Ask the Author: Helen L. Lowe
Answered Questions (7)
Helen L. Lowe
When I was a nurse, I worked in a nursing home that had a reputation for being haunted. While on night duty, I had a very frightening experience that convinced me that spirits from the dead can be real and not fiction. I researched the history of the building and it turns out that it had a links with royalty as far back as the twelve century, and lots of gory events had taken place there. I will, at some time in the near future, be writing a supernatural story about my experience.
Helen L. Lowe
I working on the sequel to Hartmann: Malicious Rules, which will be Book 2 of the Hartmann Thriller Series.
Helen L. Lowe
I have done my share of research and read numerous books on writing tips but ultimately, I learned the hard way what does and doesn't work for me. Here are my ten top tips for fledgling fiction writers, because they are the tips that most helped me . . .
Decide what genre of fiction you enjoy most. If you like reading about romance and love then writing a horror story may not be the best choice for you. If you like murder mysteries and crime, then a romantic love story where the climax of the story is wedded bliss would probably bore you to tears. If you write what you love to read, you’re half way to creating a story you’ll be proud of.
Give yourself permission to write. That may sound a bit weird. Why would you need permission? Many ‘would be’ writers find it hard to allocate a time to writing when so many (more important) things in their lives are pulling them in different directions. Until you give yourself permission, writing short stories or novels will be an uphill climb and one that you may never achieve.
Don’t listen to what friends or family say about your desire to be a writer and author. Most people who are not writers think that great writers are born, and not made out of blood, sweat and tears. The truth is, that all writers, even those that seem to make writing a best seller look easy (e.g. Hilary Mantel, JK Rowling, James Paterson, Stephen King, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway) had to work damn hard. They had to ignore their self-doubts and plough on through their dark moments, but they didn't give in because good writers don't stop when the going gets tough. If you have a burning desire to write then do it and develop a thick skin so that the opinions of others, like water, roll off your back.
To be a writer you need to write. That sounds really obvious, but you would be surprised at how many would-be writers just talk about writing, go to numerous writing classes and writing groups, and do anything rather than sit down every day and write. By all means, go to writing classes and groups, but don't forget to write.
To be a writer you need to read. There was, and maybe still is, a school of thought that believed that if you read other writers’ work, your own writing voice would be influenced and you would unconsciously copy other writers’ styles. Yes, of course you do to begin with, that’s the whole point. The more you read from a wide variety of authors the more comfortable you'll feel with the written word. Subconsciously, you'll absorb a myriad of styles but eventually you'll develop the one that is just right for you; your unique voice, your style. If you don’t read you simply won’t have the tools to write.
Keep a notebook and pen with you. When you're writing fiction, ideas about your story can come at any time but if you don't write them down, chances are you won't remember them later. And this is especially true at night. The best ideas often come when you're either drifting off to sleep or waking up, and you’re in a kind of 'no-mans' land of consciousness. Have you ever noticed that when you wake up from a dream, you can sometimes remember everything about the dream but as the day goes on, often by the time you’ve sat down to breakfast, the dream starts to fade. Similarly, when you’re drifting off to sleep, you may have a really good idea and promise yourself that you will act on the idea in the morning but when the next day comes that idea has completely escaped you. You probably won’t even remember that you had an idea. This 'no-mans' land of consciousness is quite magical and deserves to be utilised. So keep pen and paper by your bedside and write those little gems down, even if it’s only a few keywords, because when you read them back to yourself the next day, you’ll remember exactly what that magical thought or dream was.
Get the first draft onto paper (or computer or laptop) as quickly at you can. The aim of the first draft is to get the story out of your head because until it is, the craft of writing; the second, third and possibly fourth draft can't begin. It doesn’t matter whether you write it by hand or type it on the keyboard of your computer, laptop, tablet or whatever modern technology you prefer. When it’s out, the real writing can begin. To get the first draft out, some writers prefer to do detailed outlines so that they know exactly where, when and how the plot unfolds. Others prefer to wing it. The common term for this is ‘by the seat of your pants’ or ‘pantsing’. And some prefer to do a brief outline and allow themselves to deviate off it when an idea pops into their head. The only way to find out which one works for you is to try them all. Above all, when writing the first draft, don’t read through and edit as you go along. During the first draft, you’re using the creative side of your brain. When editing, you’re using the logical side of your brain. The last thing you need is the logical side of your brain butting in and picking that first draft to pieces before you’ve finished it. If it does, it’s likely that you will be filled with such self-doubt, you’ll never finish it. I know this from bitter experience.
