How do you develop your story ideas? Do you use an outline, let the muse lead you, or another technique? At the end of the day, I think that I’ve had several mugs of tea, and wonder why I’m so thirsty. My drink of choice is a large cup of tea which I constantly re-heat and then let get cold. What is your drink and/or snack of choice while you’re working? Plus, I like to talk out loud as I’m thinking things through, so music is a distraction. I mean, I can’t even type if there is music playing or the tv on. I can’t listen to anything when I’m working. I have to visualize what happens next, and once that happens, I start writing as if I’m watching a movie and just taking notes. If I’m really lucky, the next scene will show up as I get to the blank page.
I not only see the problems and fix them, but by the time I’ve done that, I’m back in the mood of the story and inside my characters’ personalities. I always re-read the last couple of completed chapters before I start writing. It’s a young girl with paper and a quill pen.ĭo you have any rituals in your work habits? I also have a few souvenirs and funny cards and a picture drawn by Heather Collins for a book ( A Pioneer Story) she did with Barbara Greenwood. Photos of my children, little and big, are there to remind me and inspire me about writing for young people. I like to re-read them occasionally to remember what I loved way back then. There is a bookshelf (messy) with all the books that I’ve loved over the years, including – or most importantly – books from my childhood. List three of your most favourite things in your workspace and why they are meaningful. Part of the day is walking the dog or dogs, and I always come back ready to sit at my desk again. Usually I have more than one manuscript or assignment under development, and if I move back and forth between them, I might find inspiration for the one that I’m ignoring. I can’t do the ‘write one thousand words a day’ thing I either write nothing or I write until the scene is done. If I’m stuck, then I avoid work and watch far too much cable news. When I stop on a day like that, I feel like I’ve had an out-of-body experience. If I’m working on a story then I write like a crazy person, morning to night, often forgetting to dress, wash, or eat.
I’d like to say that I have a very structured approach to work, but I try not to lie – especially to my colleagues. For some reason I believe that this is where the muse lurks and if I move she’ll show up when I’m at the kitchen table. (There will be no photos.) I never move from this spot, mostly because I forget that I can take my laptop off my desk and go elsewhere in my house. My workplace is an untidy corner in my bedroom.
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