Ask the Author: Tracy L. Ward
Answered Questions (7)
Tracy L. Ward
It's definitely been a challenge the last few years. I've been writing since before my kids were born and their addition to the family really put a dent in my writing time. Up until recently I would carve out one or two hours each night, usually from 10 pm until midnight (or beyond if the writing was good). This arrangement often made for some very dreary afternoons and then Mommy nap time once my husband came home from work. I was able to carve out extra time while my kids attended their sports club practices. It didn't make me very social with the other parents but it was a price I was more than happy to pay. Now that both my kids are in high school and my writing has become a dependable income I write full time most days and it's not so difficult to find time to write. I'm still dependent upon inspiration and I've been known to delete an entire day's work the following day but that's how writing goes sometimes. Thanks so much for your question!
Tracy L. Ward
Absolutely! I am hoping to have it available sometime in February. Thanks for the love. Your support means so much to me.
Tracy L. Ward
My best advice would be read, read, read, read.... (infinity). The only method I have found that ensures good writers is becoming a good reader. The goal as a reader and wanna be writer is not to copy but to study, enjoy and then carve your own style and niche. In a writing group I can always tell who reads everything, who reads only within their chosen genre and who reads everything. The writers who read everything are not afraid to experiment with different writing styles, voices and have the best developed characters. My second advice is aspiring writers is to write everyday. Writing is a muscle. It only gets stronger with use and practice. Writers who do these two things will have an amazing career with oodles of stories to their credit.
Tracy L. Ward
I love writing a first draft. Hands down that is the most fun and easily enjoyable part of the process. I also love when the book is finally out and I can put it on my shelf among the others. It's a truly lovely feeling when I see the results of a year's long effort.
Tracy L. Ward
My forth coming book, Sweet Asylum, the fourth in the Peter Ainsley mystery series, started as a novella. I wanted to write something to feature Margaret and the Marshall family's country home, The Briar. During the planning stages my story evolved into something much bigger. I just couldn't do it justice and keep it to 25,000 words. In many ways, writing Sweet Asylum has been like writing Chorus of the Dead. Rather than writing about urban life in Victorian London, I am highlighting country life in Kent. It's as if the series has returned to it's rural roots.
Tracy L. Ward
When I get writer's block it's most likely due to one of two things; either something in my current Work In Progress is not working or I'm lacking the right kind of inspiration to bring the story together. A good remedy is reading. I'll take a break from writing for a day or two and throw myself into a non-fiction text regarding the subject matter I'm trying to tackle in my novel or I'll read a novel from an author I admire. These techniques often give me the right push to get going again and steer me in the right direction.
Tracy L. Ward
I'm currently working on the fourth book in the Peter Ainsley Mystery Series, SWEET ASYLUM, due out later this spring and I also have a new Victorian series in the works featuring a very strong female protagonist with spell-binding powers.
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