself exploring most frequently in your work?
DS: One theme that seems to surface again and again is addiction, because it’s part of my family history. My novel, Scream of the Silent Sun, includes a subplot along those lines. Another theme I return to often is the idea of what it means to be human. My current work in progress focuses on that theme.
BWG: How do you deal with writer’s block or moments of creative doubt?
DS: Every writer has their own way of dealing with this, but for me, what’s worked is continuing to push forward, even if the way ahead is still obscured in the mists of creation. Sometimes I just noodle a list of “what-ifs”—which forces me to start the creative process. Even if much of what I’m noodling gets tossed, somewhere in that mess I usually find a small seed or gem of an idea that I can nurture.
BWG: Are there any particular authors or books that have significantly influenced your writing style?
DS: I read widely and am often studying the way a particular author has crafted their story. Although I do have favorite authors (two are Philip K. Dick and Martha Wells), my appreciation of them is tied to the stories they’ve told. I can’t point to one specifically that has influenced my style of writing, although I’m sure they lurk somewhere in my subconscious.
BWG: What’s the most challenging part of writing a novel, and how do you overcome it?
DS: For me, it’s been making sure a novel-length story is solid from start to finish, with no sagging middle. There’s less risk of that in a short story because of the limited word count. The solution I use is pulled from my coaching toolbox: the structural precept that each scene must follow from the one just before. Or, as Tiffany Yates Martin put it in a recent lecture I attended, she uses the but/therefore approach. Character A does X, but something happens to interfere. Therefore, Character A chooses to do Y.
BWG: You are also a book coach. What inspired you to become a book coach, and what do you find most fulfilling about the role?
DS: I have been an editor for most of my career, and it brings me joy to help a writer take their story to the next level. Book coaching seemed a natural extension of that work. It’s especially exciting to work with a writer just starting on their project journey, when nailing down certain aspects of their book at the beginning can help make the actual writing go more smoothly.
BWG: How do you help writers develop their ideas and navigate the challenges of completing a manuscript?
DS: Writers have wonderful, inventive ideas, but sometimes they need to brainstorm which ones to use or how to best make use of them. That’s where a book coach can help, by providing a safe place to discuss their ideas—so they feel heard. We might be talking about which concept to settle on, or how a scene can move forward, or how to stick the ending. A book coach also can help a writer with accountability, helping them fit writing time into their schedule, or assigning deadlines so they can complete the project within the time frame they’ve set for themselves.
BWG: How do you tailor your coaching approach to suit the individual needs of each writer you work with?
DS: For me, it’s about listening carefully and asking questions. As a coach, my role is to help facilitate the writer’s journey. I’m not offering prescriptive advice; instead, I help them determine what to do next by posing questions and brainstorming. I love this quote by philosopher Baltasar Gracián and embrace it as one of my coaching mottos: When you counsel someone, you should appear to be reminding them of something they had forgotten, not of the light they were unable to see.