Name: Erica Davis Secor
Website URL: ericasecorwrites.weebly.com
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @TheDavisGirl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericasecor
Blogger: ConfessionsOfaPhDidnt.blogspot.com
Book Title:
Confessions of a PhDidn’t: How to Quit Grad School Like a Champ
NFAA Chapter Location:
Lexington, SC
NFAA Meetup Group Link:
Tell us a bit about you. What kinds of writing do you do and what do you do for work?
I work with the Council for Adult Experiential Learning and am a contributing member of The Midnight Society. I write horror for kids and nonfiction for all ages.
What are your publishing-related goals?
I want to write and publish the books I have always needed but never had.
Why motivated you to want to run a local chapter for NFAA and what do you hope to accomplish with your chapter?
Last spring, a nonfiction book idea hit me hard. Needing a break from my middle grade horror WIP, I transferred my efforts to learning as much as I could about the nonfiction proposal process, but that took me so far. I wondered who might know more about this process, and then stumbled across NFAA. Since we did not have a chapter here yet, it only made sense to apply.
My hope for this chapter is to find my local nonfiction people. The rest will follow.
What advice would you offer to fellow writers?
Never stop quitting. And write the book you want to read. And get more chocolate. Dark chocolate.
Please list any favorite books, tools, or resources you would recommend for fellow writers.
I feel as though I’ve bought almost every book on writing, but all I did with them was justify procrastinating.
Now, my resources are the books I enjoy. These are just some I use as models for my own craft:
- Bossypants by Tina Fey helps me with comedic timing
- People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen Mann helps me with honesty
- The BFF Bucket List By Dee Romito helps me with plot and pacing
- Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence helps me love Jane Austen even more
- Travels by Michael Crichton helps me translate my real-life experiences into readable narratives
What do you do for fun?
I crochet shapeless items while re-watching film adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would love to hear from my fellow PhDidn’ts (anyone who chose to quit grad school). Also, I think I am obsessed with Jane Austen.
