ELIZABETH ANSWERS/part 2
Do you reread your own work? And, if you are doing a series with follow-up from previous books, do you reread differently?
Yes, I reread my own work. I’m entirely self-taught as a writer. I didn’t even know another novel writer--except Evan, trained as a journalist--for the first decade of my career. (Thanks for breaking the drought, Jayne!) The only way I could learn my craft was to reread my fiction and see if what I thought was on the page indeed was there, and if not, what happened.
When I began publishing science fiction, the editors I had didn’t actually edit. They acquired and published. So I learned how to edit myself, to throw away the gorgeous phrase that nonetheless had the effect of stopping the story cold; to remove the scene that didn’t have to be there, no matter how much I loved the characters; to begin the story 100 pages into the manuscript, taking out everything that the reader didn’t need to know but I, as author, did; to pace the plot so that it didn’t end before the story was finished; to make my style more transparent for the reader by making the common language uncommonly meaningful rather than reaching for a Thesaurus.
The more I write, the more I edit. Reading tastes change. I try to change to keep in step with the ever-changing audience. What’s really fun is that I’ve been in the business so long, I can reread earlier books almost “cold,” like a new reader. That’s an unusual experience, to say the least. But then, how much do any of us recognize the person we were 30 years ago?
Has turning your art into your "job" in anyway detracted from the joy you take in writing? Have you ever felt like you had to do less than your best to meet a deadline?
Creation is always work. You finish a project with less energy than you began it. Some parts of a book come more easily than others. No part comes without effort.
If I don’t like a book, it doesn’t get turned in. I’ve been that way from the first book I published. Fortunately, I used to be organized enough to get everything done within the required time. Now I write only one book a year, so I actually have a shot at life beyond writing.
Is there one book you've written, that you wish now you could have changed something major?
Major? No. I’ve rewritten some earlier books, but only to bring the way of presenting the story up-to-date. This generation of readers prefers short chapters, plenty of dialogue, and fast pacing, and a grammar that changes every few years.
Since I enjoy playing with language, meeting changing reader expectations excites rather than frustrates me.
What are your top ten romance novels you would take to the beach?
I’d rather take my ten favorite authors to the beach! Then we could talk about the business of writing, share tour horror stories, editor horror stories, agent horror stories, etc. (Publishers quail at the thought.)
What comes first, characters or plot? What happens when it's characters first? Does the plot just flow naturally from a discovery of those characters, or do you find it difficult to weave a story together to fit the characters you want to write?
For me, backdrop comes first. I have to experience the place where the story is set before anything substantial happens in my brain. In my books, backdrop is an important character, one that interacts with and shapes the plot along with the “human” characters.
My characters rise from the backdrop like ghosts. The ones that take solid form become books. The ones that don’t…don’t.
For me, the balance of elements that make up a novel can’t be forced. If a background/idea/character/plot doesn’t fly, I move on until I find things that will work together.
After reading this blog for a while now and learning what hectic schedules you all keep between your writing and other activities, how do you find time to read other authors books? Is there one particular author that you ALWAYS read no matter what? What is your favorite book of all time?
I don’t find time, I make it.
When I’m writing, I reread favorite authors, because I have no energy to bring to a new author. A book is a collaboration between author and reader. A novel that I don’t have patience for today might become a beloved favorite if I read it when I’m not cross-eyed tired.
I always make time for reading, no matter what. TV, movies, theater, opera, concerts, parties…thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather read. And do.
My favorite book of all time? The one I have just written THE END to.
I really want to know how to make a green ghost martini.
Make it or drink it? Two very different experiences! ;-)
When you don't want to sit in the chair and write…what do you do to make yourself sit there? Duct tape? Crazy glue?
Paying bills has a real focusing effect on me.
That said, it takes a great deal of discipline to write a book no matter what you’d rather be doing. I’ve known many talented people who will never publish because they can’t spend that much time alone in a chair.
If a person had never read any of your books, which one would you want them to read first and why?
