More Romaniacs
Mar. 10th, 2012 12:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charlie_cochraneToday’s Romaniacs are Jan, Laura and Liz. Find out more about this daft lot at their blog.
What inspired you to start writing?
Laura: It started with reading. My mother was, and still is a great reader, and books were made available to both my brother and me. I can remember my mum reading Alice In Wonderland to me. My favourite book was Enid Blyton’s Folk of the Faraway Tree.
I then discovered stationery. It is no secret I love pens, paper, notebooks, folders, erasers…tidying my stationery draw is never a chore. When my children were very young, I kept it locked. I’ve given them their own pens now, but they still want to use mine. *huff*
It’s fair to say I am one of those people who has always enjoyed writing. I still have booklets I wrote, comics I designed, and an unfinished science-fantasy novel I started when I was ten, stored in my very old ottoman. When I went to college to study English, Theatre Studies and Geography (don’t ask about that one), I had my comedy sketches accepted for the Christmas productions. I was happier writing and directing than being on stage. How things change.
I wasn’t the typical rebellious teenager. I was considered quiet and studious and I enjoyed spending time in the library writing poetry.
At that point I developed a true passion for music and spent hours analysing lyrics from my favourite artistes, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Annie Lennox and All About Eve. I was inspired to start writing songs.
In my twenties, I teamed up with a keyboard player, Mark, and we gathered a couple of other friends and formed a band, calling ourselves Strangely B’Zar. It was great fun and it helped develop my writing skills. I like to write songs that tell a story. I suppose that was my first attempt at Flash Fiction.
I embarked on Truth Or Dare? about four years ago, when my left arm was in plaster for six weeks, following a wrist fusion. It seemed like the perfect time to write the novel I had always said was in me. It’s been written several times since then.
Jan: Initially, reading books in my childhood by authors like Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl whose magical worlds and quirky character names fired my imagination no end. Latterly, the Writers Bureau home study creative writing course.
How do you choose a particular setting and era?
Laura: Having spent many years in the South West, I am very fond of Dorset and its wonderful scenery. Naturally, it features in my writing. Even if I don’t name it, the places I describe are based on areas around Weymouth and Portland – the stone quarries, Chesil Beach, the outlying villages. I saw a postcard in our local shop today of the Cerne Abbas Giant. He will definitely have a cameo in my next project.
With regard to the era, I write within my lifetime. Part One of Truth Or Dare? is set in 1989, a pivotal year for me as a twenty two year old making her way in the world, and Part Two is in 2007 – the year I embarked on novel writing.
Liz: I write modern romance which is usually set no more than five years behind the current year. Although I love reading anything set in the 19th century, it would be way out of my comfort zone to write in that era.
I found choosing where to set my novel quite difficult. I needed two settings that were a good distance from each other. When looking at where to set my novel, I wanted it to be somewhere I knew and felt familiar with so that I could make it come alive in my writing. I also wanted it to be somewhere I was able to visit so that I could do research. Most importantly I needed the setting to be able to be somewhere my characters would realistically live. Taking all of these different decision makers into account, I chose the majority of the novel to be based in Central London. This is somewhere I have worked and I feel I know the area reasonably well; the hustle and bustle of central London fits in with the novel I am writing.
The second setting I chose was Hope Valley which is in the Peak District. One of my close friends lives not too far from Hope Valley so we visited there recently and it was the perfect place for my novel.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
Jan: My novel is very much character driven, testing their emotions and posing them all sorts of moral dilemmas. If one of them goes off at a tangent I go with it and if it doesn’t benefit or enhance a scene, swiftly reign them back in.
How many works do you have in progress?
Laura: I have my current WIP, which stands at 40,000 words, first draft – this is the one I hope to submit to the NWS, another two set aside to which I shall return and a couple of short story outlines crying for attention. I have neglected them and feel ashamed for doing so. I hope they don’t get taken away.
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
Jan: I would travel the world interviewing authors from different countries about what romance means to them, what makes them tick. A roving Romaniac, so to speak. I’d then compile an anthology of all their answers.
Liz: With a busy day job and lots of lovely friends and family to see, it doesn’t leave time for much else. Because of this, all I want to do is finish the novel I am writing.
If we could add a time machine into this dream mix, I’d maybe skip to a few novels later where hopefully it will be a much improved version of anything I am attempting to write now!
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
Liz: Without a doubt it would be Franco. Franco is one of the main characters who is one of those people in life that just make things happen. There are lots of dramas that happen in the novel and with not much more than a click of his fingers, the problem is solved. He is also ultra protective over his friends and family which means he would make a good rescuer! The fact that he is a six foot tall, a dark and handsome feisty Italian male has nothing to do with it… honestly!
