Interview with Carol Lynch Williams on her author journey and the importance of writing conferences

Portions of this interview were originally published in the April 2024 issue of Worth and Soul of Words.

Tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming an author.

I always wanted to be a writer. It was one of my dreams. My mom was a writer and wanted to publish, and I followed in her footsteps. While she never had a book of her own published, she instilled in me the love of reading and the love of putting new words on paper.

By the time I was 16, I was writing the stories that would end up in my very first novel, Kelly and Me. I entered a contest that Delacorte used to run, The Delacorte First Young Adult Novel Contest. I knew I’d written a middle grade novel, so I made the characters in the book 13 and 14 instead of 11 and 12. I also had to make sure that I had at least 100 pages of text. Unfortunately, I was two pages short. So, I increased the font size to 14 and was able to meet the contest rules. To my surprise, four months later, I got a telephone call from an editor telling me they wanted to publish my book.

What things helped you most in that journey?

We were avid readers in my home. Reading is the first thing that helped me. Books were always available. We went to the library (back in the old days when you could only check out 10 or 15 books) and I always took the number I was allowed. I read like crazy.

Later, after my first book was accepted for publication, I found the perfect critique group and I stayed with those people for years and years. Ken was a part of my group. Rick Walton, Cheri Earl, John Bennion, and so many more. Almost all of us in that group ended up with books coming out.

What advice do you have for people who want to become a successful author?

I guess one thing is to decide what successful means. For me to be successful is not just to publish, but to publish well-written books. For someone else it might be to make a lot of money, something I've never done. Consistently publishing, another thing a writer has no control over. I figured that in my 30-year career, I’ve had at least three seven-year dry spells.

So, success for me is to just keep writing. I write because I love to write. I love telling a story that I feel needs to be told. And not everything that I write is published. I don’t want to ever give up, no matter what happens.

Do you have a certain routine you follow when developing or writing a book?

The only way for me to have a routine is to just write. And to do it as consistently as possible. Now that I have a full-time job and a couple of part-time jobs, I have to fight for fiction writing. My friend Scott Rhoades has helped me be accountable. That's something that might help writers. Have someone you can talk with about what you are doing.

What drives you to write books?

Years ago, I realized that every book I have ever written, no matter which one, there is always an emotion that drives me to write the story. It might be joy, sorrow, a devastating feeling, it could be any emotion. When I have that feeling, I’m motivated to write. Often, I start with a tiny idea of what might happen. For example, when I was writing Pretty Like Us, I knew I was going to tell a story that would have a flood in it. But that was all I knew about it. The main character popped in my head and once I found that character, I was ready to go.

What is your favorite book that you’ve written and why?

I'm not sure that I have a favorite book that I've written. They’re all novels that have felt like they needed to be told. Some have done better than others: The Chosen One, The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson, Waiting, Glimpse. I think the book I love the most is the one I'm working on at the moment. Right now, I have several novels that I’m rewriting. Including one about my dad. He died last March and this is my story for him.

This is WIFYR’s 25th anniversary. What inspired you to create this wonderful writers’ conference?

Dr. Chris Crow came to me one day and said he wanted to put together a conference that was different and better than anything out there. He, John Bennion, and I brainstormed for a long time until we came up with that first Writing for Young Readers. And yes! It was 25 years ago. Who can believe it?

Eventually, we took the conference away from Brigham Young University, and we’ve been running it on our own since. It’s now Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers, and it’s a crazy good conference. Sharlee Glenn, who spoke at an event we did last week, said, “I can honestly say this is the best, intensive writing conference in the United States.” And it is. We've seen two people who have come to our conference win Newbery honor, many, many people get astounding book deals, lots of New York Times best sellers, and often someone finds their agent or editor.

What sets WIFYR apart from other writing conferences?

We often talk that Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers is like a mini MFA—at a fraction of the cost. Anyone who has gotten a Masters in Fine Arts knows it can be an expensive ordeal. What we do at Writing and illustrating is not that far off from what happens in a Masters program. You don’t end up with a degree, but you do end up knowing far more about publishing than anyone ever learns when they are at their MFA in writing.

Morning participants are at the conference for 40+ hours of a week. You’re with those who are like you– perhaps writing a picture book, a fantasy novel, a book in verse, or nonfiction. Your class is small, intimate. Editors and agents visit the classroom. You have a one-on-one with an agent or an editor. The people who come to our conference are looking for new manuscripts.

Afternoons are filled with craft classes. You get to pick and choose which ones you want to go to. And this year we have 15 plenaries with speakers like John Cusick, Ally Conde, Ann Dee Ellis, and Jawad Arash.

What do you hope your conference attendees gain from participating in WIFYR?

I find the most joy when people come to the conference and then find success. They get a book contract, they find an agent, sometimes they finish a novel they had been stumped on, and then my biggest hope is that the work they are doing improves significantly. I always tease the students that I teach at Brigham Young University that my goal for them is to take care of me in my old age. Now that that I’m old it's imperative that those who come to the conference publish also!

It is always so exciting when someone finds exactly what they need in the world of publishing. It's a lonely, hard place without friends, mentors, and fellow writers who want to see you succeed.

What do you enjoy most about the WIFYR experience?

I just love being with other writers. I’m extremely shy but when I'm with my fellow writers, I feel like I’m home. I know, I know. That's a cliché. But it's the truth. I can talk about writing ideas, I can act like a weirdo, I can say that I really am twelve in my head and people get it!