Thursday, October 29, 2020

Q&A



Derrick Ferguson asked these questions on Facebook and I answered. I thought I would share here as well.

1: Are you a "pantser" or a "plotter"? 

I’m somewhere in the middle. I’ve heard the term “Plantser” tossed about, although I don’t really like that word. I once referred to myself on a podcast as “Captain Plotty-Pants!”

2: Detailed character sketches or "Their character will be revealed to me as I write"? 

I like reveals. I have a good notion of the characters before I start and I know who they are, but I also enjoy that thrill of discovery during the writing process.

3: Do you know the goals, motivations and inner conflicts of your characters before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing?

Same as above. I go in knowing a lot of this information, but I also like trusting my characters to reveal details as we go along as well.

4: Books on plotting: Useful or Harmful?

No idea. I haven’t read any.

5: Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work?

There’s an old joke I like. “I am a writer. Today, I will write. But first…” I can procrastinate with the best of ‘em even when the itch to write is powerful. I’m odd. I know.

6: Do you write in short bursts of creative energy or can you sit down and write for hours?

Once I get started, I’m usually at the writing desk for a good stretch. It’s getting me to sit down and get started that’s the hard part.

7: Are you a morning or evening writer?

I do my best work late at night and into the wee hours of the morning.

8: Do you write with music/noise or do you need complete silence to concentrate?

I can write with music on, but most of the time I write without it. It’s never silent in the house though. I’ve learned to tune out most sounds.

9: Computer or longhand?

Computer. Longhand is like doing it twice. I prefer to work smarter, not harder.

10: Do you know the ending before you start working on Chapter One?

Yes. I usually know how the story will end. That said, I am also open to the ending changing if the story demands it.

11: Does what's selling in the market influence what and how you write?

Absolutely not. I write what I like to write.

12: Editing: Love It or Hate It?

I don’t hate it. It’s not my favorite part of the process, but it’s necessary.

13: Why do you want to write?

I write because I love telling stories. If I wasn’t writing them down, the stories would still form in my head. Writing them in book form allows me to get them out of my head.

Thanks, Derrick.

Bobby

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