What’s been the best thing about the RNA in general and the NWS in particular?
Laura: For me, it is the sense of belonging to a community jam-packed with friends, where there is no jealousy or cattiness, where everyone is supportive, encouraging and always willing to help. I have found a place where people understand what I am about and it is wonderful.
This is my third year as a member of the NWS and I have made some solid friendships, The Romaniacs being a fine example of this.
I appreciate the effort established authors put into nurturing and mentoring us, and the chance to have our work read and constructively critiqued is priceless.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have found the RNA and in particular, the NWS. I attribute it to Jill Mansell, who both my mother and I read. I checked out her website and followed the link to the RNA. At the time, the RNA site listed its members, and many of the authors I read were there. That was all the encouragement I needed.
Jan: To me, the RNA provides companionship, guidance and inspiration. It’s like being welcomed into a huge group hug. An association I feel very privileged to be a member of. The NWS, primarily, has helped me to overcome my fear of submitting my work for feedback.
Liz: In September 2010 I attended a talk by a panel of romantic authors at my local library. I was inquisitive and curious, had a notebook full of several ideas and a lot of passion for writing, but that was as far as my writing went.
Luckily for me, Jean Fullerton was on the author panel that day and told me about the Romantic Novelist’s Association. Jean also told me about the RNA Chapter meetings and encouraged me to come along.
So I did and after meeting such encouraging wonderful writers, where some were published, I went home and I began to write.
For me the best thing about the RNA is that it has given me exposure to the industry and a network of the most supportive people.
The NWS has given me something to aim for, without that deadline I know I wouldn’t be anywhere near as productive as I have been. The NWS has also given me life long friends in which we share the passion to write, the love of romance and the drive to go and get published.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
Laura: Oh yes. It’s been a running joke in our house for many years. My husband delights in reminding me how long Mansfield Park resided on my vanity unit. He insists I never finished it, I think I did, but confess, I would struggle to describe the plot…or name the characters. I can remember the cover picture. That’s something, isn’t it?
Jan: The Great Gatsby. Despite my initial intrigue, I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
Liz: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It has sat on my bookshelf for what seems like forever. I feel I have a duty to read it because it is a classic but I find it hard work. I’ll keep trying though and one day I will read it!
What inspired you to start writing?
Laura: It started with reading. My mother was, and still is a great reader, and books were made available to both my brother and me. I can remember my mum reading Alice In Wonderland to me. My favourite book was Enid Blyton’s Folk of the Faraway Tree.
I then discovered stationery. It is no secret I love pens, paper, notebooks, folders, erasers…tidying my stationery draw is never a chore. When my children were very young, I kept it locked. I’ve given them their own pens now, but they still want to use mine. *huff*
It’s fair to say I am one of those people who has always enjoyed writing. I still have booklets I wrote, comics I designed, and an unfinished science-fantasy novel I started when I was ten, stored in my very old ottoman. When I went to college to study English, Theatre Studies and Geography (don’t ask about that one), I had my comedy sketches accepted for the Christmas productions. I was happier writing and directing than being on stage. How things change.
I wasn’t the typical rebellious teenager. I was considered quiet and studious and I enjoyed spending time in the library writing poetry.
At that point I developed a true passion for music and spent hours analysing lyrics from my favourite artistes, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Annie Lennox and All About Eve. I was inspired to start writing songs.
In my twenties, I teamed up with a keyboard player, Mark, and we gathered a couple of other friends and formed a band, calling ourselves Strangely B’Zar. It was great fun and it helped develop my writing skills. I like to write songs that tell a story. I suppose that was my first attempt at Flash Fiction.
I embarked on Truth Or Dare? about four years ago, when my left arm was in plaster for six weeks, following a wrist fusion. It seemed like the perfect time to write the novel I had always said was in me. It’s been written several times since then.
Jan: Initially, reading books in my childhood by authors like Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl whose magical worlds and quirky character names fired my imagination no end. Latterly, the Writers Bureau home study creative writing course.
How do you choose a particular setting and era?
Laura: Having spent many years in the South West, I am very fond of Dorset and its wonderful scenery. Naturally, it features in my writing. Even if I don’t name it, the places I describe are based on areas around Weymouth and Portland – the stone quarries, Chesil Beach, the outlying villages. I saw a postcard in our local shop today of the Cerne Abbas Giant. He will definitely have a cameo in my next project.
With regard to the era, I write within my lifetime. Part One of Truth Or Dare? is set in 1989, a pivotal year for me as a twenty two year old making her way in the world, and Part Two is in 2007 – the year I embarked on novel writing.
