Ask the Author: Beth Crawford
Answered Questions (6)
Beth Crawford
I pull my laptop out and start reading something I've written. I'll also write something I've thought about, a part of a scene or a description of someone. If I watch a movie or show and notice a scene that really moved me, I'll write a scene to try to capture that feeling. I also listen to YouTube videos from other authors about their process and it gets my creative juices going. And sometimes I just take a nap. If I'm really just not feeling it, I don't write. I watch some good movies and inspiration inevitably finds me.
Beth Crawford
The best thing about being a writer is that I can watch eight straight hours of autopsies and no one thinks I'm insane. I have a weird imagination so when I wonder out loud about something crazy, I can chalk it up to a story idea. My weirdness has a purpose! Plus I am very introverted and love to be alone with my writing. Spinning stories around in my head also helps with anxiety. Creativity is the best treatment for all that ails us!
Beth Crawford
My agent years ago told me that becoming a published author is a marathon, not a sprint. There are more videos and advice on writing now than there were twenty years ago. Writing a book is more about rewriting. The first draft will likely be terrible! Don't give up. If you want to be a published writer, you will edit and edit and then edit some more. Writing the book is not the hard part. That's the fun part! Publishing comes after re-reading and editing dozens of times, finding what isn't working and fixing it. Pay attention to how the top authors handle their stories, characters, dialogue and description. And then write and write some more!
Beth Crawford
I am editing my previously published novel 'Silent Shadows' to re-release in September. I updated the technology and forensics (originally published in 2003) and hopefully improved the story! I am also working on revising my first published novel, Silent Storm, for a target to re-release in November. And finally, I am mapping out a new suspense novel that I will write and publish in the summer of 2021. As each project is in a different stage, I work on another project while I have a beta reader give me feedback.
Beth Crawford
Every weird situation I hear about inspires me. Any time I think 'what if...'- there's a story idea. Well-written movies can also inspire me to imagine how I can create that excitement or feeling with words. I am fascinated by what makes people tick, what motivates them, terrifies them, inspires them. What would make a normal person do something heroic or brave or illegal? There are stories everywhere! Then I have to craft a storyline with characters who would find themselves in those situations and make the resolution something the reader didn't see coming.
Beth Crawford
In 6 Days is a combination of a several real situations. Years ago I think I stumbled upon some illegal activity in a company I worked for. Luckily I was not enough of a threat for them to try to kill me! I also had experienced memory loss after long term stress so I knew what it was like to have a blank memory at times. The character of Nell is very much based on my childhood and what my life might have been like if I had become a police officer. The story is all fictionalized and was great fun to write!
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