Ask the Author: Merle Temple
Answered Questions (8)
Merle Temple
All of the mysteries of my life have been explored and laid out for all to see in my four novels, which are written as fiction but drawn from my life.
Merle Temple
No author can please everyone. We all have our personal likes and dislikes. I focus on the generous notes we get from readers and the reaction from audiences when I talk about my novels. When a college chooses your book as required reading for all English students, you are invited to sign books for the cast of Criminal Minds, and K-12 schools use your book in their English classes, you must be doing something right. Still, you engage those audiences to learn what worked and what didn't. I use negative reviews to try to understand how I might improve my writing, but those who leave a one star rating with no comments and then block their accounts, prevent authors from gleaning any idea about their reasoning or likes or dislikes, and do a disservice to all who love books. They act as spoilers, not adding anything constructive to the process or helping creative people who are trying to hone their craft. Goodreads should not allow one or even two star ratings without some rationale for the rating. It is a flaw in the system. There are so many fake accounts today, it is impossible to tell if the rater is even a real reader or someone with an agenda. By all means, rate a book as you see it, but don't just pick the low hanging fruit and spoil the orchard, leave a review to enrich the harvest for everyone.
Merle Temple
I walk away and rest. Sometimes the body and mind are just fatigued. I also eliminate external noise, the demands of book promotion, networking, and such. I seek the company of talented and thoughtful people to talk with and gain perspective. Other writers are just the best and most supportive people. I don't force it. When you do, it won't be very good.
Merle Temple
Getting that story out that has been bursting to see the light of creation. It is cathartic, cleansing, renewing, and all those related emotions. When someone writes to say that they loved your story, or tell you that they discovered themselves in your characters, that is the icing on the cake, and your creative batteries are recharged...good for another 50,000 miles!
Merle Temple
Don't listen to the "experts." Avoid those who tell you what you can't do. Follow your dreams, hone your craft, pursue excellence, strive for something better...what's the worst that can happen? You might fall down or get rejected. Each time you do, dust yourself off, get up and keep going. It is in the falling down where growth takes place.
Merle Temple
We have been editing A Rented World, the sequel to A Ghostly Shade of Pale. Lots of pain to draw from in this book.
Merle Temple
I don't force it. I listen to music, garden, read certain classics, and commune with God. Then when it begins to flow, I race to keep up. I try to eliminate all distractions to allow my mind to get outside the boxed life forces us into. Once you are outside those confines, good writing is possible.
Merle Temple
All three in this trilogy are drawn from my experiences in the three or four lives in one that I have lived...the good, the bad, and the tragic.
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