Ask the Author: S.L. Mills
Answered Questions (7)
S.L. Mills
Wow, that is a really big question. I have quite a few favourite fictional couples and all for different reasons. Cathy and Heathcliff, for example, I find incredibly fascinating and elemental because they touch on some eternal, elemental emotion that I cannot name. I think Charlotte Bronte described Wuthering Heights as like breathing raw lightning. But I am not overly fond of tragedy or tragic couples. I do rather like the ease of Austen's couples, particularly Anne Elliott and Frederick Wentworth in Persuasion. I think if I had an ideal fictional couple, they would have both the power of Bronte's pair, and the success and gentle ease of Austen's - perhaps I should have a shot at writing such a grand couple - a pair that ride their energy like a wave, rather than being crushed by it, into a shimmering, heightened, rareness of being. I do also like couples where one or both have something to teach the other and they come together as part of that experience. - as in Toni Jordan's Graca and Seamus in Addition - it's rather sweet. And I rather like feisty couples like Maurice Walsh's - The Quiet Man, Castle Gillian, etc, because there is such a frisson of pleasure to be had in the reading of them :)
S.L. Mills
It is my job, so I just write. As a journalist, I have been trained to write and there's no mucking about when you have to get a paper on a plane to Perth every night. If there's no copy, there's a big hole and people will hold you responsible for it. Perhaps the question is: what subjects inspire me? If so, I write about things I would like to read. And, let's face it, I love a good yarn. I also have a strange inner world and I am constantly imagining dramatic scenarios about the most stupid things. Some of them get to see daylight.
S.L. Mills
I am working on the second novel in the GOM's Gold series - there will be seven in total. The working title is The Voids of Nevron.
I am also working on a historical fiction about my ancestors who came to Australia in 1787. It is a rip-roaring tale of three generations of strong, passionate women making their way in a wild and lawless colonial country - a story about unbridled passions and dynastic roots.
I am also working on a historical fiction about my ancestors who came to Australia in 1787. It is a rip-roaring tale of three generations of strong, passionate women making their way in a wild and lawless colonial country - a story about unbridled passions and dynastic roots.
S.L. Mills
Persist. Writing a novel is not easy but do not be daunted. One word after another will take you from the beginning to The End. Write about a subject that impassions you and that will make the journey to The End so much more pleasurable. Keep The End in sight and, when you reach it, relish and bask in those final two words - The End. It's simply the most wonderful feeling.
On a more practical note, I suggest that writers plot, plot and plot, otherwise you make a lot of unnecessary work for yourself. Focus on pace and rhythm. A writer can manipulate the heartbeat of the reader with the pace of the prose - so keep an ear out for this. When you have finished, cut the novel by about one third - that should tighten it sufficiently to make it digestible. Send it off to a manuscript assessor and make any necessary changes. Then get everyone you know to proof it for errors. Then get a professional sub-editor to clean it up.
On a more practical note, I suggest that writers plot, plot and plot, otherwise you make a lot of unnecessary work for yourself. Focus on pace and rhythm. A writer can manipulate the heartbeat of the reader with the pace of the prose - so keep an ear out for this. When you have finished, cut the novel by about one third - that should tighten it sufficiently to make it digestible. Send it off to a manuscript assessor and make any necessary changes. Then get everyone you know to proof it for errors. Then get a professional sub-editor to clean it up.
S.L. Mills
I don't think there's any one best thing. I like working for myself. I like working with words. I like the quiet times and value the social times when I chat with people who have read my book. I love creating new worlds. I love bringing characters to life. Sometimes the worlds and characters feel so real to me, I just wish they were real. It also offers an opportunity to explore any odd avenue that takes your fancy, and be paid for it. The readers are very important. It is great to think other people can feel the same way as you about the characters and places - and that you can bring joy to readers' lives. I have gained so much pleasure from reading myself, so to me it's a great way to make a contribution to the world.
S.L. Mills
I don't really get writer's block, possibly because I was a journalist and worked to deadlines for so long. Sometimes I am not sure what to write next and, in those instances, I either keep on writing anything, pushing forward with whatever comes out, or go for a walk. I always think about my novel when I am doing tasks that don't demand much mental attention - I daydream a lot. Sometimes you will see a smile play across my face or some weird facial expression as I work through things in my head. It's not necessarily good from a social perspective though, because sometimes you ignore those around you and go into your own world. My brother calls it Sarah's world.
S.L. Mills
The underlying mythology came from my interest in energy and frequency. I also studied medieval literature at university and always felt the original story of King Arthur had so many loose ends that needed tying up. The other influence was my home - the Blue Mountains. I just had to set the book there because it is so spectacular.
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