 Today my guest is Stephanie Churchill, author of The Scribe’s Daughter and The King’s Daughter.
Being first and foremost a lover of history, Stephanie’s writing draws on her knowledge of history even while set in purely fictional places existing only in her imagination.
Inspired by gothic romance novels like Jane Eyre, epic fantasy stories like The Lord of the Rings and The Game of Thrones, as well as the historical fiction of authors like Sharon Kay Penman, Anya Seton and Bernard Cornwell, Stephanie’s books are filled with action and romance, loyalty and betrayal. Her blend of historical-feeling fantasy fiction combined with elements of gothic romance ensures that her books should please readers of historical fiction and epic fantasy literature alike.
Stephanie grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska in the US. After graduating from college, she worked as an international trade and antitrust paralegal in Washington, D.C. She now lives with her husband, their two children, and her dog-who-thinks-he-is-a-child in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Over to you, Stephanie!
“I was pretty clueless the day I started my first book. The Scribe’s Daughter, began as an experiment. I had written two other full-length manuscripts, but I didn’t love the voice in either of them so abandoned them. What, I asked myself, would happen if I wrote from a first-person perspective? As it turns out, a published book, apparently. I hadn’t intended my experiment to turn into a book, but once I discovered the magic of first person, the spark ignited, and that fire produced something worth publishing.
That’s how my writing journey started, but as I befriend more and more authors over the years, I’ve discovered just how odd my path to authorship was. Most people know they want to be a writer before they write a book. They know it at an early age and pursue that goal by pursuing an education – either formally or informally.
I wanted to go to law school and didn’t get a clue until I was in my thirties.
Most authors practice the craft of writing during those early years by writing. Many of them write their first book as teenagers.
I just read other people’s books.
Other authors create a neat plan to publish a series, write full drafts of each novel, build a platform, plan a release, then have an accelerated launch into authorship, one book at a time, one year at a time.
 I wrote a scene, then another scene, and those scenes turned into a book, and then I decided to write a second book, but that book was really tough because I’d written myself into several corners with the first (unplanned) book, so I had to fix those problems, and oh-by-the-way I need a platform, so let’s make one of those, and I probably should write a couple of blog posts and then maybe write some guest posts for other people in order to do some marketing and promotion which I really should do too, and hey, wouldn’t it be great to write a third book… (big gasp for air)
I like to think it’s worked out well enough, but I don’t recommend “The Stephanie Churchill Method of Becoming an Author” for most people. That being said, the reality for me was that I likely would not have stumbled upon the path except the backward way.
 A wiser method, and the more commonly recommended one, is the way my friend Kim Barton is doing it. She knew from an early age she wanted to write. And now years into it, she is still writing her trilogy. She planned out all three books, wrote and is now editing all of them, and she still hasn’t published one. Despite the successes of those around her, the sales figures and the communal excitement, she is staying focused. Yes, she tells me, it’s really, really hard not to be impatient. She is dying to see her name on a book, but her path will be trekked with patience.
Now that I know these things, I can appreciate the benefits of planning:
- You know ahead of time the who, what, when, where and why of each and every character and plot element. You won’t write yourself into a corner (raises hand) like I did.
- You can publish each book in the series more quickly following the last one, thereby leveraging the momentum by building readership and sales.
- It’s easier to sell the idea of a series to an agent or publisher because they can see that you have more books in you, making you a better investment.
This is all well and good, but it wouldn’t have worked like this for me. I had to do it backward because I didn’t know I could write a book and publish it until I wrote a book and published it. The process was the teacher for me, and the thing I needed most was the confidence that completion produced. I had to do what I did to know I could do what I did.
 And for the maybe half percent of the writers out there who might need to work like me, I just want you to know it’s okay. If you need to work on your book, hoping to make it good enough to publish, all the while doing it without foggiest idea what you’re doing… If you need to write the book so you know you can even write a book… If you need to write the book to gain the confidence necessary to think about what comes next…
It’s okay if you don’t have a plan, if you don’t think you are any good.
Just write the book and see what happens. You might discover you are an author.”
