Ask the Author: Laura L. Walker
Answered Questions (6)
Laura L. Walker
I step back and take a break until inspiration hits again, as it inevitably does. I will mull the scenario around in my head for days or, sometimes, even weeks before a new idea forms, showing me possibilities I had not previously considered.
When I am completely stumped, I grab a pen and paper and simply brainstorm. The classic web that my teachers taught in high school is my go-to method for this approach. When you see scenarios and the consequential actions or characters that are affected by such actions on paper, it becomes clear which direction you want to take.
When I am completely stumped, I grab a pen and paper and simply brainstorm. The classic web that my teachers taught in high school is my go-to method for this approach. When you see scenarios and the consequential actions or characters that are affected by such actions on paper, it becomes clear which direction you want to take.
Laura L. Walker
Writing! I love the creativity of being a writer! An active imagination was the coping method I engaged to get through my childhood, which was difficult at times. In my mind, I could act out a scenario that, in real life, didn't work out so great for me. In my fictional setting, however, that same scenario concluded exactly the way I wanted it to. Now that I've enjoyed a small measure of success with my writing, I am finding that I like interacting with my fans (although most of them are personal acquaintances at this point). I look forward to meeting more people and traveling to different places to meet them. Best of all, I love the fact that my husband and children treat me the same as they before I became a writer.
Laura L. Walker
I've read a many writing tutorials online lately and have even pinned some of them on Pinterest so that I don't forget them because I, too, am still a novice. I was a stay-at-home mom for longer than a decade before picking up my writing once again.
So many aspiring authors these days have great ideas but little or no knowledge of phonemes and grammar. I realize that this may be a turn-off for some people, but learning the rules of grammar really is the number one rule of writing. The cleaner your manuscript is when you submit it, the smoother the reading will go for the editors.
Also, the plot needs to flow in a natural and logical way. Rereading a story aloud during revision helps the writer to see and fill in any gaping holes. Find new and interesting ways of saying the same thing that everyone else has said.
Study the specific requirements for each publisher you submit your work to and keep trying. Above all else, have fun! Write for your own enjoyment more than anyone else's. Your enthusiasm for your subject will come through in your words.
So many aspiring authors these days have great ideas but little or no knowledge of phonemes and grammar. I realize that this may be a turn-off for some people, but learning the rules of grammar really is the number one rule of writing. The cleaner your manuscript is when you submit it, the smoother the reading will go for the editors.
Also, the plot needs to flow in a natural and logical way. Rereading a story aloud during revision helps the writer to see and fill in any gaping holes. Find new and interesting ways of saying the same thing that everyone else has said.
Study the specific requirements for each publisher you submit your work to and keep trying. Above all else, have fun! Write for your own enjoyment more than anyone else's. Your enthusiasm for your subject will come through in your words.
Laura L. Walker
I currently have a few projects in the works. I have finished my manuscript for a sequel involving Pierce's younger brother, Gage, and am polishing it for submission. This novel was a challenge to write in itself because one of the issues I wrote about was very personal to me and the other issue I wrote about was one in which I had experienced nothing of its kind. Delving into the mind of Gage was and figuring out his motivations was difficult. But everything came together beautifully at the end.
I have mapped out and begun writing the first few chapters of a new novel which is unrelated to my first two. I don't wish to go into details just yet, but what will happen to a guy who has been unlucky in love mainly due to his dates' aversions to his chosen profession? When he broadens his search for "the one", imagine his surprise when she turns up in the unlikeliest place--before his very eyes the entire time!
I am super excited about both of these stories. But the real test, of course, will come with my readers. Hopefully, these stories will find a home with Cedar Fort as well.
I have mapped out and begun writing the first few chapters of a new novel which is unrelated to my first two. I don't wish to go into details just yet, but what will happen to a guy who has been unlucky in love mainly due to his dates' aversions to his chosen profession? When he broadens his search for "the one", imagine his surprise when she turns up in the unlikeliest place--before his very eyes the entire time!
I am super excited about both of these stories. But the real test, of course, will come with my readers. Hopefully, these stories will find a home with Cedar Fort as well.
Laura L. Walker
I am a mother of young children. Unfortunately, I can't simply write uninterrupted in a nice office for hours at a time. (I don't even have an office.) However, I find that my best writing begins to happen about ten minutes or so after I've started writing. I may not know exactly which direction I want my characters to go, but they do! Pretty soon, they take over and it almost feels like I am standing back watching a play unfold. Once, when this happened in Pierced By Love, I deliberated for the next thirty minutes if that was the direction I wanted the story to take. Ultimately, I decided that following this action would eventually yield the same ending while making the journey a little more interesting along the way.
Laura L. Walker
The seedling for the basic plot for Pierced By Love sprouted after listening to a conversation between my husband and my mother-in-law regarding someone they knew who had an honorable two-year mission for the LDS Church only to come home to a domestic situation which was less than ideal. After rolling a few ideas around inside my head, I finally let my husband in on what I was thinking about. To my surprise and delight, he encouraged me to write the story. As time went on and the plot needed "thickening", he and I discussed various approaches that we could take. I would then decide on which one and write a scene and then discuss it with him when he came home from work. In this way, this story was a collaboration although the writing is all mine.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more