What is your name/pen name/ name you are comfortable giving us?
Heidi Gilbert is my real name, but I think if I’m ever published I would most likely choose to go by H.R. Gilbert. I like the slight anonymity so people can’t judge me right away by race or gender if they pick up my book in a bookstore.
What project or projects, if any, are you currently working on?
I have two fantasy novels which I alternate working on. One is a full-scale epic fantasy, the other is something more like a hero’s journey, though it doesn’t follow a specific narrative formula.
What project or projects, if any, are on your back burner?
As most of my fellow writers in Pen & Pier know, I have one main project (the aforementioned epic fantasy) that I’ve worked on pretty obsessively for the past few years. I’ve told people I’m giving it a break for a while to work on my other project and practice different skills, writing other perspectives, etc., but I still add to my original project’s vast collection of info documents on a fairly regular basis when inspiration hits. My love for that particular story never dies.
Why do you write?
I’ve been through several forms of hell in life, but nothing has been able to destroy my creative soul. Writing is my lifeline, my passion, and my magic.
How long have you been writing? How much of that time seriously? (You define what seriously means.)
I have a memory of my mom buying me a huge stack of blank books (the hardcover kind with a blank cover you can design) when I was around 4-5 years old. I remember filling every page with whatever story-relevent words I could write, sparkly stickers, and illustrations of mostly ponies.
I’ve been writing “seriously” for the past 10 years– meaning I’ve been writing with the general intention of growing in my skills toward an end goal of being published while also just doing something I love and am passionate about.
Do you have any published works?
That’s a dream yet to come true! It would probably help if I actually finished a book first, and since I have three very little ones at home (currently 4, 2, and 5 months), I think the timeline may realistically be a bit long. I’m not in any hurry for the time being though. I’m enjoying the freedom of simply being able to do what I enjoy without any pressure while also perfecting my craft, and while I always make time for writing here and there during the week, in this season of life my first priority is devoting my time and energy to raising my kids the best I can.
What is the best part of writing for you?
Such a hard question with so many answers. I love to see my characters come alive. I love it when I get to the point where I know them so well that I can write them completely without thinking. I also enjoy the process of getting to know them– their strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, the ways they talk and interact with other characters, the first time they say something profound or witty– and then developing a character arc where they grow and change.
So yeah, probably just generally creating characters and watching them in action. Second to that, I love storytelling. I enjoy inventing a plot that intrigues me, then following my chosen character as they attempt to navigate the mayhem I’ve set before them. I get such a thrill out of creating an impossible task and then finding creative ways to accomplish it using whichever characters I’ve selected for the mission and seeing how they would pull it off.
What is the hardest part of writing to you?
The impostor syndrome, hands down. I will sometimes write something I think is great, then I immediately proceed to get in my own way by telling myself that it’s already been done before, therefore I can’t do it, it’s not good enough, etc etc. I then generally remind myself that I can try to execute said great idea in a unique way, but following that I overthink it to the point where my entire plot comes to a standstill and the idea loses all its original enchantment.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I don’t get writer’s block. My current stories are like puzzles: I have a table (or Scrivener folder:)) full of different pieces that will eventually come together to form the finished picture I have in my head. I play around with and rotate the pieces until they fit together in a way I like.
I’m definitely a discovery writer and tend to work best by creating a very broad structure/outline, then within that adding up what I like and what I intuitively feel works well and eliminating what I don’t, and what just needs to be eliminated. I guess it’s a whole process like any art. I try to be pretty open-minded when I write and am always experimenting with different things, so I think that probably keeps me from getting stuck.
Have you ever seen the sun set over the ocean? (We’re Pen & Pier, we have to include the Pier somewhere.)
Not only have I watched the sun set over the ocean, I actually often drive to my favorite beach at the end of the day to recharge and bring writing with me.
How did you find Pen & Pier?
With a flourish and a regal bow I say I was, in fact, one of the founders.
What is your favorite genre to write? What is your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy and fantasy. I’ve read and enjoy many genres, but fantasy will probably always be my favorite. It speaks most to my love of the beautiful, whimsical, and awe-inspiring.
If you could collaborate with any writer, who would that be?
Any writer? Like any any???
Anyone in P&P probably already knows my answer and can hear my immature little fangirl scream from a mile away.
Would you like to live in your own stories? Why, or why not?
I could see it being an epic temporary experience, but live in them? Probably not. I’d love to meet my characters, and in some ways I think the societies are far more wholesome, but I’d rather they came to my world where modern convenience is a thing.
Do you have a favorite joke? (You can tell us, but you don’t have to.)
It legitimately took me weeks to think about this and I just couldn’t think of a joke that made me laugh. My sense of humor is more spontaneous mishaps and whimsical anecdotes.
What book(s) or stories would you want everyone to read? The one(s) that keep you going all night, if someone asks about them.
I mean… you asked, so you brought my predictable answer on yourself.
The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. And Mistborn (also Brandon Sanderson). Those are my top favs currently. Honestly anything by Brandon Sanderson.
I also enjoy the whimsy of the Harry Potter series (no, I will never grow up, and no, I don’t judge a book by its author), currently several of T. Kingfisher’s books, and this may be the most cliche answer ever from a fantasy writer, but I really do love The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
What are you looking forward to the most for your writing within the next year?
I don’t anticipate any major changes in the next year. For now just continuing to read, write, and generally grow in my abilities, build my skillset, and have fun.
If you would like, share your sites and socials here.
I am currently locked in my hobbit hole, hoarding my secrets and shutting the world out until my work is ready for reading. 🙂