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

Spencer, 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 think in some way or another, I always had an interest and passion for words and language and books. Even before I could read or write, I remember taking books off my dad’s bookshelf and looking at the print inside, holding the weight of it. So it began there, and grew more and more as I began to fall in love with reading. Reading stories and falling in love with the language and characters is where it all comes from for writing.

While I read a lot as a kid, I sort of stopped in middle school and high school somewhat. I got distracted with other interests. I wish I would have read more back then and really soaked up all the books I read in high school, instead of just mindlessly turning pages.

Learning the craft of writing began with reading. It was around my senior year of high school that I really began writing and then reading everything I could. I began by imitating my favorite writers and their styles, all the while learning technique and trying to find my own voice. I went to college to study literature and writing, and learned as much as I could, but really, the true way to learn an art form is to do it. To sit and do it every day. No matter how bad it seems or what a waste of time, you have to dedicate yourself to the art or nothing came come of it.

My writing schedule has changed a little since my wife and I had our first son, and then again recently with the birth of our second son. I used to wake up early, around 5 a.m. and write for a few hours before having to go to class or work. My goal was always 5,000 words a day if I was writing a novel. Now with a family, I still keep the same goal, but I write in more sporadic moments as life allows. But I write every day still.

There will always be obstacles that try to slow you down along the way. Be it someone telling me I’m wasting my time, or self-doubt, or lack of motivation, there’s always something there. But it’s how you face, how you work past it that makes the difference. For me, my wife and sons are some of my biggest inspirations. I used to sit and write all day for myself, and while I still do, they are included in that now. In our own little world, and I hope that by example, I can show my boys that if you want to do something, you have to give it everything you got.

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 novelist and poet from North Carolina, where I live with my wife and two sons. My grandmother was the one who sort of got me into it all from a young age. When I was about 5 years old, she took me to get my first library card. She was an award-winning poet and truly just an amazingly passionate person. She took me to poetry readings as a kid and I loved it.

I began publishing poems and short stories in college and then began working on longer forms. My first novel, Move Over Mountain, was published in 2019, and my second novel, Hold Fast, was published in 2022. I’m currently at work on a new book.

I love reading in a wide variety of genres, but I mostly write literary fiction. I love writing character-driven stories with big existential questions. As a Southerner, I am particularly fond of the writing that has come out of the south, particularly authors like Walker Percy, Flanner O’Connor, and Charles Wright.

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

In the writing world, rejection is a big part of the submission and publishing process. When I was first starting out, and sent my first story out to be published, I got rejection letters from all five magazines I sent it to. I felt completely defeated and like a failure. But there was something in me that kept me going. I kept writing, revising, and getting better. I sent out more stories and got more rejections. I read more, I wrote more, and eventually, my stories and poems began getting accepted.

Often, art is very subjective, and the publishing industry is equally subjective. When those first rejection letters came, I misunderstood it as a rejection of myself, who I was and what I did. But in reality, the story I had sent was simply not right for that magazine/editor. What I learn from all rejections is humility and perseverance. There are plenty of times after completing a manuscript that I get swollen head and brim with hubris, thinking I’ve written a masterpiece. Really, it never is. So remember humility is very important. But when the rejections come, and the self-doubt after that, there comes that choice: Do I give up? Or keep going? I’ve always kept going, and tried to learn and continue to grow in my craft. At the end of the day, I write for myself. I write because I love stories and love telling stories. And no matter how many rejections or bad reviews come, that deep love of writing never goes away.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Being a part of a community of writers or creatives is very important. I’ve always tended to be somewhat of a loner, quiet and reserved. I used to never think I needed to talk and share ideas with other creative people for some reason. But whenever the opportunity came up, I was always left with a new sense of inspiration and joy after hearing other people’s thoughts and ideas. It stoked the flames of creativity in me.

My wife is a huge inspiration for me. She’s perhaps the most brilliant woman I know, and always challenges me to think deeper and to really get to the bottom of things. She’s very talented in painting and writing and just about anything she does. So to have her in my life and be able to discuss ideas has been truly wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spencerkmbrown.com
• Instagram: @SpencerKMBrown
• Twitter: @SpencerKMBrown