We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rebecca Rook. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rebecca below.

Rebecca, 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 have been a writer for decades. However, because of all the (sometimes conflicting) advice and craft classes out there, and between life, school, and work, it took a significant amount of time to identify my personal process in this craft. Like any creative calling, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to writing and the arts. That is the blessing and the curse of a creative life: We have to — and we get to — make our own blueprint for being an artist.

Now as an independent novelist, a tabletop game designer, and an artist, here are some of the things I’ve developed for my personal process as a writer and a creative.

Over the years, I’ve learned that my process isn’t purely inspiration or the joy of ideation. Some structure and organization are necessary for me. So I start with an outline. If it’s a novel, my outlines are typically organized in a three-act story arc, with a single document containing the scene summaries and character goals. Then I work early in the mornings, scene by scene, until I have a first draft. For tabletop games and visual art, I draft and document win conditions and card types, color palettes and design briefs, until I have a project plan. Since I’ve adopted these practices, I’ve saved myself considerable time and stress.

I also don’t have any artistic rituals or habits and try not to accumulate them. I don’t want to fixate on a habit that becomes a distraction or an excuse to avoid work altogether if I lack a candle or my lucky pen. Focus on doing the work and be sure to finish your projects. You can edit and revise a finished draft of a project; you cannot do the same for a blank page or a half-completed canvas.

Lastly, whenever possible, hire great professionals (or recruit enthusiastic friends) to help you with different tasks throughout a project. You can do anything, but you cannot do everything. Hiring the right people to whom you can outsource tasks will keep you on time and in good spirits.

Rebecca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I write young adult fiction in the fantasy, thriller, and horror genres. I have published four novels and I’m currently working on my fifth, a horror novel set in the high desert of Oregon. I’ve also published one tabletop game, Curio Collectors, and have three more in development. As a visual artist, I most recently served as an artist for the Piano.Push.Play program in Portland, OR, and I’ve been selected as a floral artist for the 2025 Bloom Tour PDX, also in Portland, OR. Much of my work is inspired by the natural world and by the fantastical, with themes of hope, self-determination, and adventure.

I served as a 2021-2022 Hugo House Fellow in Seattle, WA, and was accepted into the 2021 Tin House YA Fiction Workshop in Portland, OR. I was also selected as one of the 100 invited writers to participate in the Write Team Mentorship Program’s curated Pitch-a-Thon event before being chosen as a Mentee for the 2021 Program. Prior to this, I completed the wonderful Yearlong Workshop for Young Adult and Middle-Grade Fiction at Hugo House. With a Master’s in Library and Information Science, I served as a librarian for over a decade.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.byrebeccarook.com or visit me on Instagram at @byrebeccarook.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am a hard of hearing individual with a sensorineural bilateral hearing loss in the high frequencies. Let’s break that down: Sensorineural refers to the type of hearing loss; in my case, my loss is caused by damaged hair cells in my inner ears. Bilateral means the hearing loss or deafness is in both ears; my left ear is worse. High frequencies refer to a range of sounds people would typically call ‘high pitched’: Doorbells, fire alarms, birdsong, and the far right keys of a piano. And because aging involves all sorts of indignities, my hearing loss has worsened as I’ve gotten older and will likely continue to do so.

My hearing loss is caused by an absence of tiny hairs in the cochlea. When present, these hairs vibrate when auditory information is presented and the brain engages in the remarkable, even profound, activity of making sense of and drawing conclusions from these sounds. Since I lack these tiny hairs in a very specific region of my cochlea, I then operate with a reduced amount of information compared to that of fully hearing people. In every interpersonal interaction, with every show that I watch on television or streaming services, and with any music I listen to, I only get a certain percentage of the same information that fully hearing folks do. That has shaped me in profound ways that I’m still discovering. Every year brings about a new understanding of how my hearing loss affects the way I gather information and navigate the world.

However, my hearing loss comes with unexpected gifts (at least, this is true on most days). Being deaf means I’m obliged to obtain information in roundabout ways: I closely watch the body language and non-verbal communication of others to make sense of a conversation or situation. Likewise, I rely on the conversational context to make sense of the partial information my ears have given me and to fill in the blanks. A lifetime of putting disparate pieces of information together to make sense of a whole narrative has empowered me as a writer. If I can make sense of the stories that unfold before me daily, and do so with limited access to facts, I can certainly write my own fictional narratives.

Having a disability in a world that often does not adequately care for the needs of the non-disabled, let alone those with disabilities, is challenging. Access to specialized medical care, the right medical equipment, to good health insurance — all of this is hard (and expensive). Frankly? It’s exhausting. Not only do these challenges force you to be endlessly creative in your problem-solving, but you also realize that you’re not alone. Many, many other people are likely facing something unknown, with a dozen attendant complexities with which you’re completely unfamiliar. Knowing how hard life can be for others breaks my heart, often, and it reminds me to be curious from a wholehearted, kind place.

Having a disability is hard, yes. However, the experiences I’ve had due to my disability make me a better artist and novelist because I know firsthand the gifts of curiosity and empathy, and they inform my work in obvious and subtle ways.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Art enriches and beautifies our lives. So engage with artists and creatives. It may not involve purchasing their products but however you can showcase, uplift, and highlight artists will help in co-creating a thriving, innovative arts community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.byrebeccarook.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byrebeccarook

Image Credits

Signing Photo: Rachael Harms-Mahlandt

News Interview: KOIN 6 Portland Oregon