Ask the Author: Richard Smith
Answered Questions (6)
Richard Smith
Research. To me, it usually means you don't know enough about your people or their situation. I have found that, while you may never actually use what you've researched, it can fill your head with ideas and possibilities and get you going again.
Richard Smith
I'm a first-timer, so this may be naive. For me, it's putting my characters into situations and then getting them through them. It can be strangely moving - and energising when you know it's good. (Though you just as often feel depressed when you think it's bad!!) And later, seeing your characters grow in other people's minds.
Richard Smith
It's really hard to do it part-time. My work drained me of thinking time. If you can't give up working, then try to set aside two hours a night. It's so hard putting a manuscript down for a week and expect to remember where you were when you stopped. It's also bad for relationships! Oh, and when you stop, leave yourself a note as to what you intend to write next in case the thread or inspiration is gone.
Richard Smith
I have a second novel in progress. The storyline is set but it's shifting as my characters develop. I question whether what I'm doing is realistic or what people would really say or do, so the characters develop - as does the plot. Hopefully, I'll get it back on track and all together! Trouble is, demands of promoting 'Homeward Bound' and doing things like this Q&A are a distraction. It's easier to do a blog or Facebook posting than to slog through 20 pages (or however many) of manuscript,
Richard Smith
Thinking time, routine and panic. Not in that order. I try to get a routine daily, which often results in words on paper. I know they're not necessarily good or right, but they give me shape to work with. The when I'm away from it, I think of it, question and refine what I've written in my head. Then panic in case I forget. So I then jump into the next day inspired!!
Richard Smith
Life! Events over many decades spawned the idea. Specifically, a retired neighbour telling me that the worst thing for an old person is to be put into a nursing home where you can't take anything but the smallest of personal possessions. What if you had a prized collection - books, records? And what if you weren't prepared to give them up - or indeed give up on life? Plus how life repeats. An eighteen-year-old today will experience many of the same things today as an eighteen-year-old experienced fifty years ago - just the times have changed so the responses might be different. They were my starting points and I explore both in my book.
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