In the Lit Blitz Hall of Fame, we celebrate authors published in previous Mormon Lit Lab contests by asking their thoughts on Mormon Lit, writing, and life. Check back twice a month for new Hall of Fame interviews.
Previous Lit Blitz pieces by Emily Debenham:
"Sugar Free" (3rd Annual Mormon Lit Blitz)
"Ruby's Gift" (Four Centuries of Mormon Stories)
"The Shoe App" (1st Annual Mormon Lit Blitz)
An Interview with Emily Debenham
Explain the background of one of your Lit Blitz pieces–your inspiration, your writing process, or why the piece is meaningful to you.
Ruby’s Gift was inspired by my great-grandmother, Ruby Martin. I only met her a few times after she had dementia. She wore dozens of hairbows in her hair, all of wildly different colors and patterns, and looked rather eccentric. Ruby could play the piano by ear, and it wasn’t a talent that left her when her mind deteriorated. She would sit at the piano and play for everyone.
Another funny anecdote about this story was that it was written specifically for the “Four Centuries of Mormon Stories” contest. So, my piece was historical. One of my personal goals for the story was to make my historical characters feel like the people who lived down your street in the present era. As Mormons, we have a habit of putting our ancestors on pedestals. We often say that we could never do what they did because we are not strong enough. So, I set out with the deliberate intention of shattering that illusion. I succeeded because the first comment on the story was a complaint about how all the things in the story could have happened in the present day, and it wasn’t different enough to be historical. I probably should have been offended, but I was cheering inside. That was exactly how I wanted the reader to feel–we aren’t that different from our ancestors. I’d accomplished what I set out to do. My husband and I always grin over the criticism that turns out to be a compliment. It happens more often than you think. It’s really satisfying.
What’s one of your favorite Lit Blitz pieces written by someone else?
There are so many excellent pieces! In particular, I love “Joseph and Emma Grow Old Together” by Theric Jepsen, “In the Locker Room at the Temple” by Darlene Young, and “Final Report” by Mattathias Westwood.
How did you get into writing?
It’s something I’ve always done since I can remember. I think it started with my mom encouraging me to write in a journal, which is an exceptionally Mormon thing. I remember one of the first things I wrote in my journal was a poem about Heavenly Mother. My parents loved the poem and made me display it at a ward talent show (this was in the 90’s). In middle school, I was attempting to write murder mysteries by hand in notebooks. In high school, I moved on to typing fantasy novels on a computer. Haven’t stopped since then…
What is the best advice you have received as a writer?
I don’t know how to answer this question. Which is funny because I’ve read a lot of writing advice. The funny thing about writing advice is that it’s hard to know which parts of it apply to you and which don’t. Some advice I heard but wished that I followed right after I heard it rather than years later was that you needed to study scene and structure. When I heard it, I didn’t know what the speaker was talking about or where to even go to learn that information. Funny, my writing got loads better after I finally started seriously studying scene and plot structure. So, my advice is that if you don’t understand something, that is the clue you should start studying it. Sooner rather than later.
P.S. If you don’t know plot structure/scene structure, try Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Pacing and plot. They’re really hard to learn because I think they’re really hard to teach. It’s one of those problems where the people who are talented at it can’t quite explain how they do it.
What else have you been doing, whether in writing, other creative fields, or life?
I’ve been writing! Since publishing in the Mormon Lit Blitz, I’ve published two novels, Citizen of Caesarea and Rogue of Taurus. I taught a class at the Storymakers’ conference, World-building with Latin. Over on Patreon I run a Latin blog, and this year I’m publishing a Latin quote book called 50 Quotes from Rome’s Greatest Poets. I’m also a member of the prose board at Segullah Magazine.
Links:
Website: www.emilydebenham.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/emilydebenham
Rogue of Taurus: https://amzn.to/4dgX0cn
Citizen of Caesarea: https://amzn.to/4ddW9JA
Thank you, Emily Debenham, for sharing your insights with us for the Lit Blitz Hall of Fame!
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