That’s an impossible question for me to answer, as I’ve written across so many genres. First I’d have to know what kind of book the reader enjoys—long books or short, suspense or mystery, pure romance or a mix, historical or contemporary, fiction or non-fiction. Then I’d have to know the person well enough to predict whether or not I’m that reader’s “flavor.”
If I am, it really doesn’t matter where the reader starts.
Do any of you work on more than one project at a time? I find myself doing this more and more lately and it's about ready to drive me insane. All these people just keep bumping around inside my head.
I always work on more than one project at a time. Shades of completed projects come back to haunt me as copy-edited mss to be read again, pages proofs to proofread, précis of the WIP for the sales department, research on possible future projects; and the all-important writing of the books that’s in front of me.
If you’re having trouble sorting out books in your mind, be ruthless: decide which character/set of characters is haunting you the most and then ignore the rest. That’s right. Ignore. (Remember that bit about self-discipline?)
Characters in your mind are daydreams, solitary creations. Characters on paper are a novel, a shared creation. Pick a dream you must share and follow it all the way to THE END.
Is there a novel (famous or otherwise) which you wish you had written?
I always wish I had written--as in finished!--the novel I’m working on now.
As for books by other authors, no, I don’t wish I’d written any of them. What makes me love those books is the author’s unique voice. I could write the same plot with the same characters, and it would come out with my voice, my view of the characters, my pacing, etc. Each author can write only her/his own book.
How do you organize research? Do you try to do it all ahead of time?
Organize? *snicker*
At first I simply pile all the references I think might be useful in the same place. Then I dive in.
If I see a fact/situation that might be useful in the novel I’m researching, then I highlight the pertinent parts and put a sticky note on the page. (No, these aren’t library books!)
When I go online, I search certain words, phrases, and read what comes up. If it looks useful, I print it out, punch three holes in it, and put it in a 3-ring notebook. Then I treat the result like a book.
Yes, I try to do research all ahead of time, since it’s a very important aspect of my novels.
What happens when you run into something that you need to look up before you can finish the scene? Do you just type {research blah} and keep going, or stop then and look it up, or some other option I haven't thought of?
If I need the information to finish a scene, I go out and find it. When I’m writing, one scene leads to another and refers back to the scene that came before.
If it’s a single fact or the spelling of a proper name, I may or may not pursue it. Depends on how I feel.
Do any of you find that having a clear notion (such as a map) of the area you're setting the story in is worth the time it would take to set it up?
If the time it takes to get from one place to another is part of the plot, then get/make a map. If the geography of a place is important to the book (think science fiction), then get/make a map. Otherwise do whatever works for you; just remember, research or map-making isn’t a substitute for writing. I only resort to maps if I trip over the timing thing too often.
Many people who read your books would recognise you if they come face to face with you. 1. What is their normal reaction?
If I’m working—a signing, a conference, speaking, etc.—people expect writers to be there. No biggie. The bravest will smile and tell me how much they enjoy my books.
2. What is usually your reaction? I smile and say thanks. If I have time, I’ll chat.
3. Do you sometimes wish they would just pass by and not acknowledge the recognition?
If the occasion isn’t labeled as work/publicity—in other words, if I’m Ann Maxwell going to the store or the bank or the dentist--I’m rarely recognized. I’ve been very careful to keep a low profile in the places I live, because basically I’m a private person. I’m a writer, but I’m also a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, etc. Those things are very important to me. I treasure and protect them.
If I’m recognized as Elizabeth Lowell, I’m polite, smile, and change the subject. If the person persists, I smile and tell them I gave Elizabeth the night off, I’m Ann, and I’m glad to meet you.
I keep my professional life and my personal life as separate as possible. (My sister is fierce about it. She warns people that I’m coming to her house as her sister and nothing else, and if they can’t deal with it, stay home.)
My question to all of you is, do you find the ancillary activities inseparable from being a professional writer a welcome balance and counterpart to the intense concentration of actually writing, or just a distracting pain in the neck? ;-)
Um, distracting pain in the neck pretty much sums it up. I'm always looking for extra hours in a day, extra energy for family and friends. That's what balances my life, not more work.
