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MEET KATHY MCCULLOUGH (2/2012)
by Bonnie O'Brian

Did you write stories when you were growing up? At school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

Kathy McCullough

I’ve been writing creatively, since I learned how to write. When I was very young I mostly wrote poetry. When I was in seventh grade, I had two amazing English teachers and they inspired me to begin writing stories. I had another great creative writing teacher in college, who required that we write one story a week, and my writing really began to improve after this.

When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

I began to dream seriously of becoming a professional writer when I was in junior high school. I’ve tried to do other things, pursue other professions, but I don’t feel I’m myself unless I’m immersing myself in some new world I’ve created. It’s where I want to be.

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

I went to film school at Columbia University after I graduated from Cornell University. I had several jobs while I was at Columbia to help pay for school and my room and board: I worked in the film department equipment room; I was a projectionist and a teaching assistant for different classes; I transcribed depositions for a legal firm at night; I did mailings for an educational film company; and I temped in offices around New York City.

Do you do other types of writing?

I also work as a screenwriter and write for television. In addition, I’ve written many articles on screenwriting for magazines. I’ve had some children’s poetry published as well.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

I’ve tried juggling book ideas, but I find that I really need to work on one thing at a time. However, I do occasionally take a break from my current work to make notes or brainstorm about other ideas.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

I try to write every day, but on weekends, it can be difficult, because that’s usually when I’m catching up on everything I’ve neglected during the week. During the week, on an ideal day, I work three hours in the morning and three hours at night. Sometimes, I have too much to do online and that takes up my morning, but I always try to get in the three hours in the evening, no matter what.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

I would love for them to come away with a greater appreciation for books and how they are created, and to realize that everybody has a story to tell. I want them to understand that even if they’re writing fantasy, they can atill use their own experiences in bringing their stories to life.

What do you see as your writing strengths?
 
Because I come from screenwriting, I’m best at dialogue and structure, since these are the key elements of a script, although structure is a lot more complicated in fiction. In film school, our teachers had us watch films and write down all the scenes, and then groups those into sequences, and then the sequences into acts. This helped me a lot. This is harder to do with books, which are more complex, but I am always conscious when I’m reading other people’s work of where the dramatic developments and complications are occurring.

Have you found similar themes recurring in your work?

I don’t write with a theme in mind. Instead, after I’ve completed a couple of drafts, I look for what the emotional spine is of the story. However, I would say that my stories almost always seem to be about redemption on some level. The protagonist, who has selfish motives to start, redeems himself or herself while also transforming his or her surroundings for the better and experiencing personal growth; the protagonist becomes the person they are meant to be. I don’t set out to do this in a story, but I can’t seem to get away from it! It’s important to me that a story be more than just the “plot.” I want to follow the characters on a personal and emotional journey of some kind, because novels that have that element are those that are my favorites as a reader.