Ask the Author: Carmel Hanes
Answered Questions (4)
Carmel Hanes
I hardly feel qualified to answer this question, but these are the things that helped me, in the genre I wrote in. Read, read read; and then find your own voice and write your passion. What helped me was starting the process of taking notes on what I saw around me, or what struck me at a deep level. Those notes eventually knit together into a larger story in my head. When I started, I had only a couple of basic concepts in mind, but as I wrote, the story took on a life of its own and shaped itself as I went along. The best advice I ever heard was from "Bird by Bird" which convinced me I did not have to have the entire story laid out in my head before I began. I just began, and the rest followed, with much rearranging before done! So, read, read, read, and then write, write, write! And ask for feedback, because it is truly helpful to hear how things hit different readers.
Carmel Hanes
I'm still having a difficult time seeing myself as "a writer", even after publishing a book, as there are so many talented and committed writers out there who have led the way on this path. In my efforts,
I've tried to convey events, feelings, moods, and thoughts in ways that cause a person to stop momentarily to reflect, rather than just move along the page to what comes next. Causing a pause and perhaps a shift in perspective, or leaving a reader with a new lens to look through when navigating life is the most gratifying feedback I receive. Hearing that what I offered through writing has impacted someone on a deep, personal level, or has left them caring and thinking about characters tells me that I succeeded at tapping into universal "truth", which feels like an unexpected blessing for my efforts.
I've tried to convey events, feelings, moods, and thoughts in ways that cause a person to stop momentarily to reflect, rather than just move along the page to what comes next. Causing a pause and perhaps a shift in perspective, or leaving a reader with a new lens to look through when navigating life is the most gratifying feedback I receive. Hearing that what I offered through writing has impacted someone on a deep, personal level, or has left them caring and thinking about characters tells me that I succeeded at tapping into universal "truth", which feels like an unexpected blessing for my efforts.
Carmel Hanes
I turn to some of my favorite books and re-read them. Then I go for long walks, preferably in the woods, trying to see common surroundings in uncommon ways, thinking about the books I've read and what I loved about them. I find that my outdoor surroundings jostle my brain in ways that shake loose tied up thoughts, allowing others to creep in and get my words at least trickling, if not flowing. :)
Carmel Hanes
Watching the changes in our culture over my lifetime and seeing young people doing incomprehensible things, along with working with challenged and challenging young people, led to my learning about trauma and how it impacts us in different ways. I learned to look more deeply at others, without judgement, to understand what had happened to them. I wanted to write a story about injured people and what their injuries lead them to do, and how those injuries are often hidden from view unless we are looking closely, hoping the reader would begin to see the world around them through a new, more compassionate lens.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more