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Frequently Asked Questions |
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| Q. |
Do you have a
favourite character that you've created? |
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| A. |
I can honestly say that my
favourite character, so far is
Karbel, a sabre toothed tiger who you will meet in The Beast, The
Reawakening and Rampage. The more I wrote about him, the better I got to
know him. At times however, as I was writing, I found myself glancing over
my shoulder to make sure he wasn't sneaking up on me.
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| Q. |
Do you ever get
"writer's block" when you can't think of what to write next? |
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| A. |
Sometimes, so it helps to plan
your story, and if you can plan it scene-by-scene, all the better. If you
can picture what's going to happen next as if it was a scene on television,
you can simply start describing what you 'see'. If you're really stuck see
if you can bring someone new into your story at that point. Sometimes
however you might need to walk away from your computer or notebook and do
something completely different. This can refresh the old brain cells, and
you'll probably find while you're walking the dog or riding your bike, the
next bit of your story will jump into your head, and you'll be ready to get
writing again.
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| Q. |
How do you
feel if something you've written gets rejected by a publisher? |
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| A. |
Terrible! But
it happens to just about every writer - even the really famous ones. The
trick is, not to get too downhearted or despondent. Remind yourself that
it's just that editor's opinion and the next one - or the one after that
might think differently. However, take a good fresh look at your rejected
piece of work and see if it could be improved upon. Then persevere. |
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| Q. |
How do you
know where to start your story? |
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| A. |
I always try
to start my story when something different or unusual has just happened.
Avoid the mundane, try and capture your reader right from the start.
Sometimes it works to start off with a line of dialogue. Many famous books
have started that way. |
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| Q. |
Do you have to re-write
your work? |
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| A. |
Yes, all the time. Every
time I sit down to write something new, I go over what I've written previously and make
changes to improve it. That way the story becomes very polished. But even
after you've written it the very best you can, the editor will nearly always
suggest changes to make it even better. |
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| Q. |
Who is your favourite
author? |
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| A. |
Barbara
Erskin who writes time slip novels for adult readers. Amongst authors who
write for younger people there's lots of brilliant writers that I enjoy, but
I would mention Helena Pielichaty, Celia Rees and Malcolm Rose. |
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