Liz: I write modern romance which is usually set no more than five years behind the current year. Although I love reading anything set in the 19th century, it would be way out of my comfort zone to write in that era.
I found choosing where to set my novel quite difficult. I needed two settings that were a good distance from each other. When looking at where to set my novel, I wanted it to be somewhere I knew and felt familiar with so that I could make it come alive in my writing. I also wanted it to be somewhere I was able to visit so that I could do research. Most importantly I needed the setting to be able to be somewhere my characters would realistically live. Taking all of these different decision makers into account, I chose the majority of the novel to be based in Central London. This is somewhere I have worked and I feel I know the area reasonably well; the hustle and bustle of central London fits in with the novel I am writing.
The second setting I chose was Hope Valley which is in the Peak District. One of my close friends lives not too far from Hope Valley so we visited there recently and it was the perfect place for my novel.
Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?
Jan: My novel is very much character driven, testing their emotions and posing them all sorts of moral dilemmas. If one of them goes off at a tangent I go with it and if it doesn’t benefit or enhance a scene, swiftly reign them back in.
How many works do you have in progress?
Laura: I have my current WIP, which stands at 40,000 words, first draft – this is the one I hope to submit to the NWS, another two set aside to which I shall return and a couple of short story outlines crying for attention. I have neglected them and feel ashamed for doing so. I hope they don’t get taken away.
If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?
Jan: I would travel the world interviewing authors from different countries about what romance means to them, what makes them tick. A roving Romaniac, so to speak. I’d then compile an anthology of all their answers.
Liz: With a busy day job and lots of lovely friends and family to see, it doesn’t leave time for much else. Because of this, all I want to do is finish the novel I am writing.
If we could add a time machine into this dream mix, I’d maybe skip to a few novels later where hopefully it will be a much improved version of anything I am attempting to write now!
If you were in a tight corner and had to rely on one of your characters to save you, which would it be and why?
Liz: Without a doubt it would be Franco. Franco is one of the main characters who is one of those people in life that just make things happen. There are lots of dramas that happen in the novel and with not much more than a click of his fingers, the problem is solved. He is also ultra protective over his friends and family which means he would make a good rescuer! The fact that he is a six foot tall, a dark and handsome feisty Italian male has nothing to do with it… honestly!
What’s been the best thing about the RNA in general and the NWS in particular?
Laura: For me, it is the sense of belonging to a community jam-packed with friends, where there is no jealousy or cattiness, where everyone is supportive, encouraging and always willing to help. I have found a place where people understand what I am about and it is wonderful.
This is my third year as a member of the NWS and I have made some solid friendships, The Romaniacs being a fine example of this.
I appreciate the effort established authors put into nurturing and mentoring us, and the chance to have our work read and constructively critiqued is priceless.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have found the RNA and in particular, the NWS. I attribute it to Jill Mansell, who both my mother and I read. I checked out her website and followed the link to the RNA. At the time, the RNA site listed its members, and many of the authors I read were there. That was all the encouragement I needed.
Jan: To me, the RNA provides companionship, guidance and inspiration. It’s like being welcomed into a huge group hug. An association I feel very privileged to be a member of. The NWS, primarily, has helped me to overcome my fear of submitting my work for feedback.
Liz: In September 2010 I attended a talk by a panel of romantic authors at my local library. I was inquisitive and curious, had a notebook full of several ideas and a lot of passion for writing, but that was as far as my writing went.
Luckily for me, Jean Fullerton was on the author panel that day and told me about the Romantic Novelist’s Association. Jean also told me about the RNA Chapter meetings and encouraged me to come along.
So I did and after meeting such encouraging wonderful writers, where some were published, I went home and I began to write.
For me the best thing about the RNA is that it has given me exposure to the industry and a network of the most supportive people.
The NWS has given me something to aim for, without that deadline I know I wouldn’t be anywhere near as productive as I have been. The NWS has also given me life long friends in which we share the passion to write, the love of romance and the drive to go and get published.
Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?
Laura: Oh yes. It’s been a running joke in our house for many years. My husband delights in reminding me how long Mansfield Park resided on my vanity unit. He insists I never finished it, I think I did, but confess, I would struggle to describe the plot…or name the characters. I can remember the cover picture. That’s something, isn’t it?
Jan: The Great Gatsby. Despite my initial intrigue, I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
Liz: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It has sat on my bookshelf for what seems like forever. I feel I have a duty to read it because it is a classic but I find it hard work. I’ll keep trying though and one day I will read it!
