Prompting

I got stuck with what to write about, so I decided to check out the Duolit 105 Author Blog Prompts.

How do you develop your writing ideas?
A lot of my novel ideas are broken up into bits and pieces and over time, eventually I’ll be researching something and they come together to form a more solid idea. That’s not to say the project is whole, I’ll often have two separate ideas and then over time I’ll realise those two ideas are connected. This will usually comes as a surprise.

Name three other writers who inspire you
JK Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Kresley Cole

Where do you find inspiration for your characters?
I like to take a stock character, like to say The Medic, then subvert that character in an unexpected way (hopefully)

Do you agree with the adage “Write what you know”?
Yes and No. I think that if a writer has an expertise in a particular area, they should be able to include it, but only if it functions to further the narrative. I definitely think Writers should correctly research their topics of choice. Nothing irks me more when I’m reading a book (regardless of genre) and the book is filled with incorrect facts. It’s a sign of a poorly edited book. I definitely disagree with “Write Who You Know”, that path does not lead to a happy place and I strongly advise against it.

Whom and what inspires you to write the most?
My Writing Friends and Associates I’ve gained through my Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing inspire me. Emanuel is always so encouraging and K.A. amazes me. They make this whole “career in Writing” thing not only less terrifying but somehow possible and they make me feel as though I can do anything. I’m also inspired by news-articles and social issues, the big factor is how other people react to it (or don’t react to it).

How has your writing career changed in the past year?
When I first started my Diploma of PWE, I was focused on writing fiction, Fantasy genre and the traditional publishing process. However, what I mostly produce is non-fiction online articles, blog-posts on writing and book reviews. I didn’t envision myself going down the Blogging and Self-Publishing path.

From where have your recently drawn writing inspiration?
Recently hearing a conversation about how a convent was recently shut down because the church couldn’t justify having a huge convent for about three nuns. I made me think about what would be the decision process about that? How would those nuns feel about this situation? What were the other possible mitigating factors? So I guess it was the “What If?” story scenario

What book are you reading? How did you choose it?
I’m currently reading Dying To Tell Me by Sherryl Clark
and The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody
I chose both books because they are written by Australian women but Sherryl Clark was also one of my teachers at PWE.