Thank you, Stephanie! I think there are as many ways to write a book as there are authors. 😉
Connect with Stephanie
Website: www.stephaniechurchillauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StephanieChurchillAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterChurchill
What’s The Scribe’s Daughter about?
“My name is Kassia, and I am reckless. Or at least my sister, Irisa, would have you think so. Maybe she’s right, but my recklessness helped us survive as orphans on the dusty streets of the Imperial city of Corium.
Everything changed the day a stranger showed up at our market stall to hire me to complete a task beyond my abilities.
I probably should have asked more questions, because my decision set into motion a series of events that would change my life forever.”
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Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers – INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for the first four of the series.
Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, FREE as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter. You’ll also be first to know about Roma Nova news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.
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 Jill in characteristic occupation As a child, Jill read so obsessively she got kicked out of the school library. But her passion for words continued. She graduated in English Literature and Theatre Studies from the University of Wales and set up a theatre company.
Since then, as an actor, director, teacher, writer and journalist, she’s worked in fifteen countries. Now, with her husband and three dogs, Jill lives in Switzerland, a country with four languages and mountains of new words.
Jill is a founder member of Triskele Books, European correspondent for Words with JAM magazine, co-edits Swiss literary hub The Woolf and writes European crime novels The Beatrice Stubbs Series. And she still reads.
Over to Jill…
“Three years of studying what?!”
You don’t need to go to university, love, you’re already a drama queen!”
“What’s the first thing a graduate says after getting an arts degree? You want fries with that?”
My choice of degree – Joint Honours in Drama and English – gave the locals at my parents’ pub hours of amusement. Even more so after my first term when I proudly came home and demonstrated my new skill: fire-eating.
But after three years of studying theatre and English literature, I can honestly say I used what I learnt in every job I’ve had. Obviously, as an actor and director, certainly as a teacher and trainer, undoubtedly as a journalist. But never more so than as a crime writer.
I know what you’re thinking. Character and dialogue come easily to someone with a background in theatre. To a point, yes. But for me, the real benefit is constructing a story.
Most writers are familiar with the three-act structure (terms and amount of story they take up may vary). Here’s my loose rule of thumb:
 Photo by Alessia Cocconi on Unsplash Inciting Incident (II): Act One (20%)
Here is where we build storyworld, introduce character and set the scene. The status quo is established and rapidly changed. Give our MC (main character) two things: Drive and Danger.
Progressive Complications (PC): Act Two (60%)
MC chases Drive, often thwarted by Danger. Build character, settings and relationships to environment, while keeping the hand on the Drive.
Climax and Conclusion (CC): Act Three (20%)
Crunch time. MC faces Nemesis, wins or loses. Or maybe just learns. After winding tension to snapping point, a moment to observe the change. Curtain call.
All in all, a very well-made play. How can we deepen that and add layers so the rhythm of tension, relief, curiosity, concern and plain old drama never feels repetitive or stale?
There are as many answers to that question as there are authors. My method? Multiply by three.
When sketching out a Beatrice Stubbs novel, I have three key plots. Plot A is usually the main crime story involving villain(s) and detectives. Plot B is the counterpoint, perhaps a secondary investigation which comes to bear on Plot A, or a character journey which influences emotions. The third plot is nearly always a clash of personalities, sometimes key players, sometimes secondary characters. Each has its Inciting Incident, Progressive Complications, and Climax & Conclusion.
But not at the same time
These three storylines con be conducted as instruments in an orchestra. One story begins alone and is soon joined by another. Their rhythms work in counterpoint, so when one storyline is downbeat, the other flies upwards. Adding to the harmony is the third narrative. This carries a tension and development of its own, lifting any lulls and offering the reader a rest and maybe even a smile.
Each thread starts and ends at a different point, so plots B and C fade out before the end, allowing the soloist centre stage. Here’s an example from the second in the series, Raw Material.
In this diagram, you can see the main plot dominates, its Inciting Incident at the beginning and its dénouement at the end. The other two stories weave in and out but are completed before Plot A ends. The final scene, or coda, may include elements of Plots B and/or C so that all unanswered questions are satisfied.
