Bonus Episode with Christina Bagni

Hey friends! Welcome to another Indie Author Spotlight Bonus Episode! Hopefully you read the feature interview I did with Christina over on The Writer's Workout website, where I'm a volunteer. If not, then STOP, do not pass GO! Turn around, go back into the woods, navigate the forrest, and read that interview on the IAS page.

Author Christina Bagni

What does your writing ritual look like? 

I’m currently starting a new project, and I’ve realized (more than intentionally set out to do so) that I get a lot of inspiration from drawing my characters. I’m not a great visual artist, but it can help me figure out the kind of vibe I want each person to give off. Drawings help me stay consistent with descriptions as I go, too—I don’t have to search the document to find out what color eyes a character has, when I can just look at the drawing! 

Insofar as the actual writing, I tend to do a lot of outlining and thinking about how I want the story to develop from a zoomed-out level before I jump in and begin writing. I can sometimes over-plan, so this time around I’m trying to allow myself more freedom and just write rather than worrying about how it all works out in the end. Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering I’m a professional book editor, most of my writing is actually done in the editing process. I write the first draft in a month or so, then can spend a year or more rewriting and editing—so if things end up inconsistent at first, I’m trying not to get worried about it. I’ll catch it in the later drafts.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received as an Indie Author? 

I’ve heard a lot of terrible advice. Lots of people have big ideas about what is needed or is not needed, and most of them want to take your money. The truth is, the best thing you can do to sell a book is to write a really good book in the first place. If you don’t have that, nothing else will really matter. It’s like with editing—if you skip developmental or content editing (big picture issues like plot, character, and theme, down to paragraph-level stuff like repetition, clarity, flow, etc.) and go right to copyediting (fixing spelling, grammar, and punctuation), well, it doesn’t matter how perfect the copy is, because odds are the story isn’t good enough for a reader to care. The big stuff needs to be in place, and the biggest thing of all is a good story. 

Lots of us understand story instinctually, but it’s really worth studying.

What’s your go to book, movie or musical artist when you need some inspiration (or just a break from the keyboard)? Why? 

Depends—if I just need a break from my story, I usually get sucked into a video game for a bit. I love games with good stories but also interesting gameplay, like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hades (okay, so I also like hot character designs—sue me). It’s a great break while still keeping my story-hungry mind engaged.

If I want to use other art as inspiration for writing, I get hyper specific. Usually randomly one day I’ll hear a song and think, “Oh, that is just like X character from my book.” Then, if I’m struggling to write them, I’ll put on that song and it will get me right in their headspace. 

Last year, I connected my main character to “Too Sweet” by Hozier, and it ended up being my most listened to song on my Spotify Wrapped!

If you could snap your fingers and be “known” for one piece of your writing, what would it be? Is it something already published? Or is it something in your heart you’ve not yet written? 

Anything, I suppose. I want my writing to find its people, to find the people who need it and connect with it—so, whatever will do that best. I try to make something better than I made yesterday every time I put pen to paper, and my hope is one day something will catch and the rest will be carried up with it. And then the people who need it—like the person I was in high school, desperate for a book that talked about mental health in a way I needed, a book that didn’t talk down to me just because I was young, a book that “got it”--will find it. Hopefully, anyway. :) 

Any other tidbits you wanna share? 

Writing does have an element of magic, of the muses’ blessing, but it is also made up of skills that can be taught. If you want to improve at writing, seek out good writing teachers—and I don’t just mean me! I also don’t just mean university programs, though those can certainly help. K.M. Weiland has taught me more than most writing teachers I’ve ever had, for example—and, of course, Writer’s Workout has great resources! Too many authors think they know it all just because they have a firm grasp on grammar and the Hero’s Journey. Don’t fall into that trap. Don’t assume you know everything. There is always more to learn.

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