Ask the Author: Robert P. Rowe
Answered Questions (6)
Robert P. Rowe
Oh, I just.... Well, sometimes I.... I can't think of anything just now, but when I do I'll write about it.
Robert P. Rowe
Following interesting people through their lives and observing.
My characters take on lives of their own. An editor made a suggestion for a line of dialog that I knew my character wouldn't utter--but I tried it anyway. That line was the only difference. But my other character reacted badly to the line and the first character found himself headed in the wrong direction.
My characters become real people an they react in predictable ways. All I have to do is give them a reason to react and they will do the rest.
My characters take on lives of their own. An editor made a suggestion for a line of dialog that I knew my character wouldn't utter--but I tried it anyway. That line was the only difference. But my other character reacted badly to the line and the first character found himself headed in the wrong direction.
My characters become real people an they react in predictable ways. All I have to do is give them a reason to react and they will do the rest.
Robert P. Rowe
Read.
Read in your genre. Read as much as you can. While you are reading pay attention to the patterns, formulas and similarities between the stories. All ideas are built off from other ideas. Many ideas are universal constants.
Then take the next step--write.
Read in your genre. Read as much as you can. While you are reading pay attention to the patterns, formulas and similarities between the stories. All ideas are built off from other ideas. Many ideas are universal constants.
Then take the next step--write.
Robert P. Rowe
I'm working on two books. Both are related to "Second-Story Man." Many reviews seem interested in learning more about these guys and I'm happy to oblige.
Robert P. Rowe
I often get inspired to write while reading other books and deciding that I would have told the story differently. Of course, I wouldn't use the same framework, setting or characters. I like making up my own ideas.
Sometimes when I'm reading a book and the plot isn't going the way I'd like it to I simply put the book down and daydream up a new story of my own. Once my mind is clear then I can get back to reading the book.
If the book I'm reading won't give me the escape that I'm looking for I'll make up my own.
Sometimes when I'm reading a book and the plot isn't going the way I'd like it to I simply put the book down and daydream up a new story of my own. Once my mind is clear then I can get back to reading the book.
If the book I'm reading won't give me the escape that I'm looking for I'll make up my own.
Robert P. Rowe
Ideas don't come from a single source. We all build upon experiences in our lives to constantly come up with new ideas. So here are a few of the ideas that culminated in the creation of "Second-Story Man."
In romance literature the goal is to find a way to get two characters together and let nature take its course. In real life too many romantics sit home alone waiting for Prince Charming to come knocking at the door, or Romeo to climb up the balcony. But that's not really going to happen is it? Well what if it did? How would that play out?
Another universal desire is to reform the bad boy. For some reason bad boys have a special appeal. So what if our Romeo is a bit of a bad boy?
In real life I've spent way too much time on business trips living for months at a time out of hotel rooms. It gets boring living alone in a hotel room, but it might interesting if some bad boy, Romeo, came climbing in the window.
So there is the set-up for "Second-Story Man." But a novel is more than just a set-up. I needed characters that would be interesting and appealing.
Many of the reviews point to the fact that the characters have many layers that are slowly revealed allowing them to evolve. The idea for the characters personalities came from juxtaposing a guy who is too good to be true with a bad boy--and then slowly revealing to the reader that neither character is really who he seems to be. That's an idea that comes from real life by simply paying attention to people.
Finally there a number of events in the book that have really happened to me, or people I know to some extent. But there are plenty that are purely fiction. I'll leave it to readers to decide which is which--but remember truth is stranger than fiction.
In romance literature the goal is to find a way to get two characters together and let nature take its course. In real life too many romantics sit home alone waiting for Prince Charming to come knocking at the door, or Romeo to climb up the balcony. But that's not really going to happen is it? Well what if it did? How would that play out?
Another universal desire is to reform the bad boy. For some reason bad boys have a special appeal. So what if our Romeo is a bit of a bad boy?
In real life I've spent way too much time on business trips living for months at a time out of hotel rooms. It gets boring living alone in a hotel room, but it might interesting if some bad boy, Romeo, came climbing in the window.
So there is the set-up for "Second-Story Man." But a novel is more than just a set-up. I needed characters that would be interesting and appealing.
Many of the reviews point to the fact that the characters have many layers that are slowly revealed allowing them to evolve. The idea for the characters personalities came from juxtaposing a guy who is too good to be true with a bad boy--and then slowly revealing to the reader that neither character is really who he seems to be. That's an idea that comes from real life by simply paying attention to people.
Finally there a number of events in the book that have really happened to me, or people I know to some extent. But there are plenty that are purely fiction. I'll leave it to readers to decide which is which--but remember truth is stranger than fiction.
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