And that's the last question. See you in two weeks.
Yes, I reread my own work. I’m entirely self-taught as a writer. I didn’t even know another novel writer--except Evan, trained as a journalist--for the first decade of my career. (Thanks for breaking the drought, Jayne!) The only way I could learn my craft was to reread my fiction and see if what I thought was on the page indeed was there, and if not, what happened.
When I began publishing science fiction, the editors I had didn’t actually edit. They acquired and published. So I learned how to edit myself, to throw away the gorgeous phrase that nonetheless had the effect of stopping the story cold; to remove the scene that didn’t have to be there, no matter how much I loved the characters; to begin the story 100 pages into the manuscript, taking out everything that the reader didn’t need to know but I, as author, did; to pace the plot so that it didn’t end before the story was finished; to make my style more transparent for the reader by making the common language uncommonly meaningful rather than reaching for a Thesaurus.
The more I write, the more I edit. Reading tastes change. I try to change to keep in step with the ever-changing audience. What’s really fun is that I’ve been in the business so long, I can reread earlier books almost “cold,” like a new reader. That’s an unusual experience, to say the least. But then, how much do any of us recognize the person we were 30 years ago?
Has turning your art into your "job" in anyway detracted from the joy you take in writing? Have you ever felt like you had to do less than your best to meet a deadline?
Creation is always work. You finish a project with less energy than you began it. Some parts of a book come more easily than others. No part comes without effort.
If I don’t like a book, it doesn’t get turned in. I’ve been that way from the first book I published. Fortunately, I used to be organized enough to get everything done within the required time. Now I write only one book a year, so I actually have a shot at life beyond writing.
Is there one book you've written, that you wish now you could have changed something major?
Major? No. I’ve rewritten some earlier books, but only to bring the way of presenting the story up-to-date. This generation of readers prefers short chapters, plenty of dialogue, and fast pacing, and a grammar that changes every few years.
Since I enjoy playing with language, meeting changing reader expectations excites rather than frustrates me.
What are your top ten romance novels you would take to the beach?
I’d rather take my ten favorite authors to the beach! Then we could talk about the business of writing, share tour horror stories, editor horror stories, agent horror stories, etc. (Publishers quail at the thought.)
What comes first, characters or plot? What happens when it's characters first? Does the plot just flow naturally from a discovery of those characters, or do you find it difficult to weave a story together to fit the characters you want to write?
For me, backdrop comes first. I have to experience the place where the story is set before anything substantial happens in my brain. In my books, backdrop is an important character, one that interacts with and shapes the plot along with the “human” characters.
My characters rise from the backdrop like ghosts. The ones that take solid form become books. The ones that don’t…don’t.
For me, the balance of elements that make up a novel can’t be forced. If a background/idea/character/plot doesn’t fly, I move on until I find things that will work together.
After reading this blog for a while now and learning what hectic schedules you all keep between your writing and other activities, how do you find time to read other authors books? Is there one particular author that you ALWAYS read no matter what? What is your favorite book of all time?
I don’t find time, I make it.
When I’m writing, I reread favorite authors, because I have no energy to bring to a new author. A book is a collaboration between author and reader. A novel that I don’t have patience for today might become a beloved favorite if I read it when I’m not cross-eyed tired.
I always make time for reading, no matter what. TV, movies, theater, opera, concerts, parties…thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather read. And do.
My favorite book of all time? The one I have just written THE END to.
I really want to know how to make a green ghost martini.
Make it or drink it? Two very different experiences! ;-)
When you don't want to sit in the chair and write…what do you do to make yourself sit there? Duct tape? Crazy glue?
Paying bills has a real focusing effect on me.
That said, it takes a great deal of discipline to write a book no matter what you’d rather be doing. I’ve known many talented people who will never publish because they can’t spend that much time alone in a chair.
If a person had never read any of your books, which one would you want them to read first and why?
That’s an impossible question for me to answer, as I’ve written across so many genres. First I’d have to know what kind of book the reader enjoys—long books or short, suspense or mystery, pure romance or a mix, historical or contemporary, fiction or non-fiction. Then I’d have to know the person well enough to predict whether or not I’m that reader’s “flavor.”
