All my secrets...

[J.D.]

This is where you get to ask about writing, about inspiration and motivation, about what wakes me up at 4am every morning...

[J.D.]

For example, where do the ideas come from?

[J.D.]

And linked to that question, how much did you love going to the library when you were a kid? possibly not as much as I did. When the teachers were on strike, Mom once left me there for the WHOLE day. I loved it.
And if I close my eyes I can see the pictures in the books of myths and legends books I used to read. Can you do that with the pictures in books you loved?

[Stephanie]

I can't remember not loving to read, so I always loved going to the library as often as possible. Opening a new book and just flipping through the new pages is one of my favorite things to do, I must admit! And spending a whole day at the library as a kid would have been amazing for me. That's just how it it has always been.

I have a question about your publishing. I want to be a writer, there's no doubt about that. I'm a fiction-junkie so publishing a teen novel has been my dream for a long time and I can't imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life. But it doesn't pay to write until a person publishes (to my knowledge anyways), and even then it still has its limits. So what I'm asking is how does a person get from working for the money for their dream to working on their dream? How does a person work without forgetting about supporting their dream rather than supporting their life? That's my question, and I'd be grateful for an answer!

[J.D.]

Hi Stephanie,
So exciting to hear somebody with such a powerful dream.
That's a good question, and one of the hardest ones.
Patience is the key. I went five or six years working on my day job a lot, just making sure I wrote down ideas, maybe playing with scenes every once in a while.
Then I got lucky, I was working in Portugal, which is a super cheap place to live, and I managed to negotiate my job down to part time, but still earn enough to be comfortable on (especially in a tiny old apartment with rats in the roof). I joined an awesome online writing group and I started to write three or four Hours a day.
That's when I got the bulk of the work done. Now I'm full time again. I get up REALLY early and write for at least an hour in the morning. I take my laptop to lunch in a local cafe and squeeze in a bit more there.
Does that help?

[Stephanie]

Yes, it does help a lot. Sounds like it worked well for you besides the rats! Thank you!

[Rana]

Frankly as a kid I never liked reading. Started to read at 14 and now I've got libraries obsession just seeing a library distracts me from anything I was up to, and I usually end up into it between the books.
About writing I write short stories! I started writing them for writing competitions. Then it just became something I LOVE. What I find the hardest part in writing is "The Title" honestly I always finish the story and spend like two weeks thinking for a suitable title. So is there just anything to inspire me find a good title?
Thanks! :)

[J.D.]

Rana wrote: "Frankly as a kid I never liked reading. Started to read at 14 and now I've got libraries obsession just seeing a library distracts me from anything I was up to, and I usually end up into it between..."

Hi Rana!
Good titles... Hmm, once upon a time I sued to be better at thinking of titles than I was at writing the stories. I came up with some crackers that I've still never written. I liked 'The Cloud Celing' (from a dream I once had) the nightingale floor (because it reflected the cloud ceiling) arc of a diver (line froma song) the wonder of it all (ditto) no love song finer (again a song) the water book (reflecting kiplings jungle book).
So my guess is, think of songs or pictures, or images that are linked to your stories. Lines from phrases or songs, i think, work very well.
Hope that helps!

[Lord David]

The library was also my second home in childhood. Having a bad chest gave me an excuse to let my imagination fly if not my body. I like to create a library of my own wherever I live since I enjoy rereading favourite books.
When it comes to writing, I found it addictive once I'd heard someone laugh out loud at something I'd written .(Probably my name). I prefer to write early in the morning with less distractions since it wouldn't take much to make me break for a cuppa.

[J.D.]

The thing for me about writing is that once the idea of the world I can create is in my mind, I can't wait to see it all laid out, the size of the product is beguiling...
I should write early in the morning, but I like to work late at night. Some of my most productive sessions have come from pushing through til near dawn...

[Amaleen]

Hi, J.D. :-)

I'd really like to know which writers influence you and why. I imagine you're an eclectic sort.

[J.D.]

Amaleen wrote: "Hi, J.D. :-)

I'd really like to know which writers influence you and why. I imagine you're an eclectic sort."

That's a question with a reeeeeeally long answer, I've been reading so much for so long. The funny thing is that I often get taken up by the tone of the kind of thing I'm reading, and want to replicate it.

The first two I wrote were attempts to produce a version of captain corellis mandolin, written by a rosamond lehman, and set in Laurie Lee's west country.

This was followed by a Lawrence Durrell phase, before I had an idea for the kind of kids story I used to love. I wrote something that reflected my favourite parts of stories I read as a kid. Enid Blyton, and Roald Dahl in particular, but a little bit of Just William. I basically loaded in all the things I had liked, and hoped that kids would like them too. Secret passages, dens, big dogs, lots of animals, pyscho-kinetic powers, tadpoles, tunnels, and lots and lots of clues.
Song to Wake to is different. This is based on some of the elements of writers like Alan Garner and Susan Hill (Moon of Gomrath, and The Dark is Rising - both heavily recommended series) but tweaked to give the kind of plot I wanted.
I could go on and on...

[Amaleen]

It's great to hear the inspiration behind your other books, especially Song to Wake to. :-) I haven't read either series that you recommend, but now I'm intrigued.
Thanks for the detailed answer.

