This week's questions come from author Shannon Kennedy. You can check out her books for young adults at: www.shannonkennedybooks.com or her mainstream cowboy romance books at: www.josiemalone.com.
How do you find the appropriate setting for the story or does it find you?
Good question. I'm not really sure. Redemption For Liars is set in a small town similar to the one I grew up in, or the one where my father grew up. Assassin, P.I. is set in a larger city filled with corruption, ala 1940's Chicago style. The settings just seemed to fit for the stories I was trying to tell. Since I've lived in the same city my entire life - in a whopping total of 4 houses - developing a strong setting can be difficult for me. You would think, based on how obsessed I am with taking photos of gorgeous landscapes, I would use my own photos for inspiration, but I haven't yet. I'd love to travel more, to experience new locales, so I have a richer base of knowledge to draw upon for future stories.
What is your support system for your writing, family, friends, other writers?
In the beginning, my mom was my biggest supporter. She endured hours on end of brainstorming
sessions, slashed away at my typos with her handy red pen, and encouraged me to keep going despite all those pesky rejection notices. Now that mom is gone, my family and co-workers have picked up where she left off, acting as my sounding boards, whether they want to or not.
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| Photo courtesy of Natural Kid Pix |
Good question. I'm not really sure. Redemption For Liars is set in a small town similar to the one I grew up in, or the one where my father grew up. Assassin, P.I. is set in a larger city filled with corruption, ala 1940's Chicago style. The settings just seemed to fit for the stories I was trying to tell. Since I've lived in the same city my entire life - in a whopping total of 4 houses - developing a strong setting can be difficult for me. You would think, based on how obsessed I am with taking photos of gorgeous landscapes, I would use my own photos for inspiration, but I haven't yet. I'd love to travel more, to experience new locales, so I have a richer base of knowledge to draw upon for future stories.
What is your support system for your writing, family, friends, other writers?
In the beginning, my mom was my biggest supporter. She endured hours on end of brainstorming sessions, slashed away at my typos with her handy red pen, and encouraged me to keep going despite all those pesky rejection notices. Now that mom is gone, my family and co-workers have picked up where she left off, acting as my sounding boards, whether they want to or not.
Along the way to publication, I've met several fabulous writers who've been kind enough to lend their support and expertise. Among them are Dianne Gardner, Rebekah R. Ganiere, and my teacher-writer peeps from the Inland Area Writing Projects: Sharon, David, and Cindy.
More recently, I've joined Rom-Critters, an online critique group for romance writers, and Romance Writer's Weekly, a co-op of writers working together to build up their online reputations and inspire each other to greatness. I also have a wonderful support system built in with my Soul Mate Publishing authors. My Soul Matey's graciously share advice and help each other with promotion.
What is the worst writing advice you ever received and how did you deal with it?
P.S. I love you all!
What is the worst writing advice you ever received and how did you deal with it?
I don't think I've ever received any bad writing advice, however I've been told:
It drives me CRAZY! (You know I'm talking about you, sis. Love ya anyways.)
I try to smile, thank the person, and then go right back to writing. Even if my storyline is slightly reminiscent of a movie or book, I'm confident that my stories are strong enough to stand on their own. After all, it's about the unique spin you put on the tried-and-true. Just look at all the famous Romeo & Juliet remakes. Grease and West Side Story both tell the same basic storyline, yet they were very successful in their own right. I try to remind myself that my story is unique, despite a few general similarities.
Well, that's it for this week's installment of Romance Weekly. Let me direction your attention to the ever lovely, Sarah Hegger. http://sarahhegger.wordpress.com. Sarah writes both medieval romance and contemporary romance. Her debut novel hits Amazon this May. Enjoy the rest of your tour!
"Your storyline sounds just like this movie I watched last night."
It drives me CRAZY! (You know I'm talking about you, sis. Love ya anyways.)
I try to smile, thank the person, and then go right back to writing. Even if my storyline is slightly reminiscent of a movie or book, I'm confident that my stories are strong enough to stand on their own. After all, it's about the unique spin you put on the tried-and-true. Just look at all the famous Romeo & Juliet remakes. Grease and West Side Story both tell the same basic storyline, yet they were very successful in their own right. I try to remind myself that my story is unique, despite a few general similarities.
Well, that's it for this week's installment of Romance Weekly. Let me direction your attention to the ever lovely, Sarah Hegger. http://sarahhegger.wordpress.com. Sarah writes both medieval romance and contemporary romance. Her debut novel hits Amazon this May. Enjoy the rest of your tour!
Sounds like you've got some wonderful support, Elizabeth! xo
ReplyDeleteI really do. I'm so grateful that I have such a great support system. Still miss my mom, though.
DeleteTravelling is a great way to get ideas for settings - but don't underestimate the power of Google Maps 3D view. It's almost as good as being there! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd never thought about using Google Maps as research! What a great idea.
DeleteYou know, if Shakespeare has written the story, the Greeks did before him. All our stories sound like someone else's, we just need to keep making them unique
ReplyDeleteI'm so using this whenever the topic comes up again at our next family dinner.
DeleteI see you're a SoCal girl! Me too! I think most stories are similar to something. There are only so many points and plots to play with, but putting our own twists and turns on things is where the magic is. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYay! Another SoCal pal! Finding new ways to make the basic romance story unique is fun. Most of the time. Plotting is always a tricky task for me.
DeleteA writing friend of mine (New York Times Best-seller) Once told me that there are no new stories, just old stories blended together and made better. Forget the critics and write what you love and how you want to write it. Write for yourself, and fans will come later.
ReplyDeleteWhat great advice. And how cool is that? I'm jealous that you have a NY Times best-selling author for a friend.
DeleteCool that your mom helped you get started! My mother is embarrassed that I have sex scenes in my book, but she still loves me :-)
ReplyDeleteMy mom is actually the one who encouraged me to write romance. I was so embarrassed to show her my sex scenes, but it never fazed her at all.
DeleteIsn't Soul Mate wonderful Elizabeth? It's so neat the support your mother gave you. I envy you.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks! My mom was a wonderful support. She would have loved the support and friendship I have now with Soul Mate. SMP was the perfect choice for me.
DeleteIt's great to have the support of family, right? Great answers :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yeah, I don't know what I'd do without my family. Thankfully, they are very patient.
ReplyDeleteI live in small town USA too, not as small as yours, but you can walk from one end of our town to the other in a half hour and that's with taking your time :) Traveling is good for gaining experience, but google maps is great too!!!
ReplyDeleteMy first book was a historical set during the Rome Empire. I actually found a former military garrison on line near the Adriatic Sea. The internet is a writer's right arm these days.
ReplyDelete