Not too long ago I was tagged to take part in a Blog Hop, which I had never done before. I invited three wonderful writers to take part after me as I tagged them in turn, and one of those delightful peeps, E.M. Wynter has invited me to participate in another one as part of #bloghop2014. So, without further ado, let’s blog hop, shall we?
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Blog Hop Q & A
1. If you could achieve anything with your writing in 2014, what would it be?
My main writing goal for 2014 is to write and publish the follow-up to THE MUSE UNLOCKED, THE MUSE UNGUARDED. Getting a second book under my belt would be a huge accomplishment for me, especially in back to back years. I want more than anything for my readers of the book to feel completely swept away in this sequel. And while I want them to rediscover all of the things they loved about the first book, I want this new reading experience to feel unique. One of the ways I’m doing that is by bringing some new locations and settings into the story that I hope will lend themselves to some good fun.
2. What are the top 3 demons you must slay to achieve your goals in 2014?
Mine are probably demons that most writers battle daily – procrastination or distraction, overbooking and fear of failure. It can be tempting sometimes to just simply stay out on Twitter and Facebook all day and chat with new friends made, and this is especially true if I have something new to write that I’m not sure how to tackle. That’s probably attributed to that fear of failure. Can’t write something crappy if you don’t start writing it at all, right? I know it’s a bit simplistic but it’s a trap many writers fall into, especially when they’re working on a series and trying to continue to satisfy readers yet offer them something different, too. I am also still a freelance writer for my day job, so sometimes that desire to make a living can result in my taking on a lot at once, and trying to balance that while writing a book can be very difficult to make happen. So I have an ambitious goal ahead and plenty of things attempting to get in the way of it, but I will have to keep plugging along and remind myself why it’s important to me to do all of this.
3. Name three things that inspire you to write.
This is a difficult question to answer because what inspires me to write varies from day to day. Generally speaking, it might be a vision I had after seeing an actor, and wondering what that man might be like as a character, which is what happened with THE MUSE UNLOCKED. I saw an actor, I wondered about him, what he would be like, and Oliver Sand was born. Sometimes it might be that I feel an emptiness or void and I’ll turn to writing to fill it, but very often I learn from others that “void” I was feeling was much more universal than I may have realized. So emotions are a huge impetus to write something. I’m also captivated by relationships and often when I witness some interaction that I find particularly intriguing, it can lead me to write about those dynamics – as a poem, as a short character sketch, as part of a book. There are definitely relationships and certain interpersonal dynamics that are represented in my book that I’ve witnessed in my life, some I’ve even personally experienced. I think there’s a real allure to taking what is felt in the real world and formulating how to create that same experience on the page with only words and nothing more. That is to me the whole challenge of writing and why I love it so much.
4. What advice do you have to give a new writer who is considering writing fiction?
I would tell that writer to make certain they were completely enamored with their characters. That doesn’t actually mean she has to love them, like them or even respect them, but a writer should want to know absolutely every single thing about those characters – how they walk, how they eat, what they like to listen to when they make love…whatever! And if you don’t feel that strongly about your lead character or characters as a writer, then you haven’t created fascinating enough people that your readers will want to know, too. You as a writer must be the most enthusiastic about your characters, so take the time to build them, mold them, shape them into creatures you yourself want to keep knowing more and more about, and invest similar energy into the words and thoughts springing from those characters. Do this, and you will find your readers will be just as invested in them as you are, regardless of your theme, your tone, your setting or any of the plot details. They are all important but without rich, dynamic, vibrant characters, you have no story.
So there you go. Another Blog Hop comes and goes but now the real fun begins. I get to tag a few other people to answer these questions, too… so… I’d like to give these wonderful writers a chance to share their own perspective on those four questions.
Ladies, may the Force, or whatever these Monday vibes are, be with you and inspire you to scribble much insight for us all!
And thank you for reading, everybody!
Chris x
Thanks Chris I am honoured to take part in the #BlogHop2014 xox