Reading time: About 3 minutes
Sonia Garrett says that if she can’t write, she can edit. And if she can’t edit, she can outline. And if none of that works, it’s usually because she needs more sleep.
Sonia Garrett is the author of five middle-grade adventures: Maddie Makes a Movie, Maddie Makes Money, Harriet Hall and the Miracle Cure, Harriet Hall and the Kaiser’s Curse, and Harriet Hall and the Enemy Within. Her new portal fantasy adventure, Forever and a Day, is due to be published in 2027. She is a popular speaker who regularly visits schools, libraries, writing groups, and festivals. When she’s not writing, Sonia loves to ski, hike, play pickleball, and be in the audience for live theatre and movies. She lives in Vancouver, B.C., in the gentle chaos of books and outdoor paraphernalia with her French bulldog, Toast. You can learn more about her via her website or @authorsonia.
I was excited to talk to Sonia about how she approaches writing.
Q. Roughly how much time do you spend writing every day?
I aim to write for one to two hours a day, five days a week. This isn’t always possible. When I’m tired or out of time, I lower my expectations and write 200 words or edit for 15 minutes. Little and often works better for me than long days at my laptop.
Q. What’s a simple activity or habit that makes you a better writer?
Reading — the more I read, the more I want to capture stories in my own words. I also walk a lot. Time spent outdoors can solve any writing problem I have encountered so far. Plot hole? Take my dog for a walk. Writer’s block? Hike for a day. Submission rejection? Head to the water and walk along the seawall.
Q. What interferes with your writing?
Life! I am a single mom with a fabulously talented daughter who is emerging into adulthood. There seems to be an endless list of things that society, or my conscience, tells me are more important than writing. I need to carve out time to write. I thought it would get easier with an empty nest, but I’ve found I have to be intentional about nurturing creativity. My advice is to fill your empty nest with things that feed your soul, or others will fill it for you.
Q. How do you persuade yourself to sit down to write on days when you really, really DON’T feel like doing it?
Each week, I schedule ten hours of writing time into my calendar. At the end of each session, I make a note of what I want to achieve when I next sit down to write. That way, my subconscious mind is already drafting the next sentence, scene, or story. With limited time to write, I’m usually excited about getting to my work-in-progress. If I can’t write, I edit. If I can’t edit, I outline. If ideas aren’t flowing, I write a letter from a character’s point of view or draw a map for a future adventure. If none of that works, it’s usually because I need more sleep. Our creativity exists in very human vessels. It’s important to listen to our bodies — rest, drink water, eat well, and have fun.
Q. Is there a particular motto or saying that you’ve found helpful for writing?
“May the beauty we love be what we do.” Rumi.
Q. Which stage of the writing process do you enjoy the most: researching, writing or editing/rewriting and why?
The messy first draft that no one sees. It’s such an exciting phase of discovery, when characters and ideas flow from my imagination onto the page. Closely followed by the redrafting when the ideas take shape and a readable story takes shape.
Q. What’s one of the best books you’ve read (either fiction or non) in the last five years?
I read a lot of books in the genre I write—middle-grade fantasy adventures. The best of these I’ve read recently is Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures. I have eclectic reading tastes and am often late to the party. I loved Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which I devoured after it hit TikTok fame. Now, I want to discover what she wrote before her “overnight success.”
Q. What book are you reading right now?
Melanie Dale’s YA novel, Girl of Lore, in which Mina Murray battles OCD and the monsters that have made her town famous. The reality of surviving high school mix perfectly with the threat blood sucking visitors.
Q. What do you think is the biggest misperception that new writers have about the act of writing?
Most new writers look for short cuts. They don’t realize that writing is all about rewriting. The time spent playing with ideas, points of view, characterization, and language are never wasted. Racing to get ideas out into the world isn’t advisable. Patience, persistence, and critical thinking are the skills all writers need to cultivate.
