Ask the Author: S.K. Waters
Answered Questions (8)
S.K. Waters
Eighteen hours after giving birth, I wiped crust from my eyes, struggled into a sitting position, and reached for the hospital cradle next to my bed. It was empty, and there was blood.
S.K. Waters
Husband number 3......
S.K. Waters
Caffeine. Lots of caffeine.... just kidding
I write in three modes - imagining, drafting, and finally polishing. Polishing is editing and that's another muscle that needs to be exercised. Drafting, well, drafting is, I think, where most people get stuck. And when I get stuck, I move to one of the other modes.
Imagining is my favorite, it's when I spend time unplugged, with pen and paper and dog, and just ask myself "what if.....what if....?"
I write in three modes - imagining, drafting, and finally polishing. Polishing is editing and that's another muscle that needs to be exercised. Drafting, well, drafting is, I think, where most people get stuck. And when I get stuck, I move to one of the other modes.
Imagining is my favorite, it's when I spend time unplugged, with pen and paper and dog, and just ask myself "what if.....what if....?"
S.K. Waters
If you'd asked me this question 20 years ago, I would have mumbled something about plot and page-turners.
Now, for me, it's all about allowing myself to listen to my characters. One time, just at my desk, I felt like a character wasn't doing what I wanted him to do, but it was one of those days, and I finally told him, go ahead, what do you want to tell me? What came from my fingertips to the keyboard was 4000 words of pure pain and anguish (since then, edited down). It was one of the most profound experiences I've had as a writer, and I'll never forget it.
Oh, and the free stuff you get at conferences.
Now, for me, it's all about allowing myself to listen to my characters. One time, just at my desk, I felt like a character wasn't doing what I wanted him to do, but it was one of those days, and I finally told him, go ahead, what do you want to tell me? What came from my fingertips to the keyboard was 4000 words of pure pain and anguish (since then, edited down). It was one of the most profound experiences I've had as a writer, and I'll never forget it.
Oh, and the free stuff you get at conferences.
S.K. Waters
Write every day, even if it's just gibberish and you think it's junk. I keep a 10 minute journal. Set the timer, and write. Doesn't matter what makes it on the page, the journal is mine and no one else needs to know. But it's my warmup exercise.
S.K. Waters
The sequel to The Dead Won't Tell. And two short stories, also in the mystery genre. An outline for a detective in a fantasy setting. Oh, did I mention the sequel?
S.K. Waters
Caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine.....
No, seriously, I set aside time every day to write, even if what I write has nothing to do with my work-in-progress.
No, seriously, I set aside time every day to write, even if what I write has nothing to do with my work-in-progress.
S.K. Waters
I love listening to people tell stories. At a party, I'm the wallflower, not the center of attention. And people tell great stories. It was a combination of stories I "overheard" (not eaves-dropped, I promise.....) that let my imagination run wild with this particular murder.
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