Get to Know Our Friend Christina Clancy

A Deeper Dive With Our Most Recent Guest

A Conversation with Christina Clancy

A writing tip, book recommendation, and other great insights from Christina that were not covered in our on-air interview, which you can WATCH or LISTEN to now!

For any aspiring writers out there, would you please share a short bit of writing advice?
When I started writing, an instructor told me that I was an over-explainer, going on too long or saying the same thing twice, but in different ways. He suggested that I make a habit of asking myself if I could cut the last sentence from each paragraph as I edit. More often than not, I discovered that he was right, and nothing would be lost if I deleted the last sentence. Now I check myself as I write, pausing not just at the end of every paragraph but all the way through. His advice taught me to focus on concision, but more than that, it was a reminder that readers are smart, and I can trust them to understand what I'm trying to express without being ham-fisted. Also, there's some magic that happens when a reader makes their own sense of what's on the page. If I say too much, I'm not making space for them.

What is the last book you raved about and what did you love about it?
I was haunted by Sara Sligar’s novel Vantage Point that just came out. I started hearing about deep fakes during the election but I didn’t know much about how they work, and I hadn’t thought of the myriad ways they can make it very difficult to discern reality. Sligar imagines the loss of control her characters experience when deep fakes invade their personal lives. The story circles around the powerful Weiland family (think Kennedys) who are haunted by a generational curse. I’m a sucker for an atmospheric novel, and this one is set on the family’s creepy estate on a private island in Maine—I swear I can feel the cold and taste the salt in the air just thinking about it. It’s gothic and edgy and beautifully written, and explores the terrifying potential of technology gone too far. If you loved Succession, you'll connect with this book.

What can you tell us about your work-in-progress?