Alan Bradley (winner of the Debut Dagger 07) recommended a visit to Louise Penny’s www.louisepenny.com website. She was shortlisted for the 2004 debut dagger. Her site is a treasure trove. She says:
I suffered from writer's block for many years. Terror had taken hold. I was afraid that, once tested, I'd prove my worst fear true - I was a terrible writer. What cured me was a sudden realization I was taking myself way too seriously. And that I was trying to write the best book ever published in the history of the world. And if I didn't, I was a failure.
I decided instead to just have fun with it. To write what I loved to read. And to people the book with characters I'd want as friends. Clearly we all choose our own characters - but make sure you're going to want to spend lots of time with them. They don't have to be attractive, kind, thoughtful. But they do need to be compelling. Look at Scarlet O'Hara. A petty, jealous, willful, vindictive character, almost without redeeming traits, whose tragedy is her failure to change. But she's riveting.
I'm off to have some fun....
No comments:
Post a Comment