Read aloud when editing your work. If you think your story is as good as it can get, try reading it aloud to yourself. Any parts that sound false or stilted when read aloud need to be revised. Another way to do this is to use a piece of software that converts your written text to speech. You can find free ones if you search for them online or pay if you want a better choice of voices. When your text is spoken, errors in spelling, grammar, and readability stick out like a sore thumb. It’s also worth doing your final read through from a printed copy. You’ll be surprised how many more errors you detect when the work is on paper and not on a computer screen.
Write regularly and often and don’t get impatient. When deciding on when you'll allocate writing time, be aware of how frequently you plan this. Writing a small amount at regular intervals is more important and beneficial than writing a lot once in a blue moon. Too long a gap between writing sessions can affect the flow of your work. You can become detached from your characters and lose momentum. So, schedule regular writing sessions and give yourself a target word count or a minimum time slot. Personally, my target is a minimum of 1000 words but often write nearer 2000. However, when my children were young and I was working as a nurse, I remember thinking I was lucky if I managed 250 words written early morning before the family woke up.
Don’t worry about finding clever words. If you’re in doubt about a word’s meaning or usage, then check it in a thesaurus (the one on your computer will do fine) but in most situations, the word you first thought of is probably the best one to use. The best advice I was given in my early writing days was write as you speak. It’s the best way to create fiction that readers will find easy to read. How many times have you read a book and needed to re-read sentences or paragraphs several times to understand what the writer is trying to say. Personally, if I’m reading a fiction book that’s hard to read, I eventually give up and toss it aside. Fiction should be entertaining – not hard work – that’s my opinion, anyway.
Decide what genre of fiction you enjoy most. If you like reading about romance and love then writing a horror story may not be the best choice for you. If you like murder mysteries and crime, then a romantic love story where the climax of the story is wedded bliss would probably bore you to tears. If you write what you love to read, you’re half way to creating a story you’ll be proud of.
Give yourself permission to write. That may sound a bit weird. Why would you need permission? Many ‘would be’ writers find it hard to allocate a time to writing when so many (more important) things in their lives are pulling them in different directions. Until you give yourself permission, writing short stories or novels will be an uphill climb and one that you may never achieve.
Don’t listen to what friends or family say about your desire to be a writer and author. Most people who are not writers think that great writers are born, and not made out of blood, sweat and tears. The truth is, that all writers, even those that seem to make writing a best seller look easy (e.g. Hilary Mantel, JK Rowling, James Paterson, Stephen King, John Grisham, Ernest Hemingway) had to work damn hard. They had to ignore their self-doubts and plough on through their dark moments, but they didn't give in because good writers don't stop when the going gets tough. If you have a burning desire to write then do it and develop a thick skin so that the opinions of others, like water, roll off your back.
To be a writer you need to write. That sounds really obvious, but you would be surprised at how many would-be writers just talk about writing, go to numerous writing classes and writing groups, and do anything rather than sit down every day and write. By all means, go to writing classes and groups, but don't forget to write.
To be a writer you need to read. There was, and maybe still is, a school of thought that believed that if you read other writers’ work, your own writing voice would be influenced and you would unconsciously copy other writers’ styles. Yes, of course you do to begin with, that’s the whole point. The more you read from a wide variety of authors the more comfortable you'll feel with the written word. Subconsciously, you'll absorb a myriad of styles but eventually you'll develop the one that is just right for you; your unique voice, your style. If you don’t read you simply won’t have the tools to write.
Keep a notebook and pen with you. When you're writing fiction, ideas about your story can come at any time but if you don't write them down, chances are you won't remember them later. And this is especially true at night. The best ideas often come when you're either drifting off to sleep or waking up, and you’re in a kind of 'no-mans' land of consciousness. Have you ever noticed that when you wake up from a dream, you can sometimes remember everything about the dream but as the day goes on, often by the time you’ve sat down to breakfast, the dream starts to fade. Similarly, when you’re drifting off to sleep, you may have a really good idea and promise yourself that you will act on the idea in the morning but when the next day comes that idea has completely escaped you. You probably won’t even remember that you had an idea. This 'no-mans' land of consciousness is quite magical and deserves to be utilised. So keep pen and paper by your bedside and write those little gems down, even if it’s only a few keywords, because when you read them back to yourself the next day, you’ll remember exactly what that magical thought or dream was.
Get the first draft onto paper (or computer or laptop) as quickly at you can. The aim of the first draft is to get the story out of your head because until it is, the craft of writing; the second, third and possibly fourth draft can't begin. It doesn’t matter whether you write it by hand or type it on the keyboard of your computer, laptop, tablet or whatever modern technology you prefer. When it’s out, the real writing can begin. To get the first draft out, some writers prefer to do detailed outlines so that they know exactly where, when and how the plot unfolds. Others prefer to wing it. The common term for this is ‘by the seat of your pants’ or ‘pantsing’. And some prefer to do a brief outline and allow themselves to deviate off it when an idea pops into their head. The only way to find out which one works for you is to try them all. Above all, when writing the first draft, don’t read through and edit as you go along. During the first draft, you’re using the creative side of your brain. When editing, you’re using the logical side of your brain. The last thing you need is the logical side of your brain butting in and picking that first draft to pieces before you’ve finished it. If it does, it’s likely that you will be filled with such self-doubt, you’ll never finish it. I know this from bitter experience.
