Stone Soup contributor and 20-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with third place winner of the 2019 Book contest and winner of the Weekly Flash Contest Nami Gajcowski, 10, about how it felt to finish her novella, Elana, how she decided on its fantastical elements, and the innovative inclusion of emojis. 0:21 – How were you introduced to Stone Soup? 0:54 – What is your favorite part about the Writing Workshop? 1:28 – Did you like the Book Club? 1:49 – What inspired you to write and submit a novella to the Book Contest? 2:48 – How long did it take to write? 3:10 – How did it feel to submit the novella? Was it your first time submitting to a contest? 3:41 – Do you think that writing a novella has inspired you to write more long form fiction? 3:57 – Did writing and submitting your second novella feel different from the first time? 5:18 – What made you decide to write your novella within the fantasy genre? 5:52 – How did you decide to set your novella on Neptune? 6:49 – Can you explain your use of emojis? 7:24 – How did you decide to write your protagonist the way you did? 8:02 – How did you decide to name her “Elana”? 8:58 – How did you decide what the primary conflict would be and why did you name the villain “Casey”? 9:32 – What made you decide to add all the fantastical elements to your novella, like the sweets? 9:59 – How did it feel to win third place? 10:25 – Were you surprised? 10:38 – Do you have any writing advice for your peers? 11:35 – If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?
book contest
Stone Soup Author Interview: Analise Braddock
Stone Soup contributor and 2020-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with contributor (in art and writing), three time winner of the Weekly Flash Contest, and co-second place winner of the 2019 Book Contest Analise Braddock, 9, about the freedom of creativity and the long, arduous, but rewarding project of writing a book of poems. 0:22 – How were you introduced to Stone Soup? 0:35 – What is your favorite part about the Writing Workshop? 0:54 – What is your favorite thing about writing? 1:19 – What is your favorite thing about art? 2:05 – What inspired you to submit to the Book Contest? 2:41 – How did it feel to submit something to a contest? 3:27 – How did it feel to win second place? 3:58 – Where were you when you found out you’d won second place? 4:38 – How long did it take to find out? 5:50 – Do you have any writing advice for your peers? 6:28 – If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say? 7:04 – Is the writing you do for fun different from the writing you do for school?
Stone Soup Author Interview: Tatiana Schrayer
Stone Soup contributor and 2020-21 intern Anya Geist, 14, talks with Stone Soup author Tatiana Schrayer about her poetry collection Searching for Bows & Arrows, which tied for second place in the 2019 Stone Soup book contest, as well as about how writing runs in her family, and the freedom that comes from creative writing. 0:25 – How were you introduced to Stone Soup? 1:13 – How did you decide to submit to the Stone Soup book contest? 1:55 – How hard was it to write the collection? 2:10 – How did it feel to finally submit? 2:30 – How did it feel to win second place? 2:57 – Do you find that it’s easier to write about your own life? 3:26 – What is your favorite thing about writing? 4:25 – How much time do you think you spend writing? 4:59 – Where is your favorite place to write? 5:16 – Is the writing you do for fun different from the writing you do for school? 5:57 – How did you decide to title your collection “Searching for Bows and Arrows”? 6:21 – Is there anybody in your life who has been a mentor or inspiration to you? 7:00 – Do you have any writing advice for your peers? 7:26 – If you could tell somebody about Stone Soup, what would you say?
