By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
The Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) hosted an evening discussion featuring a panel of local authors. These novelists discussed their experiences with writing and publishing their works. The panel featured two Needham High School alumnae, Janis Robinson Daly and Julia Corbett Davis, alongside Needham High School history teacher Jenn Bouchard. This discussion was led and monitored by Needham High School senior Aliyah Borskiy.
Borskiy began the discussion by asking each of the women what had inspired them to write their respective novels and about their writing process. Both Daly and Bouchard shared that neither one of them had ever set out to be a writer; Daly was inspired to write her first novel, “The Unlocked Path,” after engaging in genealogical research in which she discovered that her great great grandfather had helped to found the first women’s medical school in Philadelphia. Bouchard shared that after completing a fulfilling volunteer position, she was left yearning to do something just for her. At that moment she decided that she would write her first novel, “First Course”. Both Daly and Bouchard shared that they had so much to learn about writing to enable them to embark upon this undertaking. Daly signed up for creative writing classes while Bouchard attended a variety of author centered events to understand the craft.
Davis, on the other hand, shared that she had been writing for her entire life. Stating that she has a variety of works “under her desk,” that she has been working on. Though, the events of the Ukraine War inspired her to write her debut novel, “Catbird.”
The moderator then asked the panel of authors to discuss their journey with publishing their works. Daly advised that authors who are looking to publish their debut novel need to “put on your thick skin and your patience to find an agent,” if one is going to pursue the route of traditional publishing. Davis explained that traditional publishing includes the big five publishers, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan. Though, an author, much like these three, are able to have their novels traditionally published by an indie publisher; the marketing is just left up for the author to do. Some authors do choose the path of self-publishing as well. Davis stressed that the means of publishing don’t necessarily matter because, “if you have something that you want to get published, you have to have faith because you will find your way.”
Bouchard shared that the best attitude an author can have is to “find thick skin so you can put yourself out there to promote yourself… that’s how you find your readers.”
The authors discussed their artistic processes as well as how they overcome writer's block; Davis advised to skip ahead and fill in the blanks later. Bouchard suggested a change of scenery to help spark inspiration. Davis shared a whimsical approach to overcoming writers block that one of her professors had shared with her: “don’t sit down to write a masterpiece… start a story with ‘I went to Frank’s to get a chicken,”... it takes the pressure off.”
Though the most profound part of the panel was when the authors were asked to share pieces of advice to aspiring writers. Daly led with these profound words: “you just have to believe in yourself. You have to believe there’s a reason why you have to put a story down on paper. That means that there’s something good about that story,” she encouraged writers to have confidence and be open to learn from constructive criticism from editors, reviewers, and readers.
Davis shared that she doesn’t let anyone read her works until they’re published: “The book changes so much from when it’s first written to when it’s published and I don’t want to hear that ‘it’s bad.’” As this allows her to keep moving forward in her writing to create a piece of work that she is proud to share.”
In Bouchard’s parting words she encouraged aspiring writers to “be tenacious. You have to be your own best advocate, and you have to keep trying.”
Readers can find “The Unlocked Path,” by Janis Robinson Daly, “Catbird,” by Julia Corbett Davis, and “First Course,” by Jenn Bouchard on Amazon.
