Saturday 22 December 2012

Write what you know: Fact or Fiction?



I can still see her:
Wrinkled face framed by grey sausage curls.
Our grade four teacher's blue piercing eyes dared us to disobey.
"Remember class, only write what you know."

The whole class started scribbling furiously:
"Sally gets a puppy." or  "Billy's Worst Day."
...they were all riveting works of art taken from our life experiences...
but none of them were ever published. :)

So how important is it that you write what you know?
I think in this case a writer has to follow the spirit of the law and not the letter.

I have never seen an actual dragon,
nor have I visited a royal court.
Yet my WIP involves both.
In fact, most fantasy and sci-fi fiction takes great liberties with reality.

My theory?
Even if your characters have blue skin,
or are part of a crew that visits galaxies far, far away,
there is still a core of what you know buried deep inside of them:

So yes, write what you know:
Jealousy, Rage, Love, Fear,
all the emotions from your everyday life.

Use them all:
-the butterflies before your first kiss.
-the anger that coursed through your veins when you found your brother reading your diary.
-the peace from camping nights under star filled skies.

Analyze those emotions,
and use them to make your writing come alive.

How about you? How do you make the emotions of your characters real for your readers?

 
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Monday 17 December 2012

The Next Big Thing...

So, there is a blog hop going around where you get to talk about your Work In Progress.
Parched will be the NEXT BIG THING!! :) :)
This opportunity was given to my by Precarious Yates.
Thank you!!

What is the working title of your book?
Parched

Where did the idea for the book come from?
The idea came when I asked "In a world where people only rely on science how could a young girl explain away a miracle?" And the story blossomed from there.

What genre does your book fall under?
Christian young adult fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I'm not good with actors and actresses names but here are some pictures to give you some ideas:


Rosa the shepherdess



Alida the fallen angel


Gavin


Lady Selena 


Tomas (I would lighten his hair)


Torin the blacksmith


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
An orphaned shepherdess, armed with a book of empty pages, fights to save the world and her soul from an ancient darkness.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I hope to go through an agency.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?
30 days! I did it for National Novel Writing Month during the month of November. It took me two years to tweak and polish.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My voice is similar to Jill Williamson in her Blood of Kings trilogy.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My desire to write an entertaining book which also had a strong moral theme.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
There are shape shifters, dragons, demon wolves, and fallen angels. :)

I can't wait to share my world with you. :)
Thanks for stopping by.