Interview with Returning Author - Tracy Adrian Runner Up in the WOW! Q4 2024 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

Congratulations to Tracy Adrian from Nevada for her award-winning story, "Random Shit That Comes Up in Therapy" and to all of the other contestants and winners of the WOW! Women on Writing Quarter 4 2024 Essay Contest!

Today, I'm excited to interview Tracy about her award-winning essay but... I have to be honest, this is not our first time! If you'd like to read our first interview together - you'll find it by clicking here. 

Interview by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

WOW: Welcome, Traci! Thank you for being here with me (again) today - I'm sure our WOW! readers are excited as I am to learn more about you and Random Shit That Comes Up in Therapy! Readers - if you haven't already, pop over and read Random Shit That Comes Up in Therapy and then return here for this fun interview! Don't rush - we will wait! And of course - here's a little more about Tracy:

Tracy's Bio:

Tracy discovered her passion for writing late in life. 

Her youth was busily spent moving from house to dysfunctional house in the type of environments where she honed valuable survival skills such as denial, dissociation, people pleasing and daddy issues. These skills eventually blossomed into rebellion and self-destructive tendencies, and at fifteen she attended the prestigious Red Wing Juvenile Correctional School for Boys, (the only girl in an experimental program). 

Tracy went on to many of Minnesota’s finest shelters and detention centers as a teen. She followed up with years of disastrous life choices and shockingly poor romantic judgments.

Today, she marvels at the strange road behind her, which somehow led to overwhelming gratitude and a sweet, sweet life she wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. 

Tracy is a wife, mom, Realtor, and private pilot. She adores WOW’s CNF contest and tries to enter every quarter. Her essay “Chains” appeared as a finalist in WOW’s summer 2023 issue.

Now that everyone has had a chance to read your fabulous submission - let's get down to it, shall we?

Thank you Tracy for submitting - it's been a while, so fill me in girl! What have you been up to, what's next, tell me all the things! It's holiday time again to - so Happy Holidays! I have so much to ask.

Tracy: Happy Holidays! I am so excited to be talking with you again, Crystal! 

Sometime after we spoke last year, I decided to fully commit to writing a memoir. A terrifying aspiration to send out into the universe. What if I can't finish it? What if it totally sucks? What if my ex reads it and hires someone to murder me? Typical concerns I'm sure every memoirist struggles with. But I'd been writing it in fragments for years anyway, so I finally admitted it out loud. Once I made the declaration, it was magically easier to allow myself the indulgence of spending time and resources on it. I applied for residencies, sent essays to publications I thought might be a fit, attended writers retreats and conferences. The book became a joyful priority.

WOW:  That's wonderful news that the declaration inspired change! I'm so glad you made your book a priority. What inspires you to submit your work for our contests? What advice do you have for other writers when it comes to writing, submitting, etc.?

Tracy:   I love the WOW contest because it gives me something to strive for. It's a thrill every quarter to obsessively check my email and see if I made it to the second round, and if I'm so fortunate, opening the email announcing the finalists is like Christmas morning. 

 Also, the feedback is invaluable to see what works and what doesn't. I have so many blind spots in my writing and a thoughtful critique from a neutral third party sheds welcomed light on these blind spots. In contrast, that same critique from my husband (another writer), might elicit, let's just say, the teensiest bit of irritation. So the WOW contest can benefit marriages as well as writing. 

 Decades ago, when I was a newborn real estate agent, building a business from nothing involved a lot of rejection. To this day, I hear eighty percent don't make it through their second year. A seasoned and extremely wealthy Realtor in my city offered this advice, "If I told you today you would be rejected on your first fifty listing appointments but thereafter you would begin signing clients, how quickly would you get those first fifty out of the way?" I began knocking out appointments that week, and her words
have always stuck with me. 

 So last year I made myself a binder titled, "First Fifty Rejections." It contains submissions to magazines, writers residencies, even WOW essays, and their counterpart responses. Each one is numbered and I'm getting close to the magical fifty mark. This binder fills me with hope because I know I'm learning with each baby step and can see my efforts in a tangible way. I know I can't finish the memoir unless I become a better writer. At the same time, if I wait until I'm a better writer, my book will never happen.

