Ask the Author: Christine Rice
Answered Questions (6)
Christine Rice
I'm working on a novel set in the near future.
Christine Rice
Sounds. Sights. Feelings. Smells. News articles. A bird. My dog. My family. Objects. Everything inspires me. Good and bad experiences. People. The turn of a phrase. You get the idea...
Christine Rice
Work really hard and hone your skills. Research, research, research your material (research is often folded into the writing). Also, find a community of writers whose work you support and who will support your work in return.
My first novel, represented by an agent, did not get picked up by a publisher. That was right after 9/11. That pretty much crushed me but I kept writing. I didn't send much out but I kept writing. Get used to rejection. Don't hold rejection against an editor but wish them well, pick yourself up (and your manuscript), and send it out to someone else.
My first novel, represented by an agent, did not get picked up by a publisher. That was right after 9/11. That pretty much crushed me but I kept writing. I didn't send much out but I kept writing. Get used to rejection. Don't hold rejection against an editor but wish them well, pick yourself up (and your manuscript), and send it out to someone else.
Christine Rice
Making up stories.
Christine Rice
SWARM THEORY is a novel-in-stories and it started with "The Art of Survival." The author of THE TEMPLE OF AIR, Patricia Ann McNair, has a great writing blog (https://patriciaannmcnair.com/) and her prompt that day was: "This is how it happens." And that's how "The Art of Survival" was born and all of the characters started revealing themselves after that.
Christine Rice
That's a tough question. I generally think of writing this way: it's my job. My grandfather worked in the mines in Springhill, Nova Scotia, and he didn't have the luxury of not working. That said, I'm not minimizing 'block.' Writing is so multi-faceted...but ultimately, I have to get my butt in the chair and work. Or, because I teach and have a family, I have to carve out time to write. When I'm in the thick of a book or short story, I get up at about 5:00 am and write until 7...while the house is still quiet (and I don't look at my emails or social media).
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