Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Deborah Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Deborah, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

People are surprised when I tell them I do not have a degree in English or creative writing.

Everything I learned about writing came from a voracious reading appetite, attending writing retreats and conferences, talking with other writers, being willing to accept constructive criticism, learning from my mistakes, and writing, writing…and writing some more.

However, my skills as a writer would have developed and advanced much faster if I had been more open to accepting critiques from readers and editors.

Expanding my reading repertoire to various genres also helped a great deal.

For several years, I was not willing to read outside my favorite genre (thrillers). However, when I expanded my reading base to poetry, non-fiction, literary fiction, fantasy, etc. I found that I could learn and draw from many elements and styles of those genres even if I was not personally writing in those genres. Knowledge truly is power, and the more you absorb, the more you can pull from various aspects of that knowledge when needed.

I was also not willing to accept constructive criticism about my writing. Eventually I accepted that, in order to grow as a writer, I needed to be willing to listen and learn from those around me, whether that person was another writer, a friend, or a stranger. Over the years, I have learned how to sift through comments and advice given to me by others and figure out what will be helpful in making my writing flourish and what would cause me to deviate from my own voice or goal for my writing.

One of the most essential skills for a writer is being willing to continuously learn and grow. I believe it is vital to continue learning and growing throughout life because, no matter what age you are, there is still room to learn and grow as a person and in doing what you love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Deborah Reed, and I write novels under the pseudonym D.A. Reed. I am a wife and a mother of two incredibly creative and talented children who keep me on my toes. I am slightly obsessive-compulsive and am addicted to running, chocolate, and caffeine.

I enjoy writing in multiple genres, but focus on young adult realistic fiction. Life is hard, and we all need guidance and encouragement. Through storytelling, I attempt to help young people navigate the challenges and struggles of everyday life while also providing a message of hope.

The thing I love most about writing – and is coincidentally the hardest to explain – is when a character or story takes on a life of its own. Countless times I have sat down to write and the story has advanced in a far different direction than I had planned, a character has shown a side of themselves I didn’t know existed, or a new character has “story-bombed” the scene and helped carry the novel to its completion. I never fully know what is going to happen when I put pen to paper or my fingers on the keyboard – it’s like magic!

I have always enjoyed writing stories and wrote my first novel at age fourteen. While I loved writing in the mystery/thriller genre, I found my true calling as a writer when I met a teenager with a severe physical disability. Despite her physical limitations, she was grabbing the reins to life and living life to the fullest – on the outside. On the inside, however, I found that she struggled with self-doubt, feelings of worthlessness, and fear of being a burden to those she loved. I wanted to write a short story that would show this young woman that her worth did not lie in physical capabilities, but in her mere existence – no matter what struggles she might face. That short story morphed into my first full-length young adult novel.

As more and more people approached me about how that novel (Daisies in the Rain) touched them or a loved one, giving them hope and/or a new sense of self-worth and confidence, I realized I could use my skill with words to help young adults navigate this thing called life.

I also teach creative writing workshops to all ages. The most exciting part about teaching writing workshops is seeing the spark of imagination light up a student’s eyes, no matter their age. I can often tell the exact moment someone gets an idea, breaks through writer’s block, or even just begins to believe their dream is truly possible. My hope is that sharing my passion for storytelling will inspire others to find their voice within the written word as well.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to create something that no one else would produce in the exact same way is the most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me.

There may be countless other authors out there, but all of our minds process differently, our perspectives vary, and our life experiences influence our decisions, beliefs, and reactions. Because of this, no one else can create an artistic work (in my case, writing) the way I would.

There is something extremely satisfying in the knowledge that what I have created and accomplished is completely original.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think two things many non-creatives don’t understand about the journey of a creative is that creative work…is still WORK. The artist’s life has been romanticized to the point that non-creatives often believe an artist lives an idyllic life of leisure. And while artists are given the luxury of doing something they love daily, there are always tasks that are less than desirable to complete, just like with any other job.

Many non-creatives also believe the life of an artist to be one of ease – meaning that, while the rest of the world engages in physical labor or juggles corporate schedules, artists are somehow effortlessly whipping out works of art (in whatever form) while drinking coffee (or wine) and reclining on sun-drenched chaise lounges.

While those moments might exist, they are few and far between. More often than not, you will find a creative with head in hands as they try to figure out how to create an image out of nothing or bring an idea to life that resides solely in their mind. And if we make a wrong decision somewhere during that process, it often means scrapping the entire project (or a good deal of it) and starting over. Much of my time has been spent staring at a wall or pacing the house as I try to work through the plot hole I unknowingly created or attempt to figure out how to get my character out of the (figurative) corner I just backed them into.

And then we come to the agonizing non-creative tasks that accompany every creative task.

Many creatives simply want to…create. We do not want to have to deal with the mundane (and often beyond our comprehension) tasks of sales, marketing, etc.

Many creatives, like yours truly, are also introverts. Not all, mind you, but many. Not only do we love to create, we love to be lost in that world we have created inside our mind. The process of writing is typically a solitary activity. However, for the rest of the world to know that our art exists, we have to TELL people that our art exists. This involves talking to people, networking, making connections…and there goes that blessed solitude. For an introvert, that can be exhausting, mind-numbing, and above all – terrifying.

To help ease that terror, several writers keep to a fairly strict daily schedule of plotting, writing, marketing, etc. That structure helps keep us focused and productive – but that does not mean it is always easy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dareedauthor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dareedauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDeborah/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-reed-12b615180
• Twitter: https://x.com/dareedauthor

Image Credits

Deborah Reed
Matthew Reed