[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Welcome to who’s on fourth where we interview one member of the yeah write community and the interview will publish the fourth Monday of each month. Next in the series features Arden of Arden Ruth Writes interviewing Nancy of Chef’s Last Diet.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]
yeah write on yeah write: Arden interviews Nancy
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In 2013, yeah write participated in the NaBloPoMo challenge and Nancy of Chef’s Last Diet joined us for the first time during that busy November. It was a fun and exciting time. In fact, we may just be doing something like it again. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon!
For Nancy, NaBloPoMo gave her chance to really challenge herself, especially by forcing herself to write daily for a whole month. That discipline is what made Nancy stick around once the November challenge came to an end.
I love the discipline of writing weekly. I love reading what others write, and the support is fantastic. Belonging to yeah write makes me feel like a real writer.
You can usually find Nancy on the nonfiction grid where her personal essays weave her love of food into everyday experiences. I struggle myself with writing personal essays so I particularly look to writers such as Nancy when I need to see someone who is doing it right. She also handles fragile subjects in a way that most can’t seen to grasp. As Rowan, yeah write’s submission editor, stated:
Nancy has a knack for handling delicate, sentimental subjects without veering into the maudlin.
As always, I asked Nancy for any advice she has for our virgins and lurkers waiting to take their first turn on a grid. Though short and sweet, it says exactly what we here at yeah write seem to be saying over and over. See? It’s not just us who believes this!
Take yourself seriously, stay open to feedback, and read writers you admire.
Like myself, Nancy started writing later in life.
I had always wanted to write, but was fearful. A few years ago I had a middle of the night epiphany and woke with a clear vision in my head to start Chef’s Last Diet, and once I started writing I was amazed at how much I had to say. Now I can hardly stop.
Now that she’s established her love for writing with an excellent website, I asked Nancy where she sees her writing down the road.
Naturally I’d love to have my blog as well known as Smitten Kitchen, but I also have some non-food related writing I’m working on.
When Nancy isn’t writing, you can find her either working or (surprise!) cooking. You can also find her nose stuck in any number of books piling high in a stack on her bedside table. Of course, family comes first in her life and her daughter is a large part of that.
My immediate family is just my daughter and me, but I come from a large blended family, two sisters and a brother. My daughter is 15, and every day I am thankful for her, and what a joy she is.
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Thank you Nancy for letting us get to know you a little better here at yeah write. We are so happy to have you in our community! Make sure you follow Nancy’s blog, Chef’s Last Diet. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”25735″ alignment=”right”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Have you ever thought of becoming a yeah write member but wasn’t sure if it was worth it? Nancy became a silver member pretty early on when we initially rolled out the new program, and she didn’t waste any time putting her perks to use. During yeah write #209, she used one of her editorial consultations by sending in a personal essay before the grid opened for a critique from our submissions editor, Rowan. She took Rowan’s edits in stride, making the necessary changes to her piece and submitting it to the grid. What did it nab her? A wonderful essay and an editor’s pick that week to boot.
Taking constructive criticism well is a necessary part to being a great writer and we love seeing you all take these love letters with (mostly) a grain of salt. We know it stings. We’ve all been there as well, but you have to push past the pain and understand that ourselves, as well as other editors in your life, are just trying to help you tone your craft and help bring the best writing out of you.
Interested in seeing what else a yeah write membership can give you? Check out our membership page for additional details.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Oh, you want more? Well here are five things you never knew about Nancy:
- When she was a kid she hated tuna fish and French fries.
- Her favorite thing to do on a weekend morning is stay in bed and read.
- She loves the beach, but only in the early morning or late afternoon; she can’t stand being in the midday sun.
- She has two cats, Abby and James Bond.
- She used to own a pottery studio in NYC called Fireworks where she taught classes, did children’s pottery parties and made her own work which she sold in a gallery on Madison Avenue.
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Are you ready for the yeah write #237 weekly writing challenges opening this week? We hope so! Your badges await in the sidebar. Grab the code, paste into the text or HTML view of your post, then submit your post to the grids for a little friendly competition. We’re glad you’re here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
