Lynda Rutledge at a Glance

Full Name: Lynda Rutledge

Pronunciation: LIN-duh RUHT-lej

Born: June 8, 1950

Nationality: United States

Education:

• BA, American Literature
• MA, American Literature
• MFA, Creative Writing

Genres:

• Fiction
• Travel writing
• Journalism

Biography & Background

Lynda Rutledge Biography

As a child, Lynda Rutledge had no interest in writing. According to her, this was because she was “too busy trying to break [her] little tomboy neck” (Rutledge). However, she did grow up on a steady diet of Superman comics, Nancy Drew novels, and Hardy Boys mysteries, all of which served as a gateway into the wider world of American literature, leading to her lifelong passion. In college, she studied American literature and creative writing, then launched a richly varied, 25-year career in travel writing, copy writing, and freelance journalism, contributing to publications like the San Diego Union Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times.

In 2008, she submitted two manuscripts (one fiction and one nonfiction) to a manuscript competition hosted by the Writers’ League of Texas, which offers detailed critiques to participants. Although her nonfiction manuscript won in its category, her fiction manuscript, Provenance, scored poorly in two categories. Rutledge maintains that losing this competition was better than winning, as she took the critique to heart and fixed the manuscript’s weak points.