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

Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I always wanted to write, but I did not come from a family that encouraged creative writing. My parents were more fixated on, making sure that I earned skills that would make me employable. That being said, my family was a family of readers and both my parents took me to the library so early on I discovered not just the power of words, but the way that the book form could appeal to people like my parents who didn’t necessarily understand that writing was something that could be learned. I learned a great deal about writing from reading— but then, after teaching English for a few years ( a career my parents embraced) , I realized I could no longer ignore the urge to write, and I decided to go back to school to study creative writing, and fiction in particular for me, making that decision for myself and be getting the process of separating from my parents goals for me was the first step in my becoming a writer. The other thing that was essential, for my learning was discovering how to be aware of my environment to ask questions and to listen with integrity rather than being quick to judge or assess. Writers must be open to the world around them, and that starts with awareness.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a writer and a teacher and an editor. I have been teaching writing at the college level for close to 30 years. I currently teach creative writing at Purdue university but I’ve also taught at Penn State Erie, southern Utah University, Butler University, among others. I took a brief break from teaching when my daughters were very young and I was mainly freelance writing yet I missed the collaboration that experienced and graduate school when I was working alongside a close cohort of writers. So in 2014, I founded the Lafayette Writer studio in Lafayette, Indiana, and begin offering in person classes on the art and craft of writing. As time went on in the studio became more popular, I hired other writers to teach classes, and all of our classes moved online so that we could meet writers outside of our area code. The Lafayette Writer Studio is still going strong today!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

One pivot that I’ve had to make was putting aside a manuscript for a novel that I had worked on for five years and could not find a publisher for it. During the time I was working on this manuscript, I would routinely leap out of bed in the morning. I simply couldn’t wait to work on this book. And even though I still believe in the project, the market is not there for this book. ( at least it isn’t currently.) and so I’ve had to learn that while that book may never be published the process of creating it deepen my understanding of the craft of writing and brought me a great deal of joy, and that is just as worthwhile as finding a publisher

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative is crafting something out of nothing. Many people will talk about writing a book. They act as if everyone has a book inside them and it’s something that simply needs to be unleashed as if it’s existing right beneath the skin yet far fewer taken into account the actual process of creating, and how someone’s personal inclinations and personality will also play a part in any creative work. For me, with anything that I create, it’s an honor to follow a vision through from beginning and end and it’s a way to continue to honor the wishes and dreams that I had as a young person even when my parents didn’t necessarily encourage me

Contact Info:

• Website: Melissa fraterrigo.com
• Instagram: @melissafraterrigo
• Facebook: Melissa.fraterrigo
• Youtube: @lafayettewritersstudio3387
• Other: https://Lafayettewritersstudio.com