 Photo by Michael D Beckwith on Unsplash Storytelling structure is an instinctive part of all of us and readers have inbuilt expectations. Sure, authors have every right to defy those, bend the rules and create something entirely unexpected. How else will fiction grow and develop to fit our times?
After eight books, I’m still learning the rules. Only when I’ve mastered the techniques of powerful storytelling can I dismiss them.
Exits stage right.
Great performance, Jill! Take a well-deserved bow.
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Find out more about Jill
Website: www.beatrice-stubbs.com Twitter: @JJMarsh1 Facebook: Beatrice Stubbs Page
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Read Jill’s latest featuring Beatrice Stubbs…
SNOW ANGEL
 Love is a driving passion. So is hate.
December in a small Devonshire village is the perfect time for a Yuletide festival, a Narnian wedding or a murder.
Now retired, Beatrice is working on a book, planning a wedding and pretending she doesn’t miss the cut and thrust of Scotland Yard.
When a local celebrity dies in suspicious circumstances, Matthew encourages Beatrice to do some private investigating. Her enquiries reveal more than predicted and she discovers even her nearest and dearest are capable of deceit.
A snowstorm hits the village and Beatrice chases a lead, throwing everyone’s plans into disarray and threatening lives. The ancient forest conceals a primeval web of complex loyalties and lethal bonds.
Angels protect their friends. But destroy their enemies.
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Your host, Alison Morton, is the author of Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO. CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for the first four of the series.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, FREE as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter
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 On 4 March 2010, I wrote my first ever blogpost. It wasn’t startling, nor was it particularly erudite. I followed it up with thirteen more posts that month. Unfortunately, any ‘Likes’ and comments were obliterated when we suffered a major backup disaster in 2016. I wept, but some followers were kind enough to go back and ‘Like’ and new followers have discovered some of the older posts. Thank you!
But something else has been happening… My site statistics for this and the Roma Nova blog have remained reasonably healthy, growing steadily with the odd huge peak here and there. So far so good. My burblings must be of interest or even amusement. But comments are few.
I am not alone. Other author blogs, product blogs, even revered institutional blogs are receiving fewer comments or even ‘Likes’.
 Now I don’t want you to get the violins out. In these time-strapped days, we have to be selective. However, there’s a very unfortunate trend developing and becoming increasingly prevalent – blog-snubbing (my word for it).
When I publish my piece here or on the Roma Nova blog, it’s posted automatically to Twitter and Linked In. I post it to Facebook manually as I like to add a few words of introduction/temptation to accompany the link. I also post in other relevant Facebook groups depending on the content. Facebook very kindly notifies me if somebody has commented. “Great.” I think. “Time for some conversation!”
But… (You know me well!)
If somebody has commented on Facebook or Twitter saying “Thank you” or its equivalent, I’m very happy that they’ve enjoyed the post. It’s very gratifying they’ve noticed it and found something of interest in it.
But when the commenter on Facebook/Twitter has only replied to my introduction/temptation and in a superior tone or (more often) in an uninformed way, merely repeating what I said in my blogpost, I despair.
 Because I’m well-brought up, I resist the urge to be sarcastic and agree in a ‘hearts-and-flowers’ tone that that’s precisely what I was getting at.
Then I ask them a supplementary which they would only be able to answer if they’d actually read the blog post, e.g. “And what did you think about my idea of how XYZ developed from there?” Either it’s ignored or they say “Oh, I didn’t read the post – I haven’t got time for that.”
Then why the —— did you comment in such a silly way?
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t ask people to read my blog or study it. It’s entirely up to them. I don’t have that big an ego. However, I’m delighted if they do as I try to write sensible and informative content without being over-long or boring. I always reply to comments below the blogpost as readers have made a positive effort to join in the conversation.
And commenting on a blog will bring a little glow to the author’s soul and inspire them to go on and write more.
Comments welcome!
