Ask the Author: Elizabeth Ducie
Answered Questions (11)
Elizabeth Ducie
I visited five sites in Russia all connected in some way with the Romanov family, from the monastery where the first tsar was living when he was given the throne, to the place in the forest where the last tsar and his family were dumped after their murder. The atmosphere, especially in the forest, was heavy with tension. I would love to write a time slip based around all those places. What really happened and are the Romanov spirits still around somewhere?
Elizabeth Ducie
Yes, definitely. In fact, I have already published 4 novels and am working on number 5 at the moment. After a series of thrillers set in the international drugs world, I am now writing cosy crime set in UK.
Elizabeth Ducie
I use the summer to catch up on books on my TBR list: books written by friends; books in a number of crime series, including Cecelia Peartree, Damien Boyd, Angela Marsons and Faith Martin; and anything else that takes my fancy. At the moment, I am reading the Booker shortlist. I attempt to do that each year, and always fail to finish before the winner is announced. This year, I have read 4 of the 6, which is my best effort ever.
Elizabeth Ducie
In terms of my writing, I would say 'On Writing' by Stephen King and 'The Writer's Journey' by Christopher Vogler. When I was doing my OU Diploma I needed to write some poetry and was completely flummoxed until I read 'The Ode Less Travelled' by Stephen Fry. As a reader, there are too many to mention, but book 2 of 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King stands out in my memory. I read book 1 and had no idea what was going on. Book with book 2 I 'got it' and was hooked from there on.
Elizabeth Ducie
When I had a 'proper job', I travelled around the world, helping drug manufacturers improve the quality of their factory. I worked in more than 50 countries. My inspiration usually comes from place; I choose a location that I what to write about, and then start thinking of a story that would fit.
Elizabeth Ducie
I have just launched the first in a series of three thrillers. So I'm spending a lot of time promoting that. But I am also plotting books two and three in my head. I have the themes for both, plus the outline of the story for book two and I've written the first couple of chapters.
Elizabeth Ducie
My advice would be to write as much as possible, all the time. Try different genre, different styles. Enter competitions, respond to questions on blogs. Like a musician or an artist, writers aren't born great; they have to practice to get there. Oh, and network! The writing community is very generous and supportive. Get to know it, both online and face to face.
Elizabeth Ducie
I come from a manufacturing background. The best thing about being a writer is that my raw material is words, and there are an unlimited number to work with. I love molding them, editing, polishing until I have a finished product with which I can be happy.
Elizabeth Ducie
I don't believe in writer's block, but there are certainly times when the words don't flow as well as I would like. If I am stuck on one piece of work, I will move to something else; I always have a number of projects on the go at the same time. If I am having trouble concentrating, then I set a timer for 25 minutes, write, then take a break. After a couple of cycles of that, I have usually found my stride and keep going.
Elizabeth Ducie
I write very little poetry; most of my work is prose fiction. I have published one poem which is free-form; neither rhyming nor with a regular meter. I occasionally write humorous poems, but mainly for my own amusement or to read in cabaret.
Elizabeth Ducie
When I first went to Russia, I met a fascinating Georgian entrepreneur who invested in all sorts of projects to support local sportspeople. He became my Gorgito, although most of the book is pure fiction.
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