WOW:  Aww, we love you too, and do we get together to burn the binder once you're published or how does this work? (That wasn't really a question - more of an idea.) On a more serious note, I remember from last time that we are both completely different animals without our daily coffee routine. What's your go to right now? 

Tracy:  It arrives on the Starbucks counter in a big chilly cup with a lid that allows turtle-friendly straw-less consumption and the first taste every day is sublime. I'm barely a human prior to that first sip, which is why I could never live in the wilderness.

WOW:  That's my kinda love language right there! I must confess though, it's entirely too cold in Wisconsin right now and I gravitate away from the ice cold beverages and stick with the warmth of a hot latte'.  Let's talk about something I can also relate to - in your bio you mention shockingly poor romantic judgments...girl...same. So, what does current day Tracy want to say to youthful Tracy? What advice would your modern day self give to your younger self when it comes to life, love, reading, writing, etc.

Tracy:  In a way, that’s the crux of my memoir, so here’s the truth. If I could go back in time, I would tell Young-me a million things, but most importantly to stop giving her power away to others. She was desperate for a life she thought had to be granted her from an outside entity, never realizing she had the ruby damn slippers on the whole time. I would tell her that even when she believed she was powerless, her actions had ripple effects, and that two of those ripples would hurt others and become a burden of shame she would carry the rest of her life. Then I would tell her that the only person who could ultimately release her from that shame would be herself. 

 Sadly, young-me was never a big advice-taker, so even if I had a time machine to get to her, she would probably take a long drag off her cigarette, a swig of Bud Light, and tell me where to shove my wise counsel. And here we would still be.

WOW:  Awesome advice! Now I'm even more excited to read your memoir - and in the meantime I'll just be over here in my dysfunction. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me! 

Tracy: These questions were fun to answer. Overall, I’m a lot less self-conscious than the first time around. I keep saying this, but I am SO GRATEFUL for all of you at WOW, and I wish you the happiest holidays and thank you so much for what you do.

 

WOW: Thank YOU Tracy - I know we will get together again soon and I'm eagerly awaiting the opportunity! 

Hugs! 

*

Interviewed by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto who just keeps on keeping on and can be found blogging and sharing on social media hashtag #raisingkidsandcattle #shelovesgodandsheridesgoodhorses #thankfulgratefulblessed 

 Check out the latest Contests: 

www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Interview with Tracy Adrian Runner Up in the WOW! Quarter 3 2023 Creative Nonfiction Contest with "Chains"

Congratulations to Tracy Adrian and Chains, and to all of the other contestants and winners of the WOW! Women on Writing Quarter 2 2023 Essay Contest!

 

 

 

Tracy's Bio: 

 

Originally from Minneapolis, Tracy moved to Southern Nevada in 1986, where she’s had many adventures and misadventures. I... I mean ‘she,’ is passionate about aviation, her blessing of an inner circle, helping her clients make smart real estate deals, and long walks under the desert moon. For the past several years, reading and writing creative nonfiction have become her most trusted vehicles for sorting out what it all means and exorcising some demons along the way.

*****interview by Crystal J Casavant-Otto*****

 

WOW:  I hope everyone has already read Chains and if not I recommend giving it a read and then returning here for our interview! Thank you for writing this essay. I am going to step back and start with your bio though - it's impressive! YOU are impressive! What made you passionate about aviation? Where did you get your start?

 

Tracy:   Growing up in a pretty chaotic and mostly poor environment, I never knew a pilot. I never knew that was even a possibility for someone like me. In this essay I refer to my first ever air show at a military base, but there was one civilian aircraft that did an amazing routine. Well when the plane taxied up this petite woman with this dark beautiful wild hair jumped out, and that was the first time I thought, someone like me can do this. BTW, her name is Patty Wagstaff, and she is a multiple-time world aerobatic champion. I actually met her (appropriately star struck) about 15 years later through a mutual friend and we traded outfits in a bathroom stall after an air show in Arizona. I gave her my favorite pair of overalls and I still have her cherished flight suit hanging in my closet. But that’s a whole other story.

