Ask the Author: Lesley Kara
Answered Questions (6)
Lesley Kara
Hi David,
Yes, of course!
Lesley :)
Yes, of course!
Lesley :)
Lesley Kara
Lots of different things inspire me: conversations I've overhead; things I've watched on TV; books I've read; places I've visited; things on the news. Sometimes it might be a tiny little incident that occurs - something I see or hear - that resonates with me for some reason, and to which my mind keeps returning. That's when I know an idea has legs - when it won't let me go. But one thing is for sure: I don't wait for inspiration before starting to write. If I did that, I'd probably only write a few times a year. Sitting down every day and forcing myself to write even when I'm not particularly in the mood for it is what brings results.
Lesley Kara
I will shortly be starting on the edits of my second novel, but right now I'm planning novel number three. It's too early to talk about it yet - not because I'm superstitious about such things, but because I'm still working on the plot outline and until I'm happy with it and have a better idea of whether it all hangs together, I'm not sure I could sum it up well enough!
Lesley Kara
Read as much as you can in the genre you want to write, and more widely too. You have to know what's out there and study the techniques of other writers, although when it's a really brilliant story, it's hard to be analytical because you end up being swept up in the narrative. But that in itself is a point worth learning. The story is everything. If you can hold the attention of a reader by continually raising questions in their mind - questions they just have to know the answers to - that really is the key to writing a novel. But it takes practice, and lots of it! Don't expect your first novel to be the one that gets published. It rarely is. Mine certainly wasn't.
Lesley Kara
That's easy. The best thing about being a writer is being able to do what I love best! I'm at my happiest when I'm all on my own in my tiny little study, tapping away at my keyboard and talking to myself. And when I've had a productive day, there's nothing quite like that feeling of closing the document down and re-joining the real world, although I have to admit, even when I'm doing other things, the fictional world I'm creating in my head never quite lets me go.
Lesley Kara
Well, it depends how you define 'writer's block.' For me, I guess it means when I'm struggling to write a particular scene or chapter and it just isn't happening, or when I can't work out how to get from one plot point to another. When this happens I usually start writing a completely different scene from further ahead in the novel and that usually unblocks something and enables me to return to the tricky bit. Or I try writing something else entirely - a piece of non-fiction or a short story perhaps. But if by 'writer's block' you mean lack of ideas, I don't usually have a problem with that! In fact, my problem is often the complete opposite. I have several different ideas all competing with each other for my attention! But on those rare occasions when I can't think of a new plot, I tend to take some time off from writing and immerse myself in someone else's book, or watch a film or TV drama. That usually re-sets my brain into a narrative mode again!
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