If you did click through from social media to this post, I will send you a free ebook of any of my Roma Nova novels as a thank you if you leave a comment, however short. Include in your comment which book you would like. It’s just to see who actually does this when I post on Facebook/Twitter. 😉
You can, if you like, sign up to receive blogposts from this blog by completing the box in the right-hand column.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO.CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for the first four of the series.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, FREE as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter
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 Photo: Dominic Cotter 2017 Today, my blog guest is Debbie Young writer of warm, witty, feel-good contemporary fiction inspired by life in the English village where she’s lived for nearly thirty years. Her Sophie Sayers Village Mystery’series begins with ‘Best Murder in Show’ and, when complete, will run the course of a calendar year in the life of a classic English Cotswold village. The fifth in the planned series of seven novels, ‘Springtime for Murder’, will launch on 15 November 2018.
She’s also writing the first in a new trilogy of novels, ‘Flat Chance’, first in the Staffroom at St Bride’s trilogy, set in the staffroom of an English girls’ boarding school. Will there be any dead bodies lurking in the dorms? You’ll have to wait to find out!
In her less frivolous moments, Debbie is the commissioning editor for the Alliance of Independent Authors’ blog.
Over to Debbie!
“The funniest opening line of a novel, period,” says crime writer Wendy H Jones of Murder in the Manger, the third in my Sophie Sayers Village Mystery series.
It’s not only in the opening chapter of my books that you’ll find such humour. One reviewer described them as “a chuckle on every page”, another as “Bridget Jones meets Miss Marple”.
“But hang on, aren’t you a crime writer?” I hear you cry.
Yes, but I write cozy crime (as our US friends like to spell it), rather than more straight-faced novels such as police procedurals. In my books, humour is a foil to the darker side of the story, and a seam of warm amusement at the world runs through all my books.
I don’t know about you, but for me, cozy crime feels more realistic to me than, say, Nordic Noir or a psychological thriller. I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a day without a laugh and a smile – though thankfully murders have so far passed me by.
Perhaps this is because, in my normal daily life, humour is such a valuable tool to get me through the day. Humour helps me process and deal with grim news and challenging events.
 Debbie Young in the graveyard Photo: Angela Fitch I think I’m in good company. Think of the black humour deployed by medics, funeral directors and others who deal daily with grim diagnoses and death. Back when hanging was still a legal punishment, we also had gallows humour.
Not to mention Shakespeare. Macbeth, for example, is a grim play of ruthless and bloody murder. Though we are horrified by the murder of Duncan, we laugh out loud – and are glad to and need to – at the porter’s comic antics.
To take a more modern example, I find it interesting that the cast hugely successful recent televisation of Sherlock Holmes is full of comedy greats – Benedict Cumberbatch (Cabin Pressure), Martin Freeman (The Office) and Una Stubbs (Till Death Us Do Part). Each actor’s lines are sprinkled with witty asides and one-liners. This humour humanises them all, making it easier for us to relate even to the strangely unemotional Holmes, and to deal with the atrocities at the heart of each plot. Yet it doesn’t detract from the seriousness of the crimes at the heart of the stories, nor diminish our longing for justice.
Shakespeare and Sherlock get the balance right, creating a symbiotic relationship between serious and comic scenes, and I aim to do the same in my Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries.
- In Murder in the Manger, which runs from November 6ththrough to Christmas Eve, the cheery opening quickly gives way to the story’s central mystery: a stranger accuses the congregation of abducting her baby. This heart-breaking crime is all the more poignant when set in the parish church, a traditional sanctuary, in the season of goodwill, and during a comical performance of the nativity play by innocent children.
- Elsewhere in the novel, comedy moments run counterpoint to a respectful and serious scene set at the village school’s Remembrance Day service, echoing central themes of love, loss and reconciliation.
- In the previous book, Trick or Murder?, running from Halloween to Guy Fawkes’ Night, a reflective scene at the village church at the All Souls’ Day service is all the more powerful for being surrounded by comic encounters between the villagers and the sinister new vicar.
Used wisely, humour in crime adds warmth and depth to help us relate to, absorb and ultimately learn from the story.
Not that I’m suggesting that all crime writing should feature comedy, nor that there’s anything lacking in mysteries that don’t set out to raise a smile. But for optimistic extraverts like me, humorous crime writing is my comfort zone as both writer and reader (and law-abiding citizen). And that’s why it makes my day whenever a reviewer, like Wendy H Jones, really gets my jokes.
