The third and last batch of Romaniacs consists of Lucie, Sue and Vanessa.
The nine Romaniac girls have very kindly offered a £5 Amazon voucher for one of the commenters here or at the previous two entries, to be picked at random next Saturday.

What inspired you to start writing?

Sue: I’ve always loved reading, ever since I was a young child so I think for me it was a natural progression. I was given a Silver Reed manual typewriter for my 10th birthday and I used to love making my own books; title pages, contents, the story then stapling them all together. Now I’d like to do it for real.

How do you choose a particular setting and era?

Lucie: I have a young family and so don’t get to travel as much as I would like. I also don’t really like writing about anywhere I have never been or don’t have much knowledge about. Therefore, I mostly write in and around the South East of England and set my work in the present.

Vanessa: I write contemporary stories and look for a setting with an atmosphere that reflects the feel of the book. I love reading books with settings that give a real sense of atmosphere and mood.

Are you character or plot driven? What do you do if one of your characters starts developing at a tangent?

Sue: Probably more plot than character driven, although I tend to start off with a character and then see what sort of mess I can get them into and develop the plot from there. Ultimately, the plot is the driving force.

My WIP went through the NWS last year and since then I have changed my lead male beyond recognition. He took on a life all of his own and became someone completely different - as a result, he’s been re-named, been given a new history and changed his nationality. I feel like MI5 - just totally reinventing him.

Vanessa: I always start with a character – I usually have one scene with my main character in mind; sometimes the start of a story, sometimes the end, and then the story develops around that scene.

Lucie: I am very much plot driven. When I start a piece of writing, I have a story, dilemma or point to make, and I frame my work around that. I ‘find’ characters that fit that particular plot and try my best to mould them into it. However, I have had a couple of instances where the characters do not play ball and sometimes I do have to let them win.

Sometimes, you just don’t have a choice.

How many works do you have in progress?

Sue: One pretty much complete which is a rework of last year’s NWS submission. One that is about 35,000 words in and another which hasn’t made it out of my head yet and onto paper.


If you had no constraints of time and a guarantee of publication, what book would you write?

Lucie: What a great question! This question actually took the most time to think about; I mulled on this for days. And the answer I kept coming back to was children’s books.

The book that initially ignited my passion for writing was the Harry Potter series. I would love to write a book for that age group. I just don’t know if I have what it takes. A few people have said to me, ‘oh but writing for children must be so much easier than writing for adults as they are younger.’ I couldn’t disagree more. I think it may actually be harder and I’m not sure I understand it enough to be able to do it. Having said that, as this question states, if I had no time constraints and I could put every hour of every day into researching it, then I would love to do it.

Who knows, maybe one day I will.

Vanessa: I love the books I’m writing now – I don’t think I’d change (although I’d like the guarantee of publication!)

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?

Lucie: My new hero in Book Two; Adam – he’s a paramedic and extremely hot! I figure he would be handy to have around to deal with any medical emergencies I may have, and did I mention he was hot? I’d be happy to be whipped up into his arms and carried to safety any day of the week.

Sue: If it was a female it would be Erin Hurly – my heroine in my current WIP. She’s feisty, knows her own mind and is not frightened to speak up, she is also a very loyal friend.

If it were a man, then Tex Garcia, from my finished manuscript. He fights for those he cares about and doesn’t care how dirty it gets because he doesn’t always play by the rules himself.


What’s been the best thing about the RNA in general and the NWS in particular?

Lucie: The RNA is a fantastic organisation that brings together an array of different people who are otherwise in a very lonely profession. I would say the best thing about being a part of this organisation is the support offered. This goes for the NWS also. As a new, unpublished writer, the thing that I need most on a daily basis is support from my peers. When I am feeling low and rubbish about what I am writing, or not writing in some cases, there is always an RNA member about for me to ask for help or advice. And the same goes for when I have a triumph. I get plenty of praise and congratulations from all kinds of people.

The RNA has such a good name for itself and so I think it is great to be able to say you are a member. It creates common ground between people, some of whom you may not necessarily have anything else in common with.

Oh, and the parties are a hoot!

Vanessa: I came across the RNA by chance – I think there was an article about the NWS in one of the writing magazines. I was too late to apply that year, but filed it away for the following year. I sent off my finished first book in January, and got my report back six weeks later and it was a revelation. I have never done any creative writing courses, but I think I learned more from that incredibly detailed six-page report than I ever could have from a course. I re-wrote and re-submitted to agents and found an agent soon after that. If I get published, it will be thanks to the RNA and the NWS.
That’s the writing part. The other – equally as important – part, is the support and friendship you get from being part of the RNA. I found my first local NWSers through ROMNA and now regularly meet them for coffee and lunches. Best of all though – there are the Romaniacs. Some of us haven’t met outside the internet – the rest of us only a few times at the infamous RNA parties – but it’s like we’ve known each other forever.

Is there a classic book you started and simply couldn't finish?

Sue: At the risk of being banished into literary purgatory, I haven’t read any of the classics. Keep promising myself that one day I’ll read Pride & Prejudice as this seems to be the one that everyone refers to.

Vanessa: There’s a book I started which I didn’t want to finish but had to because I was studying it at A Level – Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native. I’ve avoided Thomas Hardy ever since.