There is a much work involved with creating a new series. It's not only one story you have to concern yourself with, but several. By the time an author has sold the series, they must not only define the world and its laws, but give a character sketch of each set of characters in the projected series, and a brief synopsis of each of the projected stories within the series.
So how does an author juggle their life and the life of the world of characters?
A big hello to Sia and all of her readers! It’s a pleasure to be back here again.
It was suggested that I write a post about how I juggle my writing life and my real life, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don’t necessarily juggle. It’s more of a melding of the two.
The great thing about being a writer is that you can work anywhere, and inspiration comes at any time. The most common places for me to have sudden inspiration is in the shower (which is why I keep a notebook in there, although my bathroom floor has a tendency to get soapy and wet), that fuzzy state between waking and sleeping, while I’m talking with my family about my latest book, and whenever I just relax and rest. It’s almost as if the back of my brain is constantly working and it just takes a nudge to allow it to come out.
So truly, I guess I’m thinking about writing all of the time, especially when I get caught up in a new magical world like the one I created in The Fire Lord’s Lover. It explains many things. Like, why I have a tendency to wander off in the middle of a conversation, and have to ask my friend what in the world I was talking about to get back on track. Or why I have a tendency to walk into the corners of walls, or forget why I went into a room, or where I was going.
Is that why writers are thought of as a bit kooky?
Or is it just me? Maybe other writers have a way to juggle both worlds and I just haven’t mastered the trick of it yet. But I can see someone make a gesture and I’ll immediately think of how I can incorporate that into my character. Or watch people interact and think of how charming that would be for my hero/heroine. Or fall in love with a character from a movie and launch into an entirely new world with evolved characters of my own. Or see a wedding and wonder what characteristics made these two fall in love with each other and how they managed to overcome any obstacles in their way. Or suddenly wonder why things are the way they are, and what could change to alter the world as it is? Or see a single girl, and create a man that would be perfect for her. Or vice versa.
I lived, breathed, and slept The Fire Lord’s Lover. I can’t turn the creativity on and off, although there are times when my imagination stalls, and other times when it jumps so far ahead of me that I can’t see the ending of where it’s taking me.
But despite looking like a bit of an airhead most of the time, I have to admit that I love it. There’s an old saying that life is what you make it, and I think that’s true. What you carry around in your head, what thoughts you choose to focus on, becomes your life; because it’s the way you perceive your world (that half-empty, half-full glass of water thing).
For me, I carry around love stories, new worlds of magic, characters that charm me, adventures that I can lose myself in. My life is wonderful, no matter what I’m doing in the ‘real’ world, so maybe not being able to juggle is a good thing.
- If you’re a writer, do you find yourself thinking about your writing most of the time?
- Or if you’re an avid reader, do you find yourself remembering a great scene from a novel you just finished reading?
I’d love to hear about it!
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Fire Lord's Lover
If his powers are discovered, his father will destroy him...
In a magical land ruled by ruthless Elven Lords, the Fire Lord's son Dominic Raikes plays a deadly game to conceal his growing might from his malevolent father, until his arranged bride awakens in him passions he thought he had buried forever.
Unless his bride kills him first...
Lady Cassandra has been raised in outward purity and innocence, while secretly being trained as an assassin. Her mission is to bring down the Elven Lord and his champion son. But when she gets to court she discovers that nothing is what it seems, least of all the man she married...
Then Dominic and Cassandra together discover an unspeakable evil, one that threatens the destruction of the magical realm they would give their souls to save... Excerpt
See my review (4 1/2 stars a great read, must have book) for this series and book at Night Owl Reviews
Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, BooksAMillion, Chapters/Indigo.
She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/.
