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!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.