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Adina Rishe Gewirtz: For many years I freelanced, working for newspapers and magazines. Then I moved into teaching writing more consistently. Now I do editing, writing, and I work as a writing coach, helping people one on one or in groups figure out what’s wrong with a piece of writing, and how to fix it.What compelled you to write your first book?
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: Compel is a good word for it. I’ve always wanted to write fiction and narrative nonfiction, and I never thought my first book would be a how-to on business writing! But I’ve been teaching for years, often to high school students in one-on-one tutoring sessions, and my husband has been listening to me teach for years. At some point, he began lobbying for a book. He said my way of teaching writing was unique, and I should share it. I resisted for a long time. I looked at all the writing books on the market and didn’t think I could add anything. Then I read some of them, and realized that a book that teaches structure – and one that does it in a funny, easy-to-read way – could get published. And it did! Prentice Hall, a division of Penguin, published it last October.Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: I’ve wanted to be a writer since seventh grade, when I read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time. I never expected my first book to be about writing, but it’s the number one subject I enjoy talking about, so I guess it’s only natural that things fell out this way.Tell us a little bit about your book/s.
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: My book, How to Say It: Business Writing That Works is a how-to for non-writers who don’t generally even like to read about writing, much less do it. But it’s written in such a straightforward way – using funny examples – that readers have told me for the first time they didn’t mind learning about business writing. And the system gives them a way to write anything, from a memo to a full-length marketing proposal, without tearing their hair out.Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: Yes, I’ve got another writing book in the works – this one for students.Is there anyone you'd like to specifically acknowledge who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: There are several people who have inspired and supported me. My professors in college really gave me my craft. Jon Franklin and Judith Paterson, both incredible writers, continue to inspire me, as does another professor, Car Stepp. I have a wonderful friend, Katie McCabe, an award-winning writer who I talk to many times a day, comparing notes and sharing thoughts. And then there’s my family. My father always supported my dream of being a writer. My mother made it possible by babysitting, helping me when I had small children (and now) and giving me the time to pursue my career. And my husband – he’s the one who made me write my book, even when I doubted myself.Have you ever had a character take over a story and move it in a different direction than you had originally intended? How did you handle it?
Adina Rishe Gewirtz: Although my How to Say It book doesn’t have characters in the same way as a novel does, the “character” in it is the voice in which I wrote it. And that voice did take over and drove the writing of the book. Until the first line of the book popped into my head, I didn’t realize that writing about memos, reports and proposals could be really funny!Now, anything else you want your readers to know?
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