I was asked to take part in The Writing Process Blog Tour by
Barbara Scott-Emmett, a talented novelist whose latest work, DELIRIUM: The
Rimbaud Delusion, will be published through Triskele Books later this year.
The idea of the tour is that all the writers who take part
answer the same four questions about their work and their writing process, and
together they form a great electronic blogging chain in the ether! You can read
Barbara’s blog (and find out more about her writing) here. I have asked Trish
Nicholson, Nik Morton and Joan Fallon to grab the baton from me – read more
about them at the end of this post.
What am I working on?
I’m currently splitting my time (and sanity) between two, no
three, maybe four, major projects.
Let me explain: as Lorraine Mace, my debut novel for
children, Vlad
the Inhaler, is due for release this week. The publishers are very keen
to see the next in the trilogy, so I am working flat out on getting that to
them by the end of March.
I am also working on a new children’s series: sort of
Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) meets Buffy (without the vampires). This will
feature a young boy who gets saddled with a ghost who bullies him. Together they
have to fight off all the dreadful supernatural entities I can think up and
save the world at the same time.
As Frances di Plino, my D.I.
Paolo Storey crime series seems to have found a strong fan base and the
publishers have asked for the fourth Paolo book. Looking for a Reason will carry forward the lives of the main characters, but as with each of the first three
books, the crime being investigated is completely different to anything in the
earlier novels.
And then, returning to my Lorraine Mace persona (the real
me) I have a literary novel that has been on the back burner for so long it’s a
wonder it hasn’t shrivelled up and died. One day, I keep promising myself, one
day I'll write The End on that book.
How does my work
differ from others of its genre?
Wow, what a difficult question!
The crime series is different to many in the genre because
it is character led, rather than plot driven. In most crime novels, the plot is
the be all and end all of the writing. I like my characters to develop over a
series, so that what happens in their private lives affects the way they
interact with each other and also impacts on the crime solving aspects of each
case.
With my children’s novels, I wanted to concentrate on issues
that matter to children: bullying, being different, having to cope with the fallout
from adult’s actions. At the same time, I wanted to create characters who
readers will care about, but who are themselves different and so don’t ‘fit’
into mainstream lives. From the initial feedback I’ve received on Vlad,
it seems I’ve achieved that.
Why do I write what I
do?
Quick answer: because the damn voices in my head keep
nagging me to tell their stories.
Longer answer: because each book reflects issues I care
about and want to bring to the attention of my readers. Novels are meant to be
entertaining, and I hope mine are, but that doesn’t mean they have to be light
and fluffy.
In all my works of fiction I deal with the unpleasant issues
so many of us have to face on a daily basis. I try to portray those issues in a
way that will make people think about the lives of others, even if only for the
time it takes to read the book.
How does my writing
process work?
It starts with my husband writing a day by day programme for
me each month. My day job consists of running my private critique business,
working as a mentor to novelists, managing three international writing
competitions, running writers’ workshops, my regular columns for magazines,
being a short story judge and critique provider for Writers’ Forum and various
other writer-related activities that seem to take up a great deal of time.
I dump all this information on my long-suffering husband and
he then plans my month so that everything gets done when it should – and
somehow rearranges the universe so that I have time to write my novels.
Because I have so many other activities, I have to be really
disciplined when ‘creative writing’ appears on programme. I set myself a word
target for those days and will not leave the computer until I’ve reached my
goal.
I tend to work to a rough outline, so that I know before I
even open the file exactly what needs to be covered in the chapters and scenes
for the day.
Before I became so busy (in fact, before I was published) I
used to write when the muse deigned to visit. I no longer have the luxury of
waiting for her to arrive. I now have to reach out and grab the muse by the
throat and make her sit next to me during the hours allocated to my novels. I keep
her tethered to my office chair, just in case she tries to sneak off.
It seems to be working!
As promised at the start of this post, here are the three baton
carriers for the next stage of The Writing Process Blog Tour.
Trish Nicholson: http://trishnicholsonswordsinthetreehouse.com/
Dr Trish Nicholson (@TrishaNicholson) began her thirty-year
writing career as a columnist, feature writer and author. She writes short
stories and narrative non-fiction, and is currently published by Collca (UK).
Among her recent titles are: Inside Stories for Writes and Readers, a
companion on creative writing, and Writing Your Nonfiction Book: the
complete guide to becoming an author.
Nik Morton: http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com.es
Nik served in the Royal Navy. He now lives in Spain. He has
sold many short stories and edited several books and magazines. His book Write a Western in 30 Days has been a
bestseller. This year sees publication of Wings
of the Overlord, a fantasy quest jointly written with Gordon Faulkner, The Magnificent Mendozas, his sixth
western for Robert Hale, Sudden Vengeance
and Catalyst, both crime thrillers
from Crooked Cat.
Joan Fallon: http://www.joanfallon.co.uk/blog.html
Joan Fallon was born in Scotland, but grew up in England.
For many years she was a teacher and later a management consultant specialising
in Behavioural Studies. In 1998 she
moved to Spain, where she began to write.
Her novels centre on a strong female character and explore the emotions
and relationships of the protagonist.
Being a History graduate, Joan enjoys setting her novels in a historical
context, researching either English or Spanish history.
Trish, Nik and Joan will answer the same four questions next
week (7 April 2014). Do visit their blogs to discover more about the writing
life and the process of creativity.
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