Writers can’t live in a vacuum. Those stories of people who are hermits that live in seclusion and write these amazing literary novels? Okay, Really? Because I only have a select amount of ideas in my brain, and after I use those up, I gotta go somewhere for inspiration. Somewhere besides my messy office, or living room sofa.
Ask and Author Anything: Deciding Names of Characters
Jackie W asked: How do you decide on what names to give your characters? And has any of your characters names turned out to cause problems for you afterwards?
A: I love naming my characters! It’s like having a child again, except I get to see what they’re like fully grown.
Ask a Writer Anything: The Children Contribute
Crystal asked: Do your children ever give you ideas for story lines?
A: Oh, all the time! We are watching something together and they might ask a question – mom, what would happen if….and there I go with a story idea from the scenario they’ve asked. Not only that,
Ask a Writer Anything: The Writer Inside
Susanna W asked: What made you become a writer?
A: I think a true writer can’t stop writing. They love words, and stories, and the way they sing together. I have been a story teller since my early days (just as my mother!) and have always loved a great tale.
Ask a Writer Anything: My hobbies and other fun stuff!
Kathleen E. asked: What are your hobbies? And what subject do you enjoy teaching the most? Where would you like to travel to get inspiration for a new book?
A: I love to Read, of course!! At any given moment, I have a book in my purse, a stack of books by my bed,
Ask a Writer Anything: Getting Started in Publishing
Claudia R asked: Was it real difficult getting your foot into publishing?
A: The publishing world can be extremely difficult break in to – it can seem as times as if there might be an invisible wall…however, it’s not as difficult as one might think.
It’s all about perspective.
Ask a Writer Anything: Creating Characters
Erika W asked: How do you come up with such a wide range of characters? Journalists, Cowboys, party-ers and missionaries are just a few and they are all so different. What makes you think of them?
A: Oh, my favorite thing is to learn about people and their occupations. I love to discover their challenges and defeats,
Ask a Writer Anything: My Writing Spaces
Niki asked: When do you write and where? Do you get up a few hours early? Late at night? In the middle of the day? All of the above? Do you have an office? Sit at the kitchen table? Out on the porch?
I admit that I have to have different writing spaces depending on the mood that I’m in.
How did I get started?
Megan H asked: I`ve been thinking about becoming a writer when I finish school, and I was wondering how you got started.
I think a writer has to be two things from the get-go – a lover of stories, and someone who is committed to working hard. I was the kind of girl when I was young who would pedal her bike to the library and spend the entire day reading…I loved stories and getting lost inside another world.
Ask a writer anything: Where do the stories come from?
This question came from Jenn S: I would love to know how you come up with different plots — I mean, how do you make it so that your stories don’t all sound like they’re cut & paste from the same “formula”?
Thanks for your question, Jenn! I think the important part in coming up with new stories is asking myself the question – would I care?