I’m always asked where I get my inspiration from; what makes me think of a story. The answer is simply- everyday things I see, snippets of conversation I hear, news articles in the papers or online, a beautiful venue I go to, a glance across a crowded room, travelling on the London tube, sitting in a pavement café watching people go by….it never stops. As a writer, I’m constantly aware of things going on around me and I absorb it like a sponge
Sometimes I’ll hear an unusual name, and think, he sounds like someone I’d put in a book, then develop the character around the name.
Once I have the inspiration, then I’m free to indulge myself creating a world for my characters to live in. I confess I’m a pantser, meaning I sit down and write without knowing where I’m going. I do little plotting, more around the characters and the place the book is set, but it’s never more than a page. I use various tools to be productive and I don’t know what I’d do without them. Livingwriter is my main one, with Pacemaker and Aeon Timeline following. Between these three tools, I can keep a record of my progress, outline my book and save the information on characters, research, places and ideas, and plot a time line for my book that helps me understand where everyone is at a given time. Saves those awkward moments when someone is in two places at one time ????
My writing room is a small roll top desk set up in a room, with a comfy chair and a patio door I can open to get out to the garden. I usually have the family dog Blu with me, snoozing away while I churn out the words. He’s my constant companion. We share toast and jam together in the mornings.
I used to be a truly prolific writer, managing to write 3 or 4 books each year. In 2012, when I started writing and finally got a publisher, I has 7 books written – yes, 7 – so we had a wonderful back list to polish and release without too much effort over the next few years.
Recently though, my writing time has slowed down with me often not tacking it for weeks, months at a time. I’ve slowed down as Real Life takes over and I find myself with more responsibilities and, yes, day to day stresses, not conducive to being productive. Oh, and I have a full time job in the regulatory financial services industry, so there’s that.
Having said that, I am writing again now and to read more about that, check out the WIP section on the blog. I’m going to take it slow, write when I can and try not angst over deadlines and commitments. I hope the readers understand and I look forward to you all joining me when the time is right to get that book baby out into the world.
Thank you for staying with me; thank you for your support over the last decade plus, to make me not only the writer I am but the person I am, having enjoyed so many truly unique experiences as part of my own personal book world. You all mean a lot to me, and without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