Patty Wagstaff

WOW:  That's an amazing story! I love women empowering women - thank you for sharing this part of your story! I'm glad I asked - but I guess I better get back on topic - what does your writing space look like? If you say it's the cockpit of a plane I'll absolutely die...

Tracy: You’re going to laugh. Elizabeth Simms wrote about the importance of having a garret, or a hideaway where you won’t be interrupted, in which to create. My Garret is sitting in my car in the parking lot after I pick up my morning coffee. On special occasions I park at the airport or overlooking my city. I dictate into my Notes app and later send it to myself to print and edit. Oh, also when I go walking at night, I often sit down on a curb under a street light and talk into my phone. I’m sure I look like a crazy person. I am in the parking lot currently.

 

 WOW: Shut the front door - I did NOT see that coming! As a mother of 6 and work-a-holic, I promise I also spend a lot of time in my vhicle...but mine is a mom van. I get it and I don't think you're crazy at all! What's next for you? Summer is winding down, but there's a lot of 2023 left. What's your writing plan?

Tracy: I’m going to continue writing essays for the WOW contest because I absolutely feel the value in the practice, the feedback, and validation. I started writing so late in life and I think this is a safe place to learn how to express myself in a way that works. Long-term, I would like to write my own memoir. Wow, even saying that out loud sounds ridiculous because I’m so new on this journey. But if I’m honest, that’s what my end goal is. I spent so many years living this crazy life and now I want to write about it. Even if no one ever reads it besides me, because writing is the only way I know to make sense of a lot of things.

 

 WOW: You just made my heart happy and look forward to reading much more from you! The making sense of things is how I feel about journaling; during difficult times it helps me to put my words down to help my brain take a step back. Does journaling have a role in your life as well? 

Tracy: A few years ago, I became interested in writing when it seemed as though I was surrounded by writers. My husband had recently retired and gotten his MFA and another friend of ours, an author and English professor, suggested I might like to try a Small Steps writing workshop. Well, it was absolutely life-changing. That was the most nurturing and supportive group of women you could imagine, and even though what I wrote, especially in the beginning, was pretty awful, they always found some positive morsel to point out. 

Also, it was just the act of putting a personal experience out to a bunch of strangers and sort of breaking that ice that was invaluable. That first time I posted was incredibly terrifying. I mean my stomach felt queasy. Of course it gets easier as time goes on and you realize what you’re writing is not that precious or that big of a deal to anyone other than you. That helps a lot. I made a few writer friends in that group that I’m still in touch with. Isn’t that beautiful? And I learned how much I love to read non-fiction from other women who are taking risks and putting their authentic selves out there. What I found is that it’s not writing something perfectly that connects with me as a reader as much as writing something real. And that’s what artists have known since the beginning of time, but I am just now discovering in my 50’s.

WOW: That's such a great positive experience - thank you for sharing! One last question as our time comes to a close; I hope you don't mind my sharing how excited you were when I contacted you about today's interview... your enthusiasm was contagious! Was this your first contest, what is your history with contests? How did you chose this one? What would you tell others about entering writing contests?

Tracy: My friend recommended this contest and what I love so much about it is that we are women writing for other women, and trust me, I have submitted some pretty crappy attempts, and the feedback is gently honest. I have no formal education and this feels like a venue I can grow in. 

I was unbelievably thrilled the first time I had a submission make it to the second round, but being selected as a runner up… I can’t tell you what a huge deal it was for me. I mean, of course my husband and friends are going to say they love my work, but having someone that I don’t know validate my writing for the first time…huge. 

I would tell other writers (and tell myself), that when you think your piece is ready to submit, give it a few days on the shelf and then come back and look with fresh eyes. All those tiny typos or redundancies will jump out so you can fix them before you hit send. And write something so personal you feel your eyes tear up until you can’t see the page anymore. That will probably resonate with someone.

 

WOW: Thank you ever so much Tracy for sharing your essay and your thoughts today - we look forward to reading more of your work as you enter our future contests! Congratulations again! 

Interviewed by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto who just keeps on keeping on and can be found blogging and sharing on social media hashtag #raisingkidsandcattle

 Check out the latest Contests: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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