Ask the Author: Sandra Woffington
Answered Questions (8)
Sandra Woffington
As a teacher, I've worked with a few special needs children every year. I consider them "especially abled." My life has also been one of inclusion with special needs adults. Couple that with a fascination for history and mythology, and voila--a story about seven quirky and special needs teens who must become warriors to stop the lords of the underworlds from opening the ancient gates of evil. It did not surprise me when Amir (blind), Kami (deaf), and Chaz (paraplegic) appeared as would-be heroes, along with Benny, Raj, Zuma and Layla. Book #1 Evil Speaks is finished--six more to go!
Sandra Woffington
First, I'm inspired by the idea of a book. As the characters take shape, they inspire me too. I brainstorm, research and outline. I then treat each writing day like a job, where I have to be in the seat and work. Once I'm on a roll, I can't wait to get to the next chapter. I'll write six hours a day in the summer and spend another hour or two on research. I try to have the rough draft knocked out in about ten weeks.
Sandra Woffington
Writing is a craft and it can be learned as long as you have a passion for words. The moment I finished the first draft of Unveiling, the novel I'd forever said I would write, I knew it wasn't perfect. I gutted it twice and learned more each time. And I studied the craft. Advice: take classes, read books on writing, get into critique groups, and write, write, write. If it's in your blood to write, you'll get there. Enjoy the moments and forget about trying to be a world-famous author. Just write well and tell your stories.
Sandra Woffington
In the fourth grade, I learned a new word "daydreaming," when the teacher told me to stop doing it. I've had characters and places and stories in my head as far back as I can remember. When I'm sitting at my desk, whether I'm researching or writing, I'm in bliss. Sometimes, I feel like my characters nudge me and nudge me until I write their stories down. The best thing about writing is that I still get to daydream--and turn these into books. I also love to meet and speak with readers.
Sandra Woffington
Yes, I am at work on Evil Hears. Thanks so much for asking!
Sandra Woffington
When 21, while taking a tour of Europe, I met an American man in a club in Lucerne, Switzerland. The following weekend, he traveled to Sorrento, Italy, to see me once more before he returned to Saudi Arabia, where he worked, and I returned to California. We rendezvoused again in New York. Some months and many letters later, he flew to California, we married, and I flew to Saudi Arabia with a man I'd seen face-to-face barely more than week. That began an incredible life journey.
Sandra Woffington
I am currently working on a 7-novel Middle Grade Epic Mythological Fantasy. I'm currently editing Book #1, which is finished. Book #2 is plotted, and I will begin writing that next week. Once it's out, I'll share more.
Sandra Woffington
I don't believe in writer's block, therefore I never experience it. Just by being observant of the world around me, I am bombarded by ideas. However, a tip I find useful to generate a flow is to free-write: pick a topic or open a magazine and find a picture (the stranger, the better). Write a story about that topic/picture. Example, one day in the MFA program at Chapman University a fellow student had pictures that she'd taken at a pet cemetery. The teacher passed them out, and we had to free-write a story on our gravestone. I kept working on the story, and it won 2nd place in a contest and was published in Caliope (Chapman's literary journal). Free-writing on an odd topic made that happen. In similar fashion, I hand my students strange pictures of people around the world (think National Geographic), including historical images, and I have them write the story that is taking place in the photo. This is also a fun exercise in writing from a unique POV (point-of-view).
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