We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yong Takahashi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yong, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I grew up in an Asian household and we were encouraged to get a traditional job that paid well. Accounting came easy to me so I accepted a business scholarship. It was a great career choice as it provided for a new house, car, and almost all other luxuries I wanted. However, I didn’t aspire to be an executive for a corporation. When my supervisor said he wanted to promote me to assistant controller, I lightbulb went off. I told him I wanted to leave.
At that time, I knew I had a novel in me but I still needed a paying job. I finished a paralegal studies program. The legal field allowed me a bit more time to pursue my interests. I wrote a bit at a time. And eight years later, I actively wrote short stories. That led to a short story collection, a novel, two poetry collections, and songwriting.
Sometimes, I do wish that I started at least a decade earlier but then I realize my writing wouldn’t be the same. Every experience, whether success or failure, plays a part in my stories.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have written two short story collections, two poetry collections, and a novel. My young adult novel will be published in 2023. My next project is a fantasy trilogy about a Korean shaman. I hope to finish the first book by 2024.
I also write songs. I told my friend that writing a song was on my bucket list. She said she would help me and we have three songs that we have written together. If you want to listen to them, they are here: https://rebeccahosking.com/music. I co-wrote Wildflower, Hand Me Downs, and I Rise.
The next twelve months will bring my ezine and merchandise line. I will announce the dates in my newsletter. If you want to subscribe: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/yctwriter
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Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I had 109 Twitter followers in 2020. Now, I have close to 23,000. My advice is to stay consistent and to promote other creatives. Don’t go there expecting people to buy your books. It takes time to establish a relationship. Be patient.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Some websites I love are below.
Agents/Editors:
Calls for submissions:
https://newpages.com
https://chillsubs.com
Advice/inspiration:
https://catapult.co/dont-write-alone
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yctwriter.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/yctwriter
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yctwriter
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/yctwriter
- Other: Some of my book and short story links are here: https://linktr.ee/yctwriter
Image Credits
Author photo: Charlene Gregory