[J.D.]

I didn't mention stephanie meyer, either. The simplicity and force of the romance in Twilight also had a huge impact.

[J.D.]

Oh!
And I forgot one of my first reading obsessions, a long time ago. Myths and legends. I used to get out one book after another about Odin and Thor, Hercules, and the Knights of the Round Table.
The last are everywhere in Song to Wake to, especially the names.
I'll give a free copy to the person who can tell me where the names of Ken Guthrie and Farmer Naylor come from...

[Kamalika]

i realized that i loved books when i was about 7 or 8.before that i never understood why my elder sister used to say I'm a boring person who loves to read fairytale.i thought everybody loved books books like me! by the time i had reached third standard,i had written my first fairytale because my desire to read new stories grew so strong that i wanted to write a story myself.the story was called 'the secret of the crystal' and it turned out to be a complete rubbish. but i never lost hope.i continue to write even to this day. and i wish to read more and more books,until i finish all the books on earth!
by the way may i ask you a question?it may be ridiculous to ask,but I'm curious.do you thinks or believe in the existence of supernatural creatures in the world?

[J.D.]

Hi Kamalika,

thanks tons for contributing to the thread! Stories of loving books like yours are great, just like mine. i can remember all the other kids at school thinking I was weird, because I read so much.
Though I have to admit I've only really been into fairytales recently, like Iron Fey and stuff.

I read an article you might like. Check this out: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/...

I'm not sure about supernatural creatures. I don't think so, but I also don't think we really need them, because naturual creatures can be really super, like whales and dolphins, and gorillas and elephants

[Ruby Jo]

*clears throat* *blushes slightly*

I do remember that time when I didn't like books. I didn't even understand what there was to like. When I was 13 one of my best friends convinced me to read Harry Potter. Then a year later another friend convinced me to give Lord of the Rings a try. When I was about 16 I got to discover horrors and romance books. The horror was all because of me and my love for the move Interview with a vampire and I said to myself I really have to read the book, which I did and I loved. And the romance books came from the last person you'd expect: my dad. I was bored one day and he gives me a book and says "read it". To this day, that book is the saddest love story I've ever read, sadder than Romeo and Juliet. But it's how I got to see books as beautiful and not just objects collecting dust on the shelf.

As for the question above if I believe that supernatural creatures exist, yes I do. It's hard to explain, really, without stepping on some toes. Let's just say that just like I believe there's a God (or Allah or however you wish to call him/her/them) I believe there's something more out there. Just because I haven't seen it, doesn't mean it's not there.

[J.D.]

Rubysbooks wrote: "*clears throat* *blushes slightly*

I do remember that time when I didn't like books. I didn't even understand what there was to like. When I was 13 one of my best friends convinced me to read Harr..."

This is a lovely introduction, Ruby, it's so interesting the quirky ways that people's reading is channelled in different directions.

[Lisa]

Hi there! I just joined this group. As an illustrator and graphic designer, I always loved words and images. I'd decided, quite a long time ago that I wanted to write my own book just so I could illustrate it. Well, that took me into totally uncharted waters, because first of all, I knew nothing about the genre I was writing in. I learned the hard way that the kind of book I was writing generally had no illustrations. But by then I was hooked on words for their own majesty. I started to read mg and YA voraciously, and now numerous years later, I am addicted to writing!

And that is my tale.

[J.D.]

Lisa wrote: "Hi there! I just joined this group. As an illustrator and graphic designer, I always loved words and images. I'd decided, quite a long time ago that I wanted to write my own book just so I could il..."

Brilliant. Reminds me of JRR Tolkien, who basically told stories, because he made up languages and needed stories to tell in them... :)

[Lisa]

J.D. wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Hi there! I just joined this group. As an illustrator and graphic designer, I always loved words and images. I'd decided, quite a long time ago that I wanted to write my own book just ..."

thanks!

[J.D.]

I guess this is as good a place as any to say that the title for Levels 4 is decided. It will be called 'The Walled Lake' and it will double as the first book in a new series 'Idylls of Merlin'

[Shirley]

That sounds exciting! Can't wait to read!!

[J.D.]

Shirley wrote: "That sounds exciting! Can't wait to read!!"

I am glad! Writing it is reeeeaaally hard, though.

[Riley]

Hi all - I'm Riley. I'm a travel addict (have lived in 4 different countries and travelled to more than 30 in total), book addict (cannot even count the number I've read over the years) and am completely addicted to TV shows like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and The Walking Dead.
I have three teenage kids but still consider myself a kid at heart. Growing old might be inevitable but growing up is a choice.

Oh yeah, and I'm the author of Vampire Origins - The Strigoi Book 1 - Project Ichorous.

My biggest pet hate is badly edited books! Wish more authors would take the time to have their work properly edited.

[J.D.]

Hi Riley,
Could to have you.
I know I'm guilty of the editing issue, a lot, though half of my problems are with US readers and UK spelling...

[Riley]

I can overlook differences in US vs UK (I'm Australian, so we tend to fluctuate between the two anyway). I'm talking about major errors and typos.