Kids of Faith Online Magazine

Meet the Contributors: Catey

May 14, 2009

Catey is an intelligent young lady with an evident love for the Lord. She’s dedicated to using her talents in writing and speaking to give God glory and make an impact. In this interview, Catey sat down with her sister Jocelberry to answer a few questions.

–

Do you think your style of writing has changed as you’ve gotten older?

Oh! Most definitely. I read back over some of the things I wrote when I was eleven and twelve (I wrote my first novel at that age) and I can’t believe how horrible some of it sounds. Back then, I used to write largely fantasy in a really flat, boring style. Now, I’m learning to flesh out my stories and I write just about everything.

Do you like typing stories or using notebooks? If you use notebooks, what kind of writing utensils do you use?

I have to do both. I get terrible cramps in my shoulders if I write exclusively in notebooks, but my creative process tends to be a little more complete when I write with pens. Strange enough. When I write in notebooks, I have a few favorite pens. I have a purple mechanical pencil that I got for my birthday that I love, a silver Parker pen that I got for Christmas, and a blue, very heavy pen that I got from my grandmother.

Do your stories grow unexpectedly?

All the time. Short stories are NOT my strong point (for me, a short story should be anywhere under 30,000 words. Usually I’m required to write under 1,500 words, unfortunately).

Do the books you like having a certain theme to them? And are they usually similar to your works?

Yes. I like stories that make my heart pound and my mind take off and grow wings. I like to be able to experience things I’ve never experienced before through my reading. Because of that, my favorite books usually involve very well-developed characters that stick out in my mind, very, very little romance, and some creepy or borderline creepy elements (like a society of total fear or time-space continuums or things like that) and a healthy dose of “smart” (meaning, you have to be thinking to understand my books). Generally speaking, I incorporate those elements into my stories.

Do you usually write back in time, ahead in time, or in the present?

They tend to sound like they’re in the present, when they’re really in the not-so-distant future. My books would probably be classified as thriller or prophecy fiction in most Christian bookstores (which is somewhat weird, because you would never guess it if you met me), and deal mostly with the future.

Do you ever imitate the styles of books you’ve read?

I used to be the most horrible imitator of fantasy ever. I try not to imitate so poorly as that now, but I do find myself picking up elements from my favorite authors.

What works would you most like to get published?

Every novelist most wants their novels published, I would guess. But I’m currently pursuing publication with an interview, a few devotionals and some short stories (short stories and devotionals have been, historically, my most publication-ready pieces).

What’s your least favorite thing to write?

Funny you should ask… I really hate autobiography/interviews. I can’t stand them. Obviously, I’m getting over that, somewhat.

What is your favorite thing to write about your characters?

I love to express the way they think and feel, getting inside their heads. My characters are me – they make me. I love to be with my characters, to talk with them, to enjoy them, not just in the analytical sense of ‘I write you’ but also just in the personal sense as ‘you write me, too’.

Do you incorporate romance into your writing?

Absolutely not. Cheap romance has no place in my writings. My characters are too busy trying to save the world to fall in love.

Do you like to incorporate your faith into your writing?

Always. Faith is the centerpiece of any Christian writer’s works.

How has your writing influenced your faith?

In every way. John K. Hutchens said, “A writer and nothing else: a man alone in a room with the English language, trying to get human feelings right.” As a Christian writer, I have an even bigger job. I am trying to get a relationship with God right as I tell my stories. I find myself understanding God more as my characters are forced to stare him in the face.

What do you write, just for fun?

What? For fun? That exists? I usually write fiction or character development when I write in my free time. I have probably dozens of fully-developed characters waiting for a story just sitting around. My novels are work as well as fun, though.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Not writing? That exists too? I do a lot of things. I especially enjoy speaking. I’m a community speaker with the Institute for Cultural Communicators and next year I’ll be speaking competitively too. Interpretations are my favorite (when you get to take a piece of literature and present it dramatically). I also like to braid hair, knit, crochet, play with my Sparks group or my little brothers, play cards with my sister Carli and talk about totally random things with my sister Jocelyn (Jocelberry).

And, because I had to ask…who is your brother’s mother’s husband’s best friend’s pet duck’s trainer’s godfather’s great, great, great, great grandfather?

Susie!

Entry Filed under: About KOF, Beauty, Being Kids of Faith, Catey, Featured Articles, Fun, God's Creation, Jocelberry, Making an Impact, May/June 2009, Meet the Contributors Interviews, Summer Issues, Writing. .