This is usually the first question people ask and it's the hardest
to answer. Sometimes I'll read a novel or an article in a
magazine and I just get the tiniest glimmer of an idea. It's usually
one of those "What if...?" moments. Even more bizarrely I'll
dream a scene at night and have to write it down asap the next
morning before I forget it. Often I'll read or watch a plot and
immediately think how I would write it, develop it, change it.
Basically, there are only 32 plots in the entire universe. What
makes us read and endlessly rewrite them comes down to the
individual voice of the story teller. So listen to your instincts,
allow yourself to daydream. It's very productive.
Q: Where do you write?
I have an old pine box-top desk with a crack running right across
the middle of it. My mouse always gets caught on it. In front of
me is a empty wall painted chinese yellow. I'm still trying to find
something I like to hang above the desk but so far no luck To
my right is a window which doesn't have the greatest view-but
that stops me getting up and going to look outside when I 'm
supposed to be writing.. On my desk I have a pile of paper,
spiral notebooks and writing magazines which I constantly try
and keep down to a reasonable size. I also have a stack of lined
index cards which I use to jot down anything from an internet
site, to a plot progression chart, to whose birthday I've forgotten.
They are invaluable-and woe betide anyone who attempts to
tidy them up! On my left is a bookcase packed with too many
books, stacks of printer paper and a three foot high pile of
completed manuscripts. Organized chaos I suppose but it's my
little corner.
Q: Why do you do it?
Why do I write? Because it's important to me. Like a lot of avid
readers I had one of those conceited moments when I thought-I
can do just as well as... (insert published authors name here).
It's hard work. I don't think most people realize the amount of
effort that goes into completing a manuscript, especially when
no one actually cares whether you do it or not and the likelihood
of ever getting paid to write seems a distant impossible dream.
Writing is a part of my identity. it's the part that has nothing to
do with being a wife, mother, daughter, sister or friend. It's totally
for me. It keeps me sane and balanced when everything else
around me is crazy.
Q: Why write romance novels-couldn't you write a 'real' book?
Now this question makes me gnash my teeth. Just because
genre fiction has a certain predictability to it-why make out it's
inferior, especially if it's a romance novel? Romance novels sell
because intelligent 21st century women continue to want to
read them. What's wrong with reading a novel that has a happy
ending or the potential for one? Women aren't stupid-we can
distinguish between reality and fiction-(I still maintain we're the
more practical pragmatic sex). We're not pining after unrealistic
love stories which make us dissatisfied with our lives. We like to
read about people solving problems within their relationships
and loving each other-that's healthy and good. I'll get off my
soap box now. Please feel free to contact me and disagree!
Q: Any writing rituals?
I don't get a lot of time to write having four kids. but I'm still
excellent at wasting as much time as possible before I actually
get a word on the page. I check my email, I check my 'other'
email. I logon to my online RWA group and chat -a lot. I check
my website ratings-I'm still amazed that people other than me
and my DH actually view it. Then I get out my sour jelly belly's. I
eat them in a particular order as I read through what I wrote the
day before (bright yellow, dark yellow, orange, bright blue, dark
blue, light green , dark green, pink , light red dark red-in case
you are interested) . Then I write something
