Ask the Author: Bronwen Chisholm
Answered Questions (5)
Bronwen Chisholm
Write. If it comes into your heart or mind, put it on paper. Don't second guess it--that's part of the editing process. Just get it down there. Pretty soon you'll have a page and a chapter and another. The more you do, the easier it will be.
Then, get a good critique group or buddy who will be completely honest with you. And take their comments for what they are, well meaning advice to improve your art.
And trust your instinct. I dislike 1st person and thought I would never write a book in 1st person; but when I was writing Georgiana Darcy, Matchmaker, I kept having this nagging thought that it should be in 1st person. I ran it past my beta and she agreed with me that she dislikes 1st person, but thought it was okay, as far as 1st person goes. I asked my sample audience, giving them the first 3 chapters written both ways, but could not get any definitive answer from them. Finally, one week before I planned to publish, it was bugging me so much that I just decided to do it. I rewrote the entire thing in 1st person and it made the book what it is. Best decision I made.
Then, get a good critique group or buddy who will be completely honest with you. And take their comments for what they are, well meaning advice to improve your art.
And trust your instinct. I dislike 1st person and thought I would never write a book in 1st person; but when I was writing Georgiana Darcy, Matchmaker, I kept having this nagging thought that it should be in 1st person. I ran it past my beta and she agreed with me that she dislikes 1st person, but thought it was okay, as far as 1st person goes. I asked my sample audience, giving them the first 3 chapters written both ways, but could not get any definitive answer from them. Finally, one week before I planned to publish, it was bugging me so much that I just decided to do it. I rewrote the entire thing in 1st person and it made the book what it is. Best decision I made.
Bronwen Chisholm
This kinda goes hand in hand with the question about writer's block. Reading inspires me. It is actually how I started writing in the first place. I was reading while waiting for my kid's football and cheer practices to end and the book was not that good. I thought "I could do better than this." That thought turned over and over again for about a week or two until I decided I would give it a try.
That is not to say that just bad writing inspires me, lol. When I read a book that sucks me in to the point I am crying and laughing with the characters, it makes me want to be able to do that for someone else.
I also love walking outdoors and letting my mind wander. I walk through a woods and I wonder who else has been down that path and why and what they were feeling. Pretty soon, a story has started.
That is not to say that just bad writing inspires me, lol. When I read a book that sucks me in to the point I am crying and laughing with the characters, it makes me want to be able to do that for someone else.
I also love walking outdoors and letting my mind wander. I walk through a woods and I wonder who else has been down that path and why and what they were feeling. Pretty soon, a story has started.
Bronwen Chisholm
Read. When my ideas aren't flowing the way I like, I step away from my work and read something else. I'm an avid reader.
If that doesn't work, I try to do something to distract my mind. I love walking outside in nature--woods, mountains, water, I don't care. The smallest things in God's creation spur my wonder and the creative thoughts seem to kick in again.
If that doesn't work, I try to do something to distract my mind. I love walking outside in nature--woods, mountains, water, I don't care. The smallest things in God's creation spur my wonder and the creative thoughts seem to kick in again.
Bronwen Chisholm
I wrote a women's fiction/suspense romance about 3 years ago, but just haven't been happy with the beginning. I shelved it while I wrote the P&P Alternatives, but now I've taken it down again. I think my writing has improved and I'm feeling inspired again. I will be listing more information as it becomes available.
Bronwen Chisholm
I have a 13, almost 14, year old daughter who loves sharing the stories of her friends' love lives with me. She also tells me who she thinks should be together and what she is doing to make it happen. With a matchmaker in the house, I had to write a story. Thankfully, she has decided that she, herself, is far too young to be in a relationship and would rather focus on her acting/singing. (Yes, the drama is non-stop in my home.)
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