|
Post by Chirugal on Jun 4, 2005 20:57:50 GMT
Thank you for these lovely detailed answers! And I have to admit, it's interesting knowing you have a Clay-like temper! ;D - How many drafts do you usually give your work once you've completed the first draft? Do you radically rewrite much of it, or is it just minor changes? - You have angels in 'Haunted'. Do you worry about religious backlash, since some people tend to take offence to things like that? - Do you have any specific writing rituals, like listening to certain music or working at certain times of day?
|
|
|
Post by KelleyArmstrong on Jun 5, 2005 13:19:09 GMT
Sorry I'm slow responding! I had a "promo day" yesterday--new book out last week, spent the day in Toronto, driving around to signings, enjoying the smog and the traffic... Everywhere! I think that's true for many authors--or so I hear when we discuss things like this. So many things can inspire me to tell a story. Maybe I overhear a conversation on the train and think "now that would be an interesting character" or I read a newspaper article and think "what if x had happened instead of y?" Readers give me ideas--"I'd love to see a story about character x", and I'm inspired to write one. And, of course, there's the inspiration that comes when I realize we need a new water well drilled and the bank account looks a little low
|
|
|
Post by KelleyArmstrong on Jun 5, 2005 13:32:10 GMT
At this stage, I do far less editing than I did at one time...and that's good. In my "pre-published" days, I often got caught in the endless cycle of writing-and-rewriting, certain that if I polished this scene just a little more, or figured out exactly where all the commas went, I'd have a better shot at publication. After the first draft, I do a quick read-through, mainly catching typos and obvious errors. Then I have my "readers" take a look, and I do a second-draft (usually not many changes, just tweaking). Then it goes to my editors. The amount of changes I make after that depends on the book, and I can usually predict that when I send it off--I have a gut feeling that it's all working or that it needs serious medical attention. On average, I would radically rewrite about 10% of any given novel, either on the advice of one of my editors, or just because, after sending it off and having time to detach from it, I realize what needs to be fixed.
Ha! I was just discussing this with some booksellers yesterday, and we were joking that some good ol' religious backlash would be great publicity ;D Seriously, though, I do know that there are people who don't like speculation on the afterlife, and I can only hope tht they realize it's fantasy, and just choose not to buy it if they might be offended. One thing I did do was take care to avoid naming the diety-in-charge. There's references to "the Creator", but that's it. I didn't want to confuse my fantasy world with one specific religion.
At this stage, my ritual is...write whenever I have time ;D I used to write at specific times of the day etc, but I don't have the luxury of choosing right now. I have young children, so when they're at the sitter (a couple of days per week), that's my writing time, and I write like mad for 8 hrs. The rest of the time, I just keep my writing pad handy for those quiet spurts that crop up amidst the chaos. I have writing pads in every "writing-friendly" place in the house!
|
|
|
Post by marianne on Jun 5, 2005 21:52:07 GMT
Hi all, I've lost track of how long Kelley has been here now with all the interruptions but I think she has given some terrific answers and plenty of food for thought. I'd like to thank her (thanks Kelley!) for sparing the time to come on during her non-contact period. I certainly learned a lot We hope you'll pop in from time to time and post any exciting news, or just to say hi! Kelley has her own mega-forum linked to her website with book clubs and online free fiction. best wishes Marianne
|
|
|
Post by Cj on Jun 6, 2005 9:58:13 GMT
Thank you for coming Kelley!
|
|
|
Post by Chirugal on Jun 6, 2005 12:42:44 GMT
Thank you so much, Kelley! This has meant a lot. Good luck with Broken!
|
|
|
Post by KelleyArmstrong on Jun 6, 2005 18:24:42 GMT
Thanks so much for the great questions, and I really enjoyed my stay. Cj gets that book copy...well, assuming she wants it! Cj, I've messaged you about that.
|
|
|
Post by Cj on Jun 6, 2005 20:07:43 GMT
OMG!!!
this is sooooo cool!" Thank you! I shall e-mail you! THANK YOU!!
*big smile on face!*
|
|