Tess Quinn

Today, a good friend of mine Anne Carrole joins us to talk about her writing life. Let’s see what she has to say. Thanks for joining us, Anne! Let’s get started…



What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



Okay, at the risk of sounding like I should be checking into a mental ward, I’ll tell you. It usually begins with two characters who pop into my head and keep nagging me to tell their story. Though the characters seem to come out of nowhere, I admit there are certain triggers. For instance, I love the rodeo. (And why an East Coast suburban woman is obsessed with this sport is a whole other blog). When I went to our small town’s annual rodeo, most of the cowboys there were picking up extra cash. During the week they were construction workers, accountants, etc. That got me thinking about the rodeo life-style and those that really dedicate themselves to making a living at it and what it does to having a “normal” family life. Then came my two characters—a rodeo cowboy and a woman who wants the nice suburban life she never had as a kid. At that point, my characters take me on their journey and I’m just along to write it down. That story became Re-ride at the Rodeo, available at The Wild Rose Press.



I have never had a problem thinking up story lines. I have the opposite problem of too many characters whirling around in my imagination with stories they want me to tell. When I begin the process of writing, I know the two main characters, the situation/conflict and how the book will end. The journey—how they get from point A to point B and end at point C—is what I don’t know yet. That’s the story that the characters will tell me as we go along—and that journey of discovery is what I love about writing.



Can you explain your typical work week day?



I am a consultant and a mom so I find my writing time between client appointments and school schedules. On days I don’t have clients, I write in the morning, before going on the internet. I have fallen in love with my AlphaSmart Neo. It’s light and compact, with a wonderful keyboard and battery power that lasts for over a year (I kid you not) and that also allows me to write on the road, while I’m in-between appointments or waiting to pick up my daughter. I do my first draft, regardless, on my AlphaSmart because it does NOT lend itself to editing, so I just get the story down on the page without revising—and then start the revisions after I’ve loaded it onto the computer. That has proven to be the most efficient way for me to write.



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



Like many writers, I’ve been writing stories since elementary school and my college undergraduate major was English. But life and love got in the way of me pursuing writing professionally. Then my mother died. When you experience the loss of someone so close to you, it makes you reassess your priorities. I decided then and there I would pursue my dream. I’ve always tried to live my life with “no regrets” and knew that if I didn’t try, I would regret it.



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?



Keep writing and be persistent. It takes perseverance in this rapidly changing industry. You have to be able to withstand rejection, after rejection, and keep on writing and submitting. Being a good writer isn’t enough. You have to understand that this is a business, a tough business.



Also, there’s always something new to learn about how to tell a story, so work hard at learning the craft side. RWA (Romance Writers of America) and places like Writers U have a lot of excellent, inexpensive, workshops for pre-published and published writers taught by award winning authors and I’d encourage writers to take advantage of those offerings. I’m a big believer in life-long learning.



On the other hand, process, like whether you are a pantser or plotter, varies for each individual. I admire those who use charts and plotting wheels, who plot out the book in detailed outlines and know everything about their story before they put pen to paper. But that doesn’t work for me, or for a lot of writers. Don’t change your creative method—do what works for you.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.



I’m actually putting the finishing touches on a story for an editor request. It involves another rodeo cowboy—hmmm, is there a pattern here. I’ll let you know if it’s accepted.



Great advice, Anne, and we look forward to hear about the news on the editor request! For those of you who want to know more about Anne, check out her website here. Thanks for joining us, everyone! Stay tuned for next week’s WonW!

Yes, we all know about the splendid ‘New Moon’ movie that clobbered the ultimate first night opener, ‘Dark Knight’ with a whopping 72+ gazillion bucks profit, but we’re looking at things on a smaller screen today. Like my usual TV show loves that I am addicted to. Warning People!!! May CONTAIN SPOILERS!



Okay, let’s start with Glee. I don’t know why I continue to watch this show. Now Quinn’s parents have kicked her out of the house? She lives in a freakin’ mansion with perfect parents. Psychologically speaking, they would try to hide the mistake, not kick her out. I don’t believe it. Kudos to the music this week, though. The Glee cast rendition of ‘Stand By Me’ was moving. Seriously.



NCIS never disappoints. I hope I don’t jinx myself by saying this. I always wondered why they didn’t highlight the fact that Gibbs is more of an old-school detective. Well, they did in this show. And he was awesome. As usual. I can’t wait until next week, though. The holiday shows are the best because Tony is hysterical.



NCIS: Los Angeles has always been touch and go for me. No comment on the last episode with the ambush. I’m waaay too excited that Abby is joining the cast next week and she gets ambushed. Sigh. Sooooo exciting.



Bones. Oh, Bones. I heart Pops, Booth’s grandfather. He was soooo cute. I loved it. I even loved that Booth and Bones got a little closer. It makes me feel so much more entertained. . I am just WAITING for Booth and Bones to lock lips for real this time: not for mistletoe, or a dream. Just because healthy lust, or alcohol, has taken over. Oh, and keep the mysteries comin’!



That’s it for this week’s TV guide review. Let’s see what happens next week!

Today, we have author Hywela Lynn joining us. Let’s see what she has to say about her writing life.



Thanks so much for having me, Tess.



