PACCHIAROTTI
MARISA
MARISA PACCHIAROTTI
What motivates you as a writer?
​
​
As a writer, I am motivated by the joy of storytelling! Since I was child—artsy, animated, and collecting quotes in the little book my Grandmother gave me—I’ve always loved telling stories and hearing them told. That has grown a love for the deep, joyful stories at the heart of everyday human life. I like to write to remind people (and myself!) of what we already know deep inside, and of the things that make us all laugh and rejoice. Because as William Deresiewcz wrote: “What fills our days should fill our hearts, and what fills our hearts should fill our novels.”
What types of books do you like to read?
​
I love to read historical fiction, and enjoy the wild adventures that can so easily take place in worlds of horseback riding, carriages, train-travel, and tall ships. I look for books that do not dwell in tragedy or hopelessness but point their readers back to the light. I will always admire the work of Tessa Afshar, Bryan Litfin, Carolyn Weber, and J.R.R Tolkien for how they do this. I also love reading fairy tale retellings, light fantasy, poetry, and adorably illustrated children’s books. Sometimes the simplest stories tell the tale best!
How has becoming a writer affected your own reading habits?
​
Being an author has made me care much more about what I read. Knowing that what I take in will affect how and what I write makes me more attentive. I also find myself pin-pointing exactly what I do and don’t like about a story more frequently and when I find a good book, I treasure it like the work of effort and art that I now know it is!