Read aloud when editing your work. If you think your story is as good as it can get, try reading it aloud to yourself. Any parts that sound false or stilted when read aloud need to be revised. Another way to do this is to use a piece of software that converts your written text to speech. You can find free ones if you search for them online or pay if you want a better choice of voices. When your text is spoken, errors in spelling, grammar, and readability stick out like a sore thumb. It’s also worth doing your final read through from a printed copy. You’ll be surprised how many more errors you detect when the work is on paper and not on a computer screen.
Write regularly and often and don’t get impatient. When deciding on when you'll allocate writing time, be aware of how frequently you plan this. Writing a small amount at regular intervals is more important and beneficial than writing a lot once in a blue moon. Too long a gap between writing sessions can affect the flow of your work. You can become detached from your characters and lose momentum. So, schedule regular writing sessions and give yourself a target word count or a minimum time slot. Personally, my target is a minimum of 1000 words but often write nearer 2000. However, when my children were young and I was working as a nurse, I remember thinking I was lucky if I managed 250 words written early morning before the family woke up.
Don’t worry about finding clever words. If you’re in doubt about a word’s meaning or usage, then check it in a thesaurus (the one on your computer will do fine) but in most situations, the word you first thought of is probably the best one to use. The best advice I was given in my early writing days was write as you speak. It’s the best way to create fiction that readers will find easy to read. How many times have you read a book and needed to re-read sentences or paragraphs several times to understand what the writer is trying to say. Personally, if I’m reading a fiction book that’s hard to read, I eventually give up and toss it aside. Fiction should be entertaining – not hard work – that’s my opinion, anyway.
Helen L. Lowe
I think the best thing for me, is creating characters and placing them in a world that only I have invented. I love the way the characters often lead the way and I, always a slave to their whims, am ablidged to follow.
Helen L. Lowe
This is a tricky one. In the past, when I used to write novels (I have 4 novels that haven't been published yet) I didn't used to plan or use an outline. I would write off the cuff (known at 'pantsing' or 'by the seat of your pants').
This unfortunately led to frequent bouts of writer's block. I've tried various methods of planning and outlining. But what I've discovered works best me for, is writing quite a detailed outline, using scenes like you would have in a film. I find this prevents any moments of uncertainty spiralling into complete writer's block. And although I have a detailed outline, I still allow myself to deviate from it whenever a character wants to go off at a tangent. If the new direction doesn't work out, I can always go back to my outline.
This unfortunately led to frequent bouts of writer's block. I've tried various methods of planning and outlining. But what I've discovered works best me for, is writing quite a detailed outline, using scenes like you would have in a film. I find this prevents any moments of uncertainty spiralling into complete writer's block. And although I have a detailed outline, I still allow myself to deviate from it whenever a character wants to go off at a tangent. If the new direction doesn't work out, I can always go back to my outline.
Helen L. Lowe
I started writing down my invented stories when I was a child but my teachers told me it was the same as lying and I was banned from writing anything that wasn't true (my strict private school didn't encourage creative writing)
So I stopped writing the stories down and just kept them in my head. I chose a career (nursing) that wouldn't give me the time or energy to think about stories but by the time I was 30, I had so many stories running through my brain, I was convinced I was losing my mind. Then someone suggested that writing them down might help. It sounds an obvious solution now but at the time it hadn't crossed my mind (I was probablty still blocked by my horrified teachers at school).
Since then, I haven't stopped writing. I usually have no idea where the stories come from. Occasionally, I see something that sparks off an idea but mainly, I just start thinking of a particular character in a difficult situation. The feelings and emotions of the character are what makes the story grow and I play the story through my mind until it's the basis for a complete novel.
So I stopped writing the stories down and just kept them in my head. I chose a career (nursing) that wouldn't give me the time or energy to think about stories but by the time I was 30, I had so many stories running through my brain, I was convinced I was losing my mind. Then someone suggested that writing them down might help. It sounds an obvious solution now but at the time it hadn't crossed my mind (I was probablty still blocked by my horrified teachers at school).
Since then, I haven't stopped writing. I usually have no idea where the stories come from. Occasionally, I see something that sparks off an idea but mainly, I just start thinking of a particular character in a difficult situation. The feelings and emotions of the character are what makes the story grow and I play the story through my mind until it's the basis for a complete novel.
Helen L. Lowe
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