Pleasure to have you! Okay, let’s get started. What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



Firstly, I like to get to know my characters really well. I make notes on their background and anything I think is important, as they occur to me. Then I place them in a situation where something is about to rock their world, and hope they’ll tell me how they got out of it! I’m a bit of a ‘pantster’, so although I like to have ‘chapter headings’, just the first few lines to give me something to work on, and an end to work towards, I don’t go in for very detailed outlines. I usually find if I try to do this it changes a lot along the way. I often play a scene in my head like a film, especially when I’m in bed last thing at night!



Can you explain your typical work week day?



I’m not sure that there is such a thing! I no longer go out to work full time, so that should leave me more time for writing, but it’s surprising what crops up. Apart from a home and husband, I have two horses, Harry and T’Pau, which are unfortunately kept several miles from where I live. (My dream is to one day have enough money to buy a smallholding in my native Wales!) In the winter they have to be fed and checked every day, their water troughs refilled, hayracks stocked up and the shelters bedded down with straw. This can be a full time job in itself so I’m very grateful to my husband who helps out a lot. I also have a rescued Jack Russell terrier, named Bouncer,who is a real little character and demands a lot of my time taking him for ‘walkies’ and playing – but I don’t begrudge a moment looking after my furbabies. Animals are wonderful companions and add so much to one’s life. We also have a ‘hobby’ business selling Western saddlery. We only sell the ‘genuine article’ and import it from the States to the UK, and because of the freight charges and taxes, actually make very little money from it, but it’s something both my husband and I enjoy doing. So most mornings are spent checking emails, filling orders, and updating the website – or the dreaded stocktaking! I try to write a bit when I first get up in the morning, then when I come back from taking Bouncer for his afternoon walk, I manage to fit in a few more hours writing. I’m also a contributor to several blogs, including my own, and these eat up a lot of ‘writing’ time as well, although I love doing them.



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



I don’t think there was ever a conscious decision to write. I can remember making up stories In my head when I was a small girl, and English was my favorite subject at school. I used to use essay writing as an excuse to write a story, disguised as ‘real life’. I began writing short stories seriously in my teens and had several published in magazines. Although I wrote on and off all the time, writing took a back seat to horses and endurance riding for many years, and a devastating personal tragedy overshadowed my urge to write . Then about three years ago, I brought out a manuscript I’d written before this happened, and which I’d put away in a drawer. I had a whole month in Wales, looking after my sister’s home and animals, and I started working on it again and revising it. This was ‘Starquest’. I joined an on-line writing group and found a crit partner who thought it was worth submitting. After trying to get an agent here in the UK, I found The Wild Rose Press and decided to submit it on the ‘off chance’. To my delight it was accepted, and I have since written a sequel, ‘Children Of The Mist’ and a novella ‘Dancing With Fate’ for TWRP’s ‘Song Of The Muses’ series, as well as a fantasy freeread ‘A Bargain With Death’.



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?
First of all, never give up. Try and write something every day. If you want to write a novel don’t wait ‘until you have time’, or it’ll never get written. Try and ‘make time’ to write a little every day, it’s surprising how the words mount up. Also try and get a good crit partner, who will tell it as it is, and provide constructive criticism without destroying your confidence. Family and close friends will probably read your manuscript but be too caring of your feelings to tell you what doesn’t work, or if there are glaring plot holes. You also need to be prepared to return the favour and crit your partner’s work as well – you can actually learn a lot by spotting the mistakes in someone else’s writing. Above all, write what you enjoy and have fun with it.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.



I’ve recently started work on a third story in the series which started with ‘Starquest’, which will, I hope, round the series off by telling the story of another of the main characters, who played an important part in ‘Starquest’ but didn’t appear in ‘Children Of The Mist’ I’m also working on the draft of an Historical Western which I’m hoping to have polished and ready to submit in the New Year. It’s a departure from my usual futuristic or fantasy stories, but I started out writing westerns and actually feel there are a lot of similarities between the genres, foremost, the idea of brave men and women facing unknown territory and not knowing what dangers they may be about to face – and falling in love along the way!



That sounds so great, Hywela! We look forward to your new work. For those of you who want to read more about Hywela and check out her books, you can visit her website here. Thank you for joining us this week on Writers on Writing!

Hywela Lyn most of her life in Wales and the beautiful countryside and legends inspired her to write. Although she now lives in a small village in England, she is very proud of her Welsh heritage and background. She enjoys weaving romantic tales of the future, and distant, mysterious worlds. Her pen name is a combination of her first two names. ‘Hywela’ is Welsh and her first name but it was never used and she has always been called by her second Christian name, Lyn. One thing remains constant in her writing: The power of love. Love, not only between her hero and heroine, but between friends and siblings, and for their particular world and the creatures that share it.

She is crazy about all animals, especially horses. She lives with her long suffering husband, Dave, and has two horses, two ferrel cats and an adopted Jack Russell terrier .

Hywela Lyn’s first novel, ‘Starquest’, a futuristic romance was released by The Wild Rose Press on 29th August 2008 and in print on 5th December. The sequel to ‘Starquest’, ‘Children of the Mist’ released on 19th June 2009 and is also available in print or E-download from the publishers, and in print from Amazon, etc. ‘Dancing With Fate’ is available now as an individual E-book from the Publisher, or as one of three stories in Book II of the paperback anthology ‘Song Of The muses’, available on Amazon. She has also had several short stories published in magazines in the UK, She can be found at various places on the web, including My Space (where two of her heroines have a site as well) Facebook, Twitter, Blogger (including her own, and one she runs with two friends on a Friday, ‘The Author Roast & Toast’ . She also has a website www.hywelalyn.co.uk which has links to her other sites on her Contact Page.