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Q: Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule?
A: Over the last few years, I’ve learned that I’m a very deadline oriented person. I absolutely must have a deadline to get anything done. Once I have a date, either set by myself or by my editor, I set daily goals to get my wordcount in and no matter what, I won’t get up from my desk until I’ve hit it. I don’t keep a hard and fast schedule, because sometimes life happens and if I’m not flexible and adaptable, I get crazy. That being said, I have discovered that my most productive times are in the afternoon, so I try to be home and in my office from one until three. I can get a lot of words written in those few hours.
Q: Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it-What keeps you going?
A: There absolutely are times when I want to throw in the towel, and unplug my computer for good. I think we all have those. But when I have that type of day, I just walk away. Not forever, just for the day. Sometimes, it helps to unplug, do something totally unrelated to writing, and recharge. Ultimately, I keep at it, even through the hard times because there’s nothing else I want to do with my life. I was born to write stories. Sometimes it’s hard, and that’s okay.
Q: Are you a city slicker or a country lover?
A: I love the country and if I had my way, I’d very happily move out to the mountains to live beside the lake. However, my husband works downtown in a major city, and he would go absolutely crazy if he didn’t have the stimulation and challenge of his job. So we compromise by living in a small town outside of the city and he commutes. We also take off to the mountains whenever we can. In fact, I take the kids and more or less move out to our summer home for the months of July and August. He knows that I need the quiet and the inspiration to recharge my batteries.
Q: How do you think people perceive writers?
A: I think some people have a very romanticized view of what it is to be a writer. They think we sit at these beautiful oversized oak desks, with a steaming cup of coffee, quill in hand and we spend our days with the sun shining through the window, creating beautiful prose that flows from our imaginations. Um…that’s not totally how it works. Being a writer is far less glamorous than people think and for me at least, it usually involves a dark office with a cluttered desk, a cup of coffee that’s grown cold, and a laptop that hopefully doesn’t crash before I’ve saved a particularly crucial scene.
Seriously though, I love being a writer and I think I have the coolest job in the world. I’m thankful everyday that I’m able to play with my imaginary friends for a living.
Q: How important are friends in your life??
A: Friends are, and have always been an essential part of my life. I love to surround myself with people who share the same interests and values that I do. Friends are the family you choose for yourself. I have been friends with some of the same people since I was a toddler and we still enjoy each others company and have a great time together!
Samples to Savor: Book Club Picks, presented by Her Books:
Discover your book club’s next page-turner and spark fascinating conversations with your friends in this free sampling from eight bestselling authors. You’ll find rich prose, evocative plots, compelling characters and surprising twists from:
Finding Emma by Steena Holmes
Composing Myself by Elena Aitken
Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby
The Scandalous Ward by Karla Darcy
The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge by Christine Nolfi
The Promise of Provence by Patricia Sands
Broken Pieces by Rachel Thompson
Depraved Heart by Kathleen Valentine
About the Author(s):
Bestselling authors Steena Holmes, Elena Aitken, Rachel Thompson, Patricia Sands, Christine Nolfi, Kathleen Valentine, Bette Lee Crosby and Karla Darcy provide readers worldwide with contemporary fiction and nonfiction releases ranging from historical romance to literary.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – Women’s Fiction
Rating – PG
Connect with the authors on Faceboook
Website http://herbestbooks.com/
Because writing is such a solitary occupation all writers especially self published writers understand the necessity of having friends. These are the people who support you through rejection, bad reviews, writers block and other calamaties. Thanks for the excellent post and a glimpse into the writer's life.
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