"The Submission" by Amy Waldman

Jeff Glor talks to Amy Waldman about "The Submission, " her post-9/11 novel that's received extraordinary critical praise.

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Amy Waldman: The idea came from a conversation with a friend about Maya Lin and the controversy when she was selected to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A small piece of the resistance came from her being Asian-American, which got me thinking about what would happen if an American Muslim won a similar competition for 9/11. I pursued it partly because I kept thinking, "what would happen?" But also because it seemed a great way into the broader question about who we were as a country in the wake of 9/11.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

AW: How important it is to let go, lose control -- to free your imagination instead of trying to force it in a certain direction.

And how much I had to throw out, even if I loved it, because it just didn't fit. I always thought that phrase "kill your darlings" referred to sentences. Now I know it can also mean whole scenes.

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

AW: I'm not sure I'm qualified to do anything else. I'd be an artist or architect if I had the talent, a gardener if I had the stamina.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

AW: A book of poetry, "Memorial," by Alice Oswald.

JG: What's next for you?

AW: Another novel, which I've just started but am very excited about!

MORE VIDEO:

Jeff Glor talks to Amy Waldman about her post-9/11 novel, "The Submission," and the identity conflict that one of the main characters experiences.

Jeff Glor talks to Amy Waldman about her novel, "The Submission," her experience in Afghanistan and the actual 9/11 Memorial.

For more on "The Submission," visit the Macmillan website.