Q&A

[Julie]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to get this Q&A kicked off. If you have any questions or would like to chat about pretty much anything involved with the writing world, ask away. I'll be checking back daily.

Thanks so much.

All the best,
Julie

[Joy]

Hi Julie,

How do you get your ideas for the topic of your books? Do you know how the story will end when you start writing?
Thanks.

[Julie]

I get the impression that I may work a little bit differently from most writers in terms of how I generate the ideas for my books. From what I hear, a lot of writers start with a "what if" concept, which inevitably leads to plot. I tend to start thematically. With THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE, I wanted to look at what happens when we delay grief, and so I created a character who had not yet dealt with her serious loss. In AFTER YOU, I wanted to explore the question of how well we actually know the people we love, and so I created a situation where a character gets to test the issue by essentially stepping into the life of her best friend.

As for endings, I usually have a sense of how I'd like the novel to wind up, but that always has the potential to change in the course of the writing. I am amazed by how often my characters surprise me!

[Joy]

Julie wrote: "I get the impression that I may work a little bit differently from most writers in terms of how I generate the ideas for my books. From what I hear, a lot of writers start with a "what if" concept,..."

I have always liked to write but how does the average person write a book? Did you take classes? It seems to me you were a lawyer first - that must have helped you...

[Julie]

I did take classes at night at UCLA, and read a few "how to write a novel" type books. I think they were both helpful in terms of learning the basic craft of writing. But the best way to learn to write a book is to sit and down and start writing. I also think it's essential to take the time to read voraciously and to read critically. Hope that helps!

[Bradley]

How often are you inspired to write? =)

[Julie]

Ah, good question. Depends on where I am in a project. Right now, I'm in what I like to call the "development stage" of my third book, which doesn't really look like work. It's a lot of sitting around, daydreaming, thinking about and analyzing my charaters. So these days, I'm not really inspired to write-write; I have to admit I'm doing little more than scribbling notes. When I actually start digging into the book though, I will be writing daily (though possibly taking weekends off.) Am I inspired to write ever time I sit down at my computer when I am in the middle of a novel? Not really, but I try my best. Some days the act of writing alone creates further inspiration; some days it doesn't.