Visiting with Cheryl Rainfield

by Claire Guyton

How do you get your story ideas?

I write about things I greatly care about—and things that have deeply affected my life. I usually put some form of abuse, prejudice, and threat to life into my writing, since I know about those things personally and they have left their marks on me—as well as healing, compassion, community, love, and hope. I think it’s so important to have those to blunt the pain.

Tell us about your usual writing process. Have your writing habits changed over time?

I usually write my first draft quickly—within a month to three months. I then go over the manuscript and edit and rewrite it many, many times; I went over Scars more than 40 times. The amount of edits I need to do before a manuscript is polished, publishable material seems to be diminishing, to my relief. I know some writers plan out their work in detail before they write, but that usually doesn’t work very well for me. That may change over time. I frequently read books on writing technique, and some of them, especially John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story, vastly helped me rethink and reshape my manuscripts after I have the initial first draft. I also depend on good feedback and critiques from my writing peers, my agent, and my editor. Sometimes I worry that it’s stupid to work the way I do, that I end up doing so much more work, so many more edits, than I should have to. But I need to write the way that works for me, that produces my best work, and right now, this is it.

Is there something you want to write about but you can’t? 

I have hesitated to write about the full extent of the abuse and torture I grew up experiencing—ritual abuse—in one entire novel. I do not want to overwhelm or put off readers. At the same time, it’s an issue I care very much about, and a truth of many people that I think should be reflected. But it wouldn’t help anything if people couldn’t bear to read it, and I’m not sure I know yet how to put in enough hope or how to otherwise balance the horror. For now, I am putting fragments of my experience in each novel. Some day that may change. But it may not. I think truth—especially painful truth—can be easier to hear and to absorb through fiction. But the more painful it is, the more I think there needs to be some healing, some hope—and some reward for the reader.

Do you have any guilty reading pleasures?

I love reading. I mostly don’t feel guilty about any of it (even comics, which I love) except sometimes when I think I should be working. But I think reading is part of a writer’s work, as well as a way to feed the soul and the mind. I push myself to work too hard, though—on my writing, editing, book promotion—and sometimes I feel guilty for not reading enough (even though I read a lot). And there are times when, if I’m going through a rough time, I can’t read too much painful stuff that reminds me of my own experience. And other times when I can’t read too much light stuff. It just depends on what I’m dealing with and how I’m feeling. I can always find a way to feel guilty about something, including reading (laughing). So although sometimes I do feel guilty for reading when I “should” be writing, or reading what I need to read instead of what I think I “should” be reading, when I think of others reading, I just feel happy about it, think it’s something to celebrate. I try to think that way about my reading, too. I know that it enriches my life, and it is something I need.

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Mahtab September 23, 2010 at 8:59 am

Great interview, Cheryl. And I know how difficult this was for you. Bravo, once again. It’s an honour to be your friend!

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