If I am, it really doesn’t matter where the reader starts.
Do any of you work on more than one project at a time? I find myself doing this more and more lately and it's about ready to drive me insane. All these people just keep bumping around inside my head.
I always work on more than one project at a time. Shades of completed projects come back to haunt me as copy-edited mss to be read again, pages proofs to proofread, précis of the WIP for the sales department, research on possible future projects; and the all-important writing of the books that’s in front of me.
If you’re having trouble sorting out books in your mind, be ruthless: decide which character/set of characters is haunting you the most and then ignore the rest. That’s right. Ignore. (Remember that bit about self-discipline?)
Characters in your mind are daydreams, solitary creations. Characters on paper are a novel, a shared creation. Pick a dream you must share and follow it all the way to THE END.
Is there a novel (famous or otherwise) which you wish you had written?
I always wish I had written--as in finished!--the novel I’m working on now.
As for books by other authors, no, I don’t wish I’d written any of them. What makes me love those books is the author’s unique voice. I could write the same plot with the same characters, and it would come out with my voice, my view of the characters, my pacing, etc. Each author can write only her/his own book.
How do you organize research? Do you try to do it all ahead of time?
Organize? *snicker*
At first I simply pile all the references I think might be useful in the same place. Then I dive in.
If I see a fact/situation that might be useful in the novel I’m researching, then I highlight the pertinent parts and put a sticky note on the page. (No, these aren’t library books!)
When I go online, I search certain words, phrases, and read what comes up. If it looks useful, I print it out, punch three holes in it, and put it in a 3-ring notebook. Then I treat the result like a book.
Yes, I try to do research all ahead of time, since it’s a very important aspect of my novels.
What happens when you run into something that you need to look up before you can finish the scene? Do you just type {research blah} and keep going, or stop then and look it up, or some other option I haven't thought of?
If I need the information to finish a scene, I go out and find it. When I’m writing, one scene leads to another and refers back to the scene that came before.
If it’s a single fact or the spelling of a proper name, I may or may not pursue it. Depends on how I feel.
Do any of you find that having a clear notion (such as a map) of the area you're setting the story in is worth the time it would take to set it up?
If the time it takes to get from one place to another is part of the plot, then get/make a map. If the geography of a place is important to the book (think science fiction), then get/make a map. Otherwise do whatever works for you; just remember, research or map-making isn’t a substitute for writing. I only resort to maps if I trip over the timing thing too often.
Many people who read your books would recognise you if they come face to face with you. 1. What is their normal reaction?
If I’m working—a signing, a conference, speaking, etc.—people expect writers to be there. No biggie. The bravest will smile and tell me how much they enjoy my books.
2. What is usually your reaction? I smile and say thanks. If I have time, I’ll chat.
3. Do you sometimes wish they would just pass by and not acknowledge the recognition?
If the occasion isn’t labeled as work/publicity—in other words, if I’m Ann Maxwell going to the store or the bank or the dentist--I’m rarely recognized. I’ve been very careful to keep a low profile in the places I live, because basically I’m a private person. I’m a writer, but I’m also a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, etc. Those things are very important to me. I treasure and protect them.
If I’m recognized as Elizabeth Lowell, I’m polite, smile, and change the subject. If the person persists, I smile and tell them I gave Elizabeth the night off, I’m Ann, and I’m glad to meet you.
I keep my professional life and my personal life as separate as possible. (My sister is fierce about it. She warns people that I’m coming to her house as her sister and nothing else, and if they can’t deal with it, stay home.)
My question to all of you is, do you find the ancillary activities inseparable from being a professional writer a welcome balance and counterpart to the intense concentration of actually writing, or just a distracting pain in the neck? ;-)
Um, distracting pain in the neck pretty much sums it up. I'm always looking for extra hours in a day, extra energy for family and friends. That's what balances my life, not more work.
And that's the last question. See you in two weeks.
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posted at 1:28 PM
