Julie Novakova was born in 1991 in Prague, the Czech Republic. She works as a writer, evolutionary biologist and occasional translator. So far, she has published five novels and more than thirty short stories in Czech, and three stories in English.I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, more seriously from about the age of fourteen. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, read a lot and been curious about the world around me – so I quite naturally started devising new stories and writing them.
2. What is the best piece of advice you have for new writers?
Read a lot and don’t narrow your reading scope too much, try to write every day, think critically but don’t self-reject.
3. Are there any writing resources, such as books or websites, you’d like to recommend?
I visit writing resources sites only occasionally – after all, if I’m reading about the writing process, I’m not actually writing at the moment! Or doing research for my story. Or otherwise working. Or enjoying precious free time… When I want some writing tips regarding specific topics, Google is my friend and I trust my ability to sift through the results.
If you mean resources for my fiction, not about writing, well – anything can become a resource. A class at the university. A stroll outside. Anything. I’d recommend sites like phys.org, extremetech.com or wired.com as a great resource for science fictional ideas.
4. What is your favorite type of fiction and who are your favorite authors?
I read mostly speculative fiction, especially SF. I’d say that Greg Egan and Peter Watts are my favorite authors of SF but certainly not the only ones I love to read. Reynolds, Liu, Brin, Bear (be it Elizabeth or Greg), de Bodard… I could continue like that a while. Well, you get the picture – I just like good SF. Besides speculative fiction, I read a lot of nonfiction, detective and historical stories.
5. What tips do you have for finding time to write?
I write whenever I can – and sometimes also when I should be doing something else entirely. Balancing writing fiction and nonfiction, translating, editing and studying biology at the university is sometimes difficult but they’re things I enjoy, and that might be a part of the answer. If you enjoy writing and don’t have a self-destructive lifestyle, I think you’ll find time – if not always easily.
6. Do you prefer to outline a story in advance or write on the fly? Why?
Sometimes the former, sometimes the latter – depends on the story. I always use outlines when writing novels, usually sketch out one for a short story or a novelette, and often write shorter stories or flash fiction on the fly. A Different Kind of Story originated this way – it had begun as a wild idea, an experiment of imagination, and I was just compelled to write it: no outline, no previous planning.
7. How do you deal with rejections?
If they include a critique of the story, I try to improve it. Otherwise, if no improvements occur to me, I simply resubmit somewhere else if there is a suitable market I’m familiar with.
8. What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?
I should finish a novel by September and I’d like to write at least one or two short stories in the meantime as well. However, finishing a diploma thesis by the end of April is currently my priority.
9. For the next five years?
Wow, five years? Let’s think big – a Hugo or two ;)? Okay, now more seriously – I don’t have any concrete plans like: “Write a novel each year. Check.” I simply plan to write as much as I want and can and succeed in finding a good audience for each story.
10. Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.
Sure. Readers who would like to check out my blog and previously published stories can do so at my personal website. And if they’re interested in the differences between Angloamerican and Czech speculative fiction markets, they can check out my article in the newest issue of Clarkesworld [will be published in April].
