Liz Alterman is the author of the award-winning memoir, Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, the suspense novels The Perfect Neighborhood, The House on Cold Creek Lane, and You Shouldn’t Have Done That, as well as the romcom Claire Casey’s Had Enough. Here, she shares her journey from being a student at The Writers Circle to an author-instructor.
When did you first know you were a writer?
I often joke (though it’s all true!) that as a child I had no talents — zero athletic, musical, or artistic ability — but I loved to read. I love opening a book and slipping into another world.
Probably from the time I could read, I hoped to some day provide that sort of entertaining escape for others. I majored in English in college and worked as an energy reporter early in my career. In the back of my mind, I’d always hoped to write a book.
It wasn’t until I interviewed Judith Lindbergh, founder of The Writers Circle, for a freelance piece that I finally found the motivation. I asked which class was most popular and Judith said, “Memoir. Everyone has a story to tell.” That stuck with me.
At the time, my husband and I had been laid off (within six weeks of one another—I don’t recommend it) so I had plenty of free time and I wanted to explore this strange period in our lives, and I signed up for a Beginning Memoir workshop.
It was exciting yet daunting to try to write something beyond my usual one-thousand word articles. I took a second workshop because I wanted to maintain momentum. Without Judith and The Writers Circle, my plans to write a book might have remained nothing more than a dream.
To now teach the workshop that kicked things off for me is such an honor and a great full-circle moment. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to hear writers’ stories and to share my experience.
What part of writing is the most fun for you (or the most challenging)?
My favorite part of writing happens in those surprising moments when you sit down intending to write one thing and your brain serves up a plot twist or dialogue you never expected. The most challenging part is actually getting myself to sit down and focus. The internet is my worst enemy. As soon as I struggle with a sentence, I find myself responding to email or shopping for socks or stationery — it’s bad!
Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you?
Some ideas have come to me in dreams. With others, I’ll hear a story in the news or a snippet of conversation and think, “What if this happened next?” and go from there. I draw inspiration from reading, watching TV, visiting museums, and, of course, talking with family, friends and fellow writers.
Are you a plotter or a panster? (Meaning, Do you plan your story out in advance, or do write by the seat of your pants?)
For years, I’ve been a pantser. I’m all about letting the characters speak to me and tell me what happens next, which I know sounds strange to non-writers. While that can sometimes take you in interesting directions, it can also send you on some detours or to dead ends. With that in mind, I’m trying to get better about drafting a loose outline to serve as a roadmap and maybe save time during revisions.
Tell us about your process: Where and when do you write? Coffee or Tea? Music or silence? Laptop or pen and paper?
Typically, I can be found at my dining room table in the early morning with a cup of coffee and total silence—unless you count my cats’ meowing for second helpings of breakfast.
I usually use my laptop, but I do write in notebooks when I’m going out and don’t want to have to worry about wifi or my laptop. Many times what I’ve written in a notebook never makes it into my draft. It’s more of a space to brainstorm and see what may work down the line.
How do you get UN-stuck or motivate yourself to write?
I read a lot and love audiobooks. My favorite genres are memoir and suspense. I also can’t resist an essay collection. Every so often though I read something in which every sentence shines and think, “Do I even deserve to even own a pen?” And that definitely doesn’t help me get unstuck.
When I’m struggling, I take a walk or engage in what I call procrasti-baking, where I’ll make muffins or cookies and try to work things out in my mind while I’m a bit distracted. It seems to help.
What’s the best piece of writing advice you ever got?
I read something once about author Graham Greene that stated he wrote 500 words a day, five days a week. He wrote on days he didn’t feel creative or inspired and — I’m paraphrasing —- supposedly he said at the end of a manuscript when he went back to look over what he’d written, he was never able to tell which days were which. I think about that a lot. We often think, “Oh I’ll skip today; I’m not feeling it.” But there’s no substitute for getting words down on the page and staying in touch with the work. I guess the best advice I’ve received is the old “You can’t revise a blank page.”
What have you learned from teaching writing?
What always strikes me is how universal the writing experience is. No matter what we’re working on — memoir, short stories, novels — at different points we all struggle with motivation and self-doubt, those awful, “Is this any good? Does anyone care about this?” feelings. But my biggest takeaway is that by taking classes and coming together to share our stories, we’re reminded why our words matter and how much they have the power to inspire, heal, and touch others. As an instructor, I think the biggest thing I want students to come away with is a sense that their stories are valuable, and they’re not alone.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a revenge-themed suspense manuscript that unfolds in dual timelines—present day and fifteen years ago. The main character has changed a lot over those intervening years so her voice is very different when switching from the present to the past, and it’s been a lot of fun to play with that.
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Liz’s next suspense novel, A Different Type of Poison, comes out in late November. Check out her cover reveal on Substack, or follow her on Instagram. And stay tuned for our full schedule of winter classes!
