I think going through the process of writing several novels and working with my editor has certainly helped improve my writing craft. I enjoy writing more than I have in the past. I feel I can focus more on the actual story and characters because my skill in the craft...
I have to laugh because I feel like I’ve been here all along. I think the key is not to give up no matter how long it takes. All my life I was behind everyone when it came to age-appropriate milestones. I didn’t start college until after my children were older and I...
Wow, what a question! Mmm, there are so many…but I think I’d like to spend some time with John Steinbeck. I’d like to tell him I loved his work. He had a tremendous influence on American literature. This was a man who celebrated when his book finally went OFF the NY...
That’s a very easy question to answer—without hesitation— it is getting to be with the readers of my stories. I love being with them at book signings or conferences, or wherever we encounter each other, even online blogging or emailing. Writers spend so much time...
The basic advice seems to always be to write the story the first time anyway you want and don’t worry about anything, get it written down. For the most part, I’ve found that to be true. Once my initial draft is done, it is not unusual for me to go through six to ten...
For me, the most fun about being a writer is to write—to develop characters and a story, and then know the reader is going to go on that journey with the characters. What’s not fun for me, and I imagine for most writers, is having your stories rejected. It is...
I think writers are born writers. If you could go back to the night I was born, you’d probably see me grabbing a note pad from the night stand in my mother’s hospital room and writing about my birth experience—especially about how the doctor slapped me. I don’t think...
Michaelangelo said, “The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” I think writers are the living block of marble, and I think we have to find the courage...
“MOON SHADOW,” the latest novel from Suzie Clarke available now on e-book and paperback at Bold Stroke Books. Download it or order your paperback copy today!
Absolutely, don’t give up! Just because you aren’t published, doesn’t mean your work isn’t any good. There are lots of reasons why a publisher rejects your work and it may not have anything to do with your story. I have found there are 3-rights to getting published:...
