Once in a while a writer comes along that is truly an inspiration to the rest of us. Our April, 2001 speaker, Robin Lee Hatcher, is such a writer. RITA and multiple award winning author, namesake for Laubach Literacy International's "Robin Award," and a Past President of RWA are only a few of the many highlights of her career. Over a four year period Robin also took on a publishing giant over accounting practices. "Because it was the right thing to do..."

I recently had the opportunity to interview Robin by email, here's what she had to say:

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: Deadlines?

Seriously, inspiration comes from countless places: a song on the radio, a chance phrase overheard in a crowded public place, an article in the newspaper, a dream, etc. Most often for me these days, because of the focus of my career, it's a question. For instance, my July novel was "born" as I watched the Columbine tragedy on television. As I sat in my chair, witnessing the devastation of parents who'd lost their children, I asked myself, "How does a person trust God to bring them through difficult things like this? What does it mean to walk by faith, no matter what trials come our way?" And as I sought answers, the character of Miriam came to life in my heart. RIBBON OF YEARS follows her life from the age of 15 to the age of 80.

Q: Describe your writing process?

A: Every book is a little different, depending upon how the story idea began. But certain things I have to know before I actually begin writing are: the setting (place and time); the main characters; and the conflict and/or theme. I am not a "plotter." If I develop the story too much, I don't want to write it because I already know the ending. Writing for me is a journey of discovery. What I must know is everything I can about my characters. So I write first person "autobiographies" starting at birth and writing up to the moment the novel begins. This is stream of consciousness writing where I let the characters introduce themselves to me. What I'm doing here is finding out their motivation for everything they will do during the course of the story.

I always know the opening of my novel. I have a fuzzy idea of the ending. Then I start writing toward it. Starting a new chapter is a lot like starting a new book. I don't know what the next scene will be until the last one was written.

Q: What changes in your process--or not--do you make when switching between contemporary and historical, CBA and ABA writing?

A: Actually the only noticeable difference is the addition of theme. When I wrote straight romance, theme was never an issue. I might discover I had one when the book was done, but I wasn't aware of it during the writing. That has changed with my CBA writing. It's part of that question and searching for answers that I talked about earlier. That's what gives me my theme, and I'm aware of it at the beginning of the process now.

When I wrote my first contemporary (after writing 25 historical romances), I had an abiding fear that my characters would talk like they were from the 1800s. That fear has mostly subsided now. In RIBBON OF YEARS, portions of the story are told in the '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and 2001. I had to "hear" my characters in the lingo of their day. I hope I succeeded.

Q: What is your typical writing day like?

A: I'm usually up about 4:30 a.m. Coffee. About an hour and a half to two hours in Bible study and prayer. More coffee. E-mail. Shower. More coffee. Correspondence and other busy work. More e-mail. I'm usually writing by 8:00 a.m. I write in one hour stretches, with five to ten minutes breaks between (stretch and e-mail). I break for brunch around 10:30 or 11:00. Back to the office and work until 2:00. Take a 15 to 20 minute power nap while Murder She Wrote (A&E) is on. Back to the office by 3:00 and work until 5:00. Dinner break. If it's Wednesdays, it's Ed, West Wing, and Law & Order. Otherwise, I don't care if I see most shows, so I might find myself back in my office for an hour or two in the evening. I'm usually in bed by 10:00.

When I'm writing on a new book, I probably "create" about 4 hours a day max. The rest of my work time is taken up with research, brainstorming, muttering under my breath and wondering why anybody would want to do this, answering reader mail/e-mail, responding to requests from editors for a variety of things, working on my web site, preparing workshops, etc.

Q: Why do you write the kind of stories you do?

A: I have always written stories that took hold of my heart and wouldn't let go. I never once paid any attention to tip sheets or trends. My books aren't plot driven. They're about people and the human drama that we call life. I like to write about ordinary people overcoming odds. I made the move to Christian fiction because I knew that's what I was being called to do; that can sound corny or canned, but I don't know how else to say it in just a few words for an interview like this.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Well, as I answer this interview, I'm wrapping up revisions on RIBBON OF YEARS. By the time I visit Denver, I should have begun my next novel which, at this point, is just a haze on the horizon. It hasn't taken shape enough for me to grab hold of as yet.

Q: What is your yardstick for measuring your writing success and where are you on it?

I was set free of the measuring stick about three years ago. I stopped comparing myself to the success of others. I'm learning to be content to write the best book I can and then trust that it will reach the readers it's supposed to reach. If we get caught in that cycle of coveting the New York Times (or whatever list or award or whatever means most to us), it can destroy us. It can destroy our creativity. That doesn't mean I'm not aware of what's happening in the industry or what's happening in my own career. It just means I try not to measure myself against anyone else.

Q: How do you balance your life?

A: Ha! Next question.

Okay, I'll try to answer. Awhile back, I realized all of my friends were writers and most of them lived in other states. I realized that wasn't healthy. I made a conscious effort at that time to form relationships outside of my writing career, and definitely outside of the Internet. In the years since I made that change, my life has been enriched by friendships I would have missed if I hadn't gone seeking them. These are women with whom I share other interests but who aren't writers. We actually talk about other things!

I also am a firm believer in family first. I do have to lay down the law occasionally and try to make husband, elderly mother, daughters, and grandchildren understand that I have a real job and am not always available on a whim. But I also know that a hundred years from now no one will probably remember that Robin Lee Hatcher was an author. But if I'm lucky my great-great-grandchildren will have a legacy of love that was past along because I believed people are more important than pages. 

Q: As a past president of RWA tell us why you think writers need writers groups?

This one's easy. Because only another writer understands a writer; only another writer understands the voices we hear in our heads. And because creative people ride that crazy roller coaster between believing we have something of value to say and believing we have no value at all and would be better off selling shoes at the mall. We need each other for the sake of encouragement. Yes, there's a business side to writers organizations, but in the long run, it's being understood that matters most. My husband loves me dearly, but he doesn't understand the writer side of me at all. The members of HODRW are mostly strangers to me, and yet you understand me because you're writers. I value that.

For more about Robin Lee Hatcher see the February 2000 issue of the RWR. Or check out her website at www.robinleehatcher.com.

Nominated for two Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, Rogenna Brewer's first Harlequin Superromance, SEAL It with a Kiss has sold more than a quarter million copies, finaled in the Bookseller's Best Award, placed 3rd in the Blue Boa Award and 1st in our very own Aspen Gold Award. Her next Superromance, Sign, SEAL, Deliver! is an April 2001 release.