Interview With... Nicki Paton
To all who are reading this,
We are halfway through this month's author spotlights, and today we welcome debut novelist Nicki Paton from Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly to sit in the hot seat.
Let's see what she has to say.
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Name: Nicki Paton
Age: 27
Location: Unspecified.
Hi Nicki, thanks for joining me! What made you want to be a writer?
I've read at least six books a week since I was a child - on anything I could get my hands on. Quite simply writing was the next logical step for me because it is total escapism - you can experience anything and everything through your characters without any of the risks or repercussions.
What motivates you to write?
My family are always in the back of my mind when I write - whether I intend to or not, I always draw on some mannerism or saying and apply it to a character. It's only when I read it back that I notice, "Ah, that sounds like something Nanny would say." So yes, it is a cliché but my family is the driving force that motivates me and keeps me on track to keep going, even when I want to give up.
Do you have a particular writing process?
I wouldn't call it a process but I find it easier to write in bed on my laptop. At the start I found inspiration always struck me at night, which meant I was sometimes up until 4a.m. and then sleeping till 2p.m. the next day. After two weeks I had to force my mind to shut down at a more reasonable hour and write during daylight hours.
How do you manage the deadly problem that is writers block?
If I sit down and tell myself to write 4,000 words then it won't happen. I wrote Cutting the Pink Ribbon in three weeks because it came so naturally. Trying to force words out will never get you anywhere because you are then writing words for the sake of a count - not because of their quality.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Don't try to get every sentence right first time. Write what you feel - get it all out - and then go back and start to edit.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
My mum bought herself Virginia Andrews' Flowers in the Attic when I was 10 and gave it to me afterwards to read. I couldn't get enough of her books after that and still read them repeatedly to this day,
I'd say it made me approach writing in a more mature fashion and spurred me on to write stories that both teenagers and adults could connect with.
Have you ever derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
My home and everyone who enters it inspires me - I have two young cousins who are a constant source of fresh ideas - even the silly fights and niggling arguments they have over toys can have me transferring it into an adult conversation. Inspiration can be taken from any surroundings. That's the great thing about being a writer.
Your most recent publication is Cutting the Pink Ribbon. Have you had any publications prior to this?
I haven't, no. It's still sinking in that I've had my first ever novel published with no professional writing experience or background. How many people can say that?
What is Cutting the Pink Ribbon about? It certainly sounds interesting!
It's based on the events in my life over the last year, which detail my descent into depression and how I used to self-harm as a coping mechanism.
What drove you to write this? It's almost a memoir...
My mum was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer just as I'd opened up to them about my self-harming. Her optimism is what made me sit down and think, "How can I show her how much she inspires me?" Then it just clicked after I'd spoken to my counsellor - I'll write it down! I've never been great at discussing emotions or being openly affectionate so it was the perfect option.
Do you hope that your book will encourage people who suffer from depression and cancer to seek help and advice?
Aside from my mum, that's the only other thing that pushed my to do this. If it helps one other person from feeling alone then I'm happy.
What does the future hold for you as a writer?
I'm starting to formulate ideas for the follow up to Cutting the Pink Ribbon, which I'm hoping to start, and possibly finish, before the end of the year. There's a couple of things I've been working on in the background, but their a world apart from Cutting the Pink Ribbon.
Thanks for such a fantastic interview, Nicki!
Be sure to check out Cutting the Pink Ribbon on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com!
---
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
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Currently reading: Dark Parties by Sara Grant
We are halfway through this month's author spotlights, and today we welcome debut novelist Nicki Paton from Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly to sit in the hot seat.
Let's see what she has to say.
---Name: Nicki Paton
Age: 27
Location: Unspecified.
Hi Nicki, thanks for joining me! What made you want to be a writer?
I've read at least six books a week since I was a child - on anything I could get my hands on. Quite simply writing was the next logical step for me because it is total escapism - you can experience anything and everything through your characters without any of the risks or repercussions.
What motivates you to write?
My family are always in the back of my mind when I write - whether I intend to or not, I always draw on some mannerism or saying and apply it to a character. It's only when I read it back that I notice, "Ah, that sounds like something Nanny would say." So yes, it is a cliché but my family is the driving force that motivates me and keeps me on track to keep going, even when I want to give up.
Do you have a particular writing process?
I wouldn't call it a process but I find it easier to write in bed on my laptop. At the start I found inspiration always struck me at night, which meant I was sometimes up until 4a.m. and then sleeping till 2p.m. the next day. After two weeks I had to force my mind to shut down at a more reasonable hour and write during daylight hours.
How do you manage the deadly problem that is writers block?
If I sit down and tell myself to write 4,000 words then it won't happen. I wrote Cutting the Pink Ribbon in three weeks because it came so naturally. Trying to force words out will never get you anywhere because you are then writing words for the sake of a count - not because of their quality.
What is a piece of writing advice that you will always remember?
Don't try to get every sentence right first time. Write what you feel - get it all out - and then go back and start to edit.
What is the most influential book you have ever read, and why do you think so?
My mum bought herself Virginia Andrews' Flowers in the Attic when I was 10 and gave it to me afterwards to read. I couldn't get enough of her books after that and still read them repeatedly to this day,
I'd say it made me approach writing in a more mature fashion and spurred me on to write stories that both teenagers and adults could connect with.
Have you ever derived inspiration from your home or from anywhere you have visited?
My home and everyone who enters it inspires me - I have two young cousins who are a constant source of fresh ideas - even the silly fights and niggling arguments they have over toys can have me transferring it into an adult conversation. Inspiration can be taken from any surroundings. That's the great thing about being a writer.
Your most recent publication is Cutting the Pink Ribbon. Have you had any publications prior to this?
I haven't, no. It's still sinking in that I've had my first ever novel published with no professional writing experience or background. How many people can say that?What is Cutting the Pink Ribbon about? It certainly sounds interesting!
It's based on the events in my life over the last year, which detail my descent into depression and how I used to self-harm as a coping mechanism.
What drove you to write this? It's almost a memoir...
My mum was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer just as I'd opened up to them about my self-harming. Her optimism is what made me sit down and think, "How can I show her how much she inspires me?" Then it just clicked after I'd spoken to my counsellor - I'll write it down! I've never been great at discussing emotions or being openly affectionate so it was the perfect option.
Do you hope that your book will encourage people who suffer from depression and cancer to seek help and advice?
Aside from my mum, that's the only other thing that pushed my to do this. If it helps one other person from feeling alone then I'm happy.
What does the future hold for you as a writer?
I'm starting to formulate ideas for the follow up to Cutting the Pink Ribbon, which I'm hoping to start, and possibly finish, before the end of the year. There's a couple of things I've been working on in the background, but their a world apart from Cutting the Pink Ribbon.
Thanks for such a fantastic interview, Nicki!
Be sure to check out Cutting the Pink Ribbon on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com!
---
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading: Dark Parties by Sara Grant
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