This summer I entered an online book tour contest to host the author of Wrecked on my blog…and I Won! I don’t win anything very often so this is a big deal for me. I tend to the be the 1 in 10,000 in a bad way usually.
I follow Jeff Goins’ blog, so of course I purchased his first book the day it released. Wrecked did not disappoint.
This was one of the first books I uploaded to my Kobo reader, and I read it in a day. I really enjoyed the thought-provoking style of his writing, and authenticity. He challenged my thinking in a number of ways. I regret buying the e-version now though, because there’s so many places I want to highlight and make notes in the margins…and I can’t 🙁 Maybe I’ll have to buy a paper version soon.
On the book’s release, Jeff launched a contest for those who had read the book and had their own blogs to host him for an interview or guest post based on a pitch you sent in.
The same week I stumbled upon his book tour contest, I heard a podcast Jeff did with Mitch Joel on Six Pixels of Separation (if you have an interest in marketing make sure you follow Mitch, he’s very funny and practical…and he’s CANADIAN 🙂 )
I came up with an idea for an interview and sent it in (a day after the contest closed – ooops). The next day I received this email:
Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to participate in the online book tour for Wrecked.
You are invited to host a Q&A. Here’s how it will work – send me a few questions that would be applicable to your readers, I’ll answer and send them back…
**Jeff, if everyone got an interview don’t wreck this for me. 😛
It’s taken him a bit to get to me, but worth the wait IMO. Hope you enjoy!
LHW: There’s many theories (and studies have been done) supporting the idea that Creatives (writer’s in particular, but not limited to) are tortured souls. The list of authors coming from abusive childhoods, struggling with addictions of a variety of sorts and mental disorders, including depression, is long. Would you say those writers were ‘wrecked’ or would you define wrecked another way?
Jeff Goins – Author
JG: That’s a great question. I have a more redemptive view of being wrecked. Certainly, there is pain in life that cannot be explained. There are situations that expose us to incomprehensible suffering. Getting wrecked means more than that.
I would never attempt to explain away someone else’s pain or say that it was good. What I would say is anything that happens to us is not beyond redemption; it can be used for good, in some way.
To be wrecked, quite simply, is to be made uncomfortable. This means that the experience doesn’t devastate you (even if it’s a devastating experience); it empowers you. A wrecked experience shifts your worldview away from self and onto the bigger picture of the world around you. It isn’t easy, nor does it feel good — but it is good.
LHW: You defined wrecked as: to intentionally step into discomfort and live in that tension. How could being ‘wrecked’ in this sense, help or hinder a writer? Do you think being wrecked is a valuable (or required) experience for a writer?
JG: I think it’s essential. Writers need empathy. They need to write stories and messages that meet people where they’re at and give them hope. Connection is a must for a writer who wants her words to matter.
What’s the best way to do this? To actually feel what you write about. In other words, you can’t fake it. Having a wrecked experience is a great way to make you sensitive to other people’s needs.
LHW: In a podcast interview with Twist Image’s Mitch Joel you said, “Creativity comes out of hardship, out of strife.” What did you mean by that? What advice would you give writers concerning this?
JG: I read the Bible. In it, the book of Genesis gives the account that God creates the universe out of chaos. This is an age-old philosophical debate: did God create the chaos or merely shape it? What’s interesting is that the chaos was there, regardless. This is an allegory for all creative processes; we must begin with a mess.
Messes aren’t clean or easy to manage. They are chaotic. It is the artist’s job not to tame the chaos, but find a way to hover above it (just like God) and bring some order to it — that’s the creative process.
LHW: My blog tagline is “Blogging Through The Fire” and I like to dive deep and honestly write about difficult issues and situations – experiences that wreck us (because the truth sets us free). Do you think that, as a writer, your writing has improved or been deepened by your own exploration of the situations and circumstances that wrecked you? Have these experiences affected your writing in any way?
JG: Love that name.
To answer your question: definitely. The more I become a better person by listening to other people’s stories and making them feel like they matter, the better writer I become.
For me, writing is deeply personal and intimate. The more I get in touch with how I feel and what gives other people hope and encouragement, the more I know what to write and how to write.
Writing is a tool that makes us feel more human, so it stands to reason that the more human we feel, the better we will write.
Thanks, Jeff! Make sure you visit Jeff’s blog, or buy his book (not an affiliate link). Stand up guy.
What do you think – should writers be wrecked? Does being a tortured soul make our writing better, more authentic, more realistic?
