We were lucky to catch up with Monica Valentinelli recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, thanks for joining us 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?

In some ways, I am not the typical writer, because I’ve always been writing. I started submitting and entering writing contests when I was very young and had my first publication–“Ella’s Story”–when I was nine or ten in a local newspaper. Then, in college, I pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis, because it allowed me to have more flexibility choosing my own courses centered on the craft of writing and study of narrative.

My first, biggest struggle post-college was figuring out how to continually build my portfolio and career by completing saleable, submittable projects. Finishing “a” project is great, but finishing quality work on time, consistently, is what many career writers do. The production aspects of learning the craft is very different from learning “a” form of writing.

By the time I incorporated game writing, I was happy to discover game publishers needed quality writers to contribute to games. My first games-related submission was for a small press publisher called Abstract Nova Press. They were producing a literary game called Nuomenon inspired by Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis.” My learning curve writing for games proved to be low for two reasons: publishers have guidelines and templates to follow, and previously published material served as great examples for what’s expected.

What I didn’t know, at first, was that my work would be further developed, edited, and moulded to best fit the game. Sometimes, this is because the line developer/producer has an overarcing vision that an individual writer usually doesn’t perceive. Sometimes, it’s because there’s canon-related knowledge the writer either didn’t research enough or wasn’t aware of due to the nature of licensing and approvals. So, in the beginning, I had some challenges managing my ego–noooooooo! Don’t change my precious words! Eventually, I realized that my ego needed to sit down. Yes, I contributed words, but the project involves multiple contributors. I’m not playing a song; I’m playing a part in a larger symphony.

Skills-wise, I do believe that learning how to critique and research effectively is just as necessary as learning how to write. There are some ethics involved with both, because as a writer you’re expected to do your own work and not copy/paste from forums, wikis, past works, etc. Sometimes, you have to figure out how to say the same thing in new and interesting ways, or use terms common to a media/tie-in (e.g. Star Wars, World of Darkness, etc.) lexicon while best fitting the style of the IP using your words.

Obstacles? I will say this loud and proud: I believe that every writer should have the ability to write a shitty first draft. Because, with feedback, that’s how writers grow and learn how to best fit their submission for that publisher. Unfortunately, publishers often have tight deadlines and editors are overworked, so the ability to write that shitty first draft in today’s environment may get you fired. Writers cannot grow or produce their best work without critical feedback–and that includes me. Secondarily, an obstacle that I didn’t realize was a challenge was mental health. Of course, mental health is crucial to writing well and consistently, but I didn’t know that until my anxiety started ratcheting up and it affected my drafts. So, even if your mental health is excellent now, my advice? Journal. Be mindful about how your health is faring, because it can impact your writing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m at a really interesting point in my journey as a writer and human being, because during the Great Pause (e.g. the COVID-19 Pandemic) I took the time to assess what I truly and deeply wanted. I made a long, long list of things I wanted to do covering everything from making homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time to revisiting the core themes in my work. To date, I’ve written original and media/tie-in short stories, novellas, essays, pop culture books, and games, but I never really thought about branding. What did I want to say? What shines through my work? I realized two things: one, most of my content has recurring themes–mystery, magic, or mayhem–sometimes all three! So I temporarily adjusted my brand to reflect that history and highlight what I wanted to continue writing.

Following that clarification, I started to ask questions like: “What do I want to say in my work?” “What kind of work do I want to write?” “What am I the most proud of?” “What sets me apart?”

What I’m personally proud of is the fact that I have contributed millions of words to the Firefly TV show universe. I’ve written a dictionary, encyclopedia, and developed/wrote an entire line of roleplaying games. I really wanted to complete the proverbial set of media forms by writing a Firefly comic issue and novel, but I’ve since abandoned that ambition. (Though I did put my name in the ring to write a Firefly novel, I was not approved to write it.)

What sets me apart in today’s environment isn’t my experience or my craft, it’s the lessons that I’ve learned while writing contemporary fiction, essays, games, and pop culture books. Having written for the World of Darkness, Cyberpunk RED, Dungeons & Dragons, Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Shadowrun, etc. I understand fandom, because I’m also a fan. I’ve also conducted decades of research into magic and the occult as part of my work; in the process, I’ve discovered lost stories and uncomfortable truths. Where I have the potential for the most growth is to address the immigrant experience and environmental conservation. Regarding the former, I am the daughter of an Italian immigrant, and understand “between.” Regarding the latter, I am an outdoors enthusiast and often volunteer in green spaces–being a writer allows me to explore many historical and cultural aspects related to plants. It’s something I want to pursue to help seed the idea that green is for everyone.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Right now, what’s driving my creative journey is to continue writing toward authenticity. I love writing works that are silly and fun; I also enjoy penning complicated, dark mysteries. So, I’m doing both!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson that I had to unlearn was caring about what anyone else thought. I was extremely concerned about that “right” next action for my career to maintain certain perceptions about professionalism, especially in a community filled with gossip shared at incredibly speeds. What “should” I be doing compared to everyone else?

Over time, I realized that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought I should (or should not) say, because I’m not going to agree with everyone, not everyone is going to like me, personally, and not everyone is going to like or enjoy my work. As long as “I” know I’m doing what’s best for me and my work? That’s what matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.booksofm.com
• Other: My newsletter: https://booksofm.substack.com