How did you become a writer? I always loved to write stories, from the time I was a little kid, and I loved to read, too. I feel like I always knew it was what I wanted to do. I studied some other things (psychology, history, American Studies) and worked in museums before transitioning to working at a bookstore and then finally getting a book contract and becoming a full-time writer.
Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.). When I was fifteen, I read Joyce Carol Oates’s Because it Is Bitter and Because it Is My Heart and I Lock My Door Upon Myself, and though I’d thought before about wanting to write novels, the experience I had reading these two books cemented that I really wanted to try to make a career of it. I still draw inspiration from the feeling I had then, which was of being understood completely at the same time that I was being swept away into another world. Then, when I was seventeen, I had the opportunity to meet Minnesota writer Frederick Manfred, and he read some of my writing and told me I would be published by the time I was thirty. I was inspired to try to prove him right! Beyond that, I've always read widely and constantly, from classics to bestsellers and everything in between. I love family sagas, mysteries, memoirs and biographies, and historical, literary, and commercial fiction. I look carefully at everything I read and try to figure out why something works or why it doesn't. I feel like I learn something from everything I read. Also, working at an independent bookstore for a number of years, I was constantly interacting with passionate readers, and they helped me understand a lot about the experience they're looking for when they pick up a novel. I would say they were tremendously influential, as well.
When and where do you write? I write first thing in the morning (sometimes this is 5 am, sometimes more like 8 am) until noonish. I write everywhere in my house, depending on my mood and the weather. Sofa, dining room table, desk in the upstairs office, kitchen counter, front porch. If I’m writing a first draft, I prefer to be reclined on the sofa. For editing, I’m more likely to sit up straight at a desk or table. If the weather’s nice, I love to be outside.
What are you working on now? A family saga set on the coast of Maine which spans from the 1930s to 2010, with three generations of strong women at its heart.
Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? There have definitely been times when the writing doesn't flow easily, and there have been weeks or even months in a row where I haven't written because life has made other demands. At those times, I do sometimes wonder if any more ideas will come. But when I sit down to write with a goal in mind, I have a pretty good system for keeping myself on track.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received? I think the most transformative feedback I got was in a workshop led by J. Robert Lennon in about 2004. He and the other students in the workshop all pointed out that I seemed not to want anything bad to happen to my characters, nor anything impolite to be said about them. It was surprising to me to realize that if I wanted to write interesting fiction, I was going to have to let go of my Minnesota-nice upbringing and start getting more honest -- and even maybe a little mean. :)
What’s your advice to new writers? Everyone says “don’t give up” and “stay in your chair.” I agree with those pieces of advice! One thing I would also add is “find your true voice.” Write about things you truly care about, in a way that sounds right to you. Authentic storytelling is what will finally resonate with readers – not with all of them, but with the ones you’re meant to find, and who are meant to find you.
Ellen Baker is the author of the novel The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, which was the HarperCollins Lead Read for Winter 2024, an Indie Next pick, a People Best New Book, and a Woman's World Best New Book. It was also named as one of winter's most anticipated books by Goodreads and placed on multiple Best-of lists by BookBub, including Best Historical Fiction of 2024. Authors including Lisa Wingate, Tara Conklin, Kim Michele Richardson, Thao Thai and Kristin Harmel praised it respectively as “colorful,” “gorgeous,” “electrifying,” “riveting” and “beautiful. Ellen’s earlier novels, Keeping the House and I Gave My Heart to Know This, both published by Random House, were called “masterful” (Booklist), “vivid” (Chicago Tribune), and “artful” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Keeping the House won the Great Lakes Book Award and was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year, as well as an Insider Discovery of the Literary Guild, a featured selection of the Doubleday Book Club and Random House Reader’s Circle, a BookSense Notable Book, and a Midwest Connections Pick.
After living most of her early life in Minnesota and Wisconsin, Ellen currently resides on the coast of Maine. Her online course, Start Your Novel With Confidence, offering a proven framework for getting your novel started plus a year of group coaching to support you as you write it, is available through www.ellenbakercreative.com.