Been told you should learn Deep Point Of View? Had an editor or critique partner tell you to “go deeper” with the emotions in your fiction? Looking for a community of writers seeking to create emotional connections with readers? Check out the Free Resource Hub and then join the Going Deeper With Emotions In Fiction Facebook group.
“Writers need empathy. They need to write stories and messages that meet people where they’re at and give them hope. Connection is a must for a writer who wants her words to matter.
What’s the best way to do this? To actually feel what you write about. In other words, you can’t fake it. Having a wrecked experience is a great way to make you sensitive to other people’s needs.”
I LOVE this.
Amber recently posted…Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesdays – Guys With…::snore::
I loved that line too.
This is a great interview, and a great view on how you can use some not so stellar experiences to grow as a person and a writer. Thanks for such a good interview 🙂
Rebecca Enzor recently posted…The Big Smoke Blog Tour
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
I really like this–“It is the artist’s job not to tame the chaos, but find a way to hover above it.” I find a lot of meaning in that! Thanks Lisa and Jeff. 🙂
Coleen Patrick recently posted…Bowl Haircuts and Other Scary Things
Wonderful interview. I agreed with everything Jeff said. I love the chaos line and the empathy line. He knows his stuff.
Debra Kristi recently posted…Friends – Gods – Tours and Crazy Moments of Immaturity
Lisa and Jeff, thank you for this interview. It helps me right where I am (I;m that upside down turtle). I haven’t read Wrecked yet. Guess I’m going to now. i still don’t have an e-reader, and like you, lisa, i like to highliht and scribble in margins of books, so good old-fashioned paper is still my reading preference.
Diana recently posted…Life Got Away On Me
I really like my ereader for fiction, but I’m finding for non-fiction because I do like to mark things up (it helps this kinesthetic learner remember) that I prefer paper.
This is now definitely on my list of books to read. I agree…as writers it’s good to write from pain. That’s when it’s the most effective. Thanks Lisa and Jeff. Great interview!
Darlene
Darlene L Turner recently posted…A Brother’s Obsession
Back to add (because I couldn’t quite think clearly enough early in the day with an ear infection) that I love that Jeff doesn’t seem to be saying that we have to personally experience horrific tragedy top be great writers. It’s about empathy and understanding.
Amber recently posted…Not Good Enough
Great to read through the interview! And I felt the same way … this would be a good book to have a physical copy of!
Amy Young recently posted…You’re a saint … no really, you are {or can be}
I love this question and it gives me more permission to share out of my pain in certain situations. “Does being a tortured soul make our writing better, more authentic, more realistic?” I think about David the Psalmist who plunged the depths of his tortured soul and then would find God, truth and hope in the midst of it all.
In our culture, we so despise weakness and struggle and yet we all have it to some degree.
I liked what Jeff said about intentionally stepping into discomfort and living in that tension. Like most, I usually want to avoid discomfort but I’ve found as I do and share, others connect with me on a deeper level.
So I guess the answer to your question is yes. Thank you for this confirmation of the path God is leading me on.
I like Isaiah 42:16 . . .Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.
Sharon Gibson recently posted…How to Write: Have Fun Creating Word Pictures
Glad you found it helpful. 🙂
Dear Lisa,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this interview with the writer Jeff!
I am a writer who very recently got “wrecked” and this post on your blog has helped me gain a better perspective on my situation and I most definitely plan to buy Jeff’s book!
Thank you again, have a great day and God bless you!
Sincerely,
Alexis
P.S._ Here’s a Bible verse that also helps me gain perspective after a wreck- Jeremiah 29:11
Alexis recently posted…DeVon Franklin says "Get Perspective"
I’m so glad you were helped by it. I encourage you to send a note to Jeff on Facebook or Twitter – he’s really approachable and often responds. I think he’d be encouraged by your words too.
Interesting interview, and congratulations, Lisa, on the opportunity! I bought Wrecked when it first came out and it’s on my to-read list. This interview has bumped it up the list a bit. As a conflict-and-pain-avoider, I’ve been stalling, but God’s been saying “never hide” and this book sounds like something He wants to use.
It hurts to be real, but it’s the real people who make a difference. And I love the hope in Jeff’s affirmation that “anything that happens to us is not beyond redemption; it can be used for good, in some way.”
Janet Sketchley recently posted…Review: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card
I met Jeff Goins at a Meet-up in Dallas this afternoon. He is very approachable and generous with his advice and support. I left feeling psyched about the future and happy about being part of a wonderful community of writers.
Richard Alan recently posted…Anne R. Allen’s Blog: Amazon Reader Reviews: 12 Things Everybody and His Grandmother Needs to Know