So, are you wondering what that opening line is that Wendy liked so much?
It was when the stable animals developed the power of speech that I realised the cast were departing from my nativity play script.
“Do you think your baby Jesus would like a cuddle, Mrs Virgin?” asked a small sheep politely.
“Hoi, first go for shepherds!” said an older boy with a tea-towel on his head, elbowing the sheep aside.
The small sheep scowled. “I asked first.”
A larger sheep pointed accusingly at Mary. “She’s the virgin around here. I think she should make you take turns nicely.”
The small sheep and the shepherd made a dash across the stable floor, both arriving at the manger at the same time and grabbing the Baby Jesus. The plastic doll fell in pieces to the flagstone floor, leaving the shepherd holding its left leg and the sheep its head. The congregation gasped in horror.
The larger sheep put his hands on his hips. “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve broken Baby Jesus.”
And if you’d like to find out what happens next, Murder in the Manger is now available from Amazon as a Kindle ebook and paperback from Amazon or any other online retailer or through your favourite bookshop (quote ISBN 9781911223221).
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 When Sophie Sayers’ plans for a cosy English country Christmas are interrupted by the arrival of her ex-boyfriend, her troubles are only just beginning. Before long, the whole village stands accused of murder.
Damian says he’s come to direct the village nativity play, but Sophie thinks he’s up to no good.
What are those noises coming from his van?
Who is the stranger lurking in the shadows?
And whose baby, abandoned in the manger, disappears in plain sight?
Enjoy the fun of a traditional Cotswold festive season, with echoes of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, as Sophie seeks a happy ending for her latest village mystery – and for her new romance with charming local bookseller Hector Munro.Twitter:
Ebook: Amazon Kindle Paperback: Online – Amazon or other stores, or through your favourite local bookshop, quote ISBN 9781911223221
Connect with Debbie:
Website: www.authordebbieyoung.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DebbieYoungBN (@DebbieYoungBN)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorDebbieYoung
If you’d like to know when Debbie is about to publish a new book, you can join her Readers’ Club via her author website.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO.CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for the first four of the series.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, FREE as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 Today’s guest, Jean Gill, is a very experienced writer brimming with information and helpful advice. She’s the author of twenty-one books, including the award-winning ‘Troubadours’ series. She’s a Welsh writer and photographer living in the south of France with two scruffy dogs, a beehive named ‘Endeavour’, a Nikon D750 and a man. For many years, she taught English and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in Wales. As mother or stepmother to five children, life was hectic.
Her range of work is very wide: prize-winning poetry and novels, military history, translated books on dog training, and a cookery book on goat cheese. With Scottish parents, an English birthplace and French residence, she can usually support the winning team on most sporting occasions.
Over to Jean!
You have a story in your head but you don’t know how to begin? Try one of the five ‘D’s to get you started!
1) Dramatic moment
Jump into a moment of high drama! A car chase, attempted murder, a stalker in the house, the birth of a dragon. (Ah! our old friend ‘in media res’)
2) Dialogue
If you can hear your characters speaking to each other and feel the tension, create the characters through what they say. One good tip I was given by a television playwright was to write down the conversation then delete as much as it takes (Hello, how are you?) to get to the interesting part (Why didn’t you go to the funeral?).
3) Description
a) place
b) person
Many classic works of literature start with ‘setting the atmosphere’ or creating a character through descriptions that hook the reader. The technique can still work – try it!
e.g (place) Even the rats avoided Grampton Tip – or never left there alive.
e.g. (person) Jonah was a man who believed passionately that others should save the planet.
4) Dicton – a philosophical statement or quotation
I confess – I’ve cheated and used the French word dicton to give me the fourth D. This is another classic method. Who doesn’t recognize ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife’? This technique can be brought up to date as a statement or as a question e.g What woman in her fifties would marry for the same reason she did at twenty?
5) Double-back – start at the chronological ending
Try starting with the ending (or the middle), making the reader wonder how this point was reached.
An exercise for writers
Here’s a simple outline for a plot – write a beginning for it using one or more of the ‘D’ beginnings.
