Constance Hays Matsumoto is the author of the new book Fact & Fiction: How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History. She also has written the novel Of White Ashes.
Q: What inspired you to write Fact & Fiction, and how was the book’s title chosen?
A: Thanks for inviting me back to your blogpost, Deborah. It’s been three years since our Q&A about my historical novel, Of White Ashes, which was a passion project inspired by my family story.
Fact & Fiction: How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History found me; it’s not a book I ever imagined writing. But sometimes a woman walks into a bar!
While attending the Independent Book Publisher Association’s awards ceremony, I met the managing editor of How2Conquer. Over drinks, she and I talked about our respective backgrounds, my path to publishing Of White Ashes with no background in creative writing, and How2Conquer’s niche market of publishing high-end how-to books.
She encouraged me to write this book about how I embraced novel writing by learning the craft, creating helpful techniques, and asking repeatedly, “Wait, how do you do that?”
The title evolved from my handwritten scrawl, “How to Write a Novel,” originating on the front of a large binder where I kept all my notes and clippings about novel writing. This binder served as my bible while structuring, writing, editing, and publishing Of White Ashes.
The next iteration was a narrower working title: How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History. During a Zoom call with my editor and production manager at How2Conquer where we reviewed cover designs, they invited me to consider a few title options, including Fact & Fiction: How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History. It immediately resonated with me.
Q: You write that “fiction requires vision, engineering, and the ability to think like an architect: deeply, creatively, and holistically.” Can you say more about that?
A: Sure. Architects are visionaries. They can look at a cliff or an empty lot and imagine what might be built there and then turn that vision into building specifications.
Architects think deeply when seeking to understand the “why” or purpose of a new building: why is it being built and how will people experience it? They also think creatively: experimenting with color, light, structure, materials, etc. And they think holistically: how place, structure, materials, etc., fit together.
It’s the same with fiction. Writing a novel requires seeing the big picture of story: its purpose, meaning, and direction. It also requires engineering process and structure to get it done.
In Fact & Fiction, I recommend that people consider first things first when taking on the writing of a long-form project and think deeply about why the project matters to them and what they hope to achieve with it.
The ability to think creatively is necessary when imagining how to tell the story. And holistic thinking is critical in understanding how all the elements of a story come together: structure, plot, and craft.
Q: The writer Ellen Prentiss Campbell said of the book, “The author’s conviction and kindness combine to make Fact & Fiction a warm, informative companion for new writers.” What do you think of that assessment?
A: I so appreciate Ellen’s words. When I was a corporate executive, I emphasized how leadership behavior is equal in importance to what leaders achieve. That principle has stayed with me, and I’m deeply touched that Ellen characterized my voice in Fact & Fiction as kind.
I also love Ellen’s metaphor identifying my book as a companion. She hit the nail on the head by recognizing that Fact & Fiction was written to help beginning writers.
I don’t pretend to be an expert. There are many craft books with the entirety of pages focused on one element of craft. Maybe it’s emotional craft. Or crafting dialogue. Or writing scenes. Or plotting. Fact & Fiction isn’t that. Rather, it shows what I did when I wasn’t sure what I was doing and it delivers the basics of writing a novel with humor and humility.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: If Fact & Fiction challenges a new writer, moves them forward, or helps them to feel a little less alone in tackling a novel, then it has done its job.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Fact & Fiction just launched a few weeks ago, so I’m busy with bookstore and library events. Many of my events are workshops, which I thoroughly enjoy facilitating. And I’m talking with podcasters, bloggers, and interviewers who are nice people like you. When the dust settles from the launch, we’ll see what’s next. Who knows. Maybe another book will find me!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I’m an engaged literary citizen and serve as the president of the Women’s National Book Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter, a nonprofit, national organization of book lovers. WNBA was formed over 100 years ago by female booksellers in New York who literally marched down Fifth Ave for a woman’s right to vote.
Since then, WNBA members across the country have worked toward our shared goal of keeping books relevant and in the hands of those who need them. Join us. We’re a fun bunch! https://www.wnba-midatlantic.org
To learn about me and my books, visit https://www.matsumotobooks.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Costance Hays Matsumoto.
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