Interview with Kellyn Roth

Today, I'm excited to welcome Kellyn Roth to the blog with an interview about her writing journey! Kellyn and I met online at the King's Daughters' Writing Camp in July, and I was on the launch team for her book A Prayer Unanswered. After I read it, I knew I wanted to interview her and was thrilled when she said yes. Without further ado, here is my conversation with Kellyn Roth.

Obviously, you enjoy writing. What sparked that passion?

I am never quite sure! However, I started seriously writing when I was eleven because a group of friends and I all started writing snippets of our stories and sending them to each other. It was so much fun that I just kept doing it! (They all quit, by the way!)

Why is writing something you decided to pursue seriously, and what training did you receive?

I decided to pursue writing seriously because I'm good at it and because I have always believed that whatever I do, I ought to do "heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." I'm not a hobby type person.

As for training, it's a fallacy to believe that writers need any type of special training. It's also a fallacy to believe that writers are gifted by God with the magical ability to write! My "training" consisted of years of reading books on writing craft, practicing and practicing, and lots of critique of my work. Most of it was just hard work! I'm also a founding student of the Author Conservatory, but that came after I had already been writing and publishing for a few years!

How many books have you published, and which one is your favorite and why?

I've published something along the lines of ten books, and my favorite at the moment is probably A Prayer Unanswered, mostly because I have poured a lot of energy into it. Did that energy pay off? I'm not sure. But I like it!

What do you think is the most common misconception about being an author?

That you can't make a decent career out of it. This is founded on a fallacy, a myth born in a different era.

What time of day do you do most of your writing and where? Is writing your full-time job?

I usually write in the evening, and where is entirely dependent on where I happen to be. I've written everywhere from at an official desk (rarely) to cars to restaurants to sitting on the grass waiting for some activity or other to be over. I think it's important to cultivate a habit of writing wherever, because your surroundings will not always be 100% consistent. The reason I do this is also, of course, because writing is not so much my full-time job as one of many part-time jobs. I take it just as seriously, but I always am doing at least three or four other things. So it's important to be efficient!

What do you do when facing writer's block and feeling unmotivated to write?

I write anyway. It's like any other job – you show up, you force yourself to do it, and if you really are burnt out (not just procrastinating), you take a vacation.

What is your favorite Bible passage and why?

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Psalm 8. I think it's a beautiful expression of God's wonderful earth… and how, despite the various amazing things going on in the world, we matter to God more than even those wondrous stars.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share on the blog today, Kellyn! 

You can learn more about Kellyn on her website and blog, kellynrothauthor.com, and can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.