You can read my beginning below using technique number 5 – Double back.
- Gordon and Ellie, both single cops, have been in a sexual relationship for 3 months but they work together so they have to keep it a secret.
- The boss finds out and gives them the ultimatum – one of them has to ask for a transfer or they have to end their relationship.
- Gordon wants to be self-sacrificing and be the one to move job.
- Ellie doesn’t want the pressure of his being a martyr and is worried that it will become a cause of resentment between them in the future, but neither does she want to transfer.
- They don’t want to split up and they love each other. The situation forces them to realize that they do want to commit to each other.
So they resign and set up their own consultancy private detective business as business partners and lovers, by their own rules.
Over to you – have fun trying out some ‘D’ beginnings of your own!
My beginning (Double-back)
‘I gave up my career in the force for you and look at us now! No, clients, no money and too many of these!’ Gordon picked up a handful of the bills in the Intray, scrunched them into a ball and through them on the floor. ‘And you just sit there, getting fatter! I’m going out. If I’m lucky, I’ll see someone murdered and get us some work!’
The bell tinkled cheerily on the door as he slammed it behind him and Ellie saw his angry stride along the street, carving up the gossiping strollers with their shopping bags and small children. She had always loved the bell, with its promise of clients and resolutions. When had it grown so sarcastic?
Every movement an increasing weight, pulling her further down to an airless void, Ellie bent to pick up the bills, opening them out, unfolding them, smoothing them again and again with her long fingers as she placed them neatly, in date order, in the overflowing Intray.
Thank you, Jean, especially for the challenge at the end!
Find out more about Jean
Website Twitter: @writerjeangill Facebook
Read this short story from Jean’s award-winning Troubadours series
1157: Aquitaine. The wolves are coming! At midnight on Christmas Eve, while the blizzard blasts snow through every crack in the castle walls, Nici the Shepherd’s Dog stands guard in the sheepfold.
Beside him as usual are his pack and the flock they protect but this night is not usual at all. A small boy braves the snowy night, seeking the protection of his great friend while he is banned from his parents’ quarters in the castle.
Nici recalls other times and other dangers, his trials and failures, the reasons why he ran away with a young girl, now the little boy’s mother. He would still give his life in a heartbeat for Lady Estela.
And yet, on this snowy night, he cannot help her. So, while he waits and comforts Estela’s son, he tells his own puppies the story of a dog’s life.
‘One just wants to sit down with Nici as he shares his story in that cozy sheepfold while the cold winds rage outside on Christmas Eve.’ Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite
You can buy Nici’s Christmas Tale here: https://books2read.com/NicisTale in your favourite ebook format.
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and RETALIO.CARINA, a novella, and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories, are now available. Audiobooks are available for the first four of the series.
Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines… Get INCEPTIO, the series starter, FREE as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email newsletter
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
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Today my guest is Stephanie Churchill, author of The Scribe’s Daughter and The King’s Daughter.
I wrote a scene, then another scene, and those scenes turned into a book, and then I decided to write a second book, but that book was really tough because I’d written myself into several corners with the first (unplanned) book, so I had to fix those problems, and oh-by-the-way I need a platform, so let’s make one of those, and I probably should write a couple of blog posts and then maybe write some guest posts for other people in order to do some marketing and promotion which I really should do too, and hey, wouldn’t it be great to write a third book… (big gasp for air)
A wiser method, and the more commonly recommended one, is the way my friend Kim Barton is doing it. She knew from an early age she wanted to write. And now years into it, she is still writing her trilogy. She planned out all three books, wrote and is now editing all of them, and she still hasn’t published one. Despite the successes of those around her, the sales figures and the communal excitement, she is staying focused. Yes, she tells me, it’s really, really hard not to be impatient. She is dying to see her name on a book, but her path will be trekked with patience.
And for the maybe half percent of the writers out there who might need to work like me, I just want you to know it’s okay. If you need to work on your book, hoping to make it good enough to publish, all the while doing it without foggiest idea what you’re doing… If you need to write the book so you know you can even write a book… If you need to write the book to gain the confidence necessary to think about what comes next…
