“Sit down and even if you don’t have a story that you’re working on, or a or a novel or a plot in mind that you want to write. Go to the page as often as you can and just write something.”
Quick Facts
Education:
- Undergraduate studies at Duke University in English, Durham, NC
- Evening Creative Writing Course for 1 Quarter at Queens University, Charlotte, NC
- Received Law Degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law
About
Lover of turtles and words, Kristen Ness is an author who writes novels while bringing awareness to endangered sea inhabitants. She was inspired to write a book after encountering a set of turtle tracks on a heading away from the ocean but never returning while on vacation. The mystery of that turtle’s whereabouts sparked the story of her debut novel, At Loggerheads, a murder mystery set on a fictionalized barrier island off the coast of South Carolina.
Currently residing in Charleston, Kristen can be found at a coffee shop or on the shore writing her novels. Her stories reflect a passion for wildlife protection as she is an advocate for marine wildlife. Kristen’s advocacy is found not just through her writing, but also in her time volunteering for the Island Turtle Team through Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island.
When asked about balancing writing, work, and family life, Kristen acknowledges that “it’s something that you have to really keep doing on your own until at some point you have a publisher who has you under contract…but until you have that, it’s really up to you and how your schedule can work.”
Her advice to aspiring writers is simple and consistent. The time it takes to write might be long or tedious, but the reward for finishing the draft is unlike any other. “There’s no right way or wrong way to write,” she says. “You just have to write. Anytime you can find it, even if it’s just fifteen minutes.”
