Ask the Author: Anna Reilly
Answered Questions (6)
Anna Reilly
When the words simply won't come I take a break, not just a fifteen minute break but a complete change of scenery. I go for a hike or do yoga or pick at a painting. Anything that gets me out of the chair and away from the computer. Most of my mental writing takes place when I'm falling asleep and between the snooze buttons in the morning. If I'm working on a scene, I let it play out in my mind repeatedly for a few days, noting the details and establishing the mood and energy. Then when I'm comfortable with the full scene, I sit down to write and it's as though I'm recalling a memory or dream. It's a very effective process for me but sometimes I still hit walls. :)
Anna Reilly
I can remember reading a news article years ago, maybe as long as a decade ago about a man who walked into a police station with no recollection of his identity. I can't remember that man's specific circumstances but the idea stuck. I wrote a one liner and stuck it in my ideas folder and forgot about it. When I decided to do the NaNoWriMo challenge last November (2016), I dusted off the folder and read through some of the ideas - this is the one that jumped out at me. I came up with the reason for his amnesia over after dinner tea with my husband - we were simply tossing around "what ifs" and that's how the idea for John's amnesia was born. I won't get into specifics - don't want to spoil the ending! The Alyson storyline was actually a separate idea for a different story but I quickly realized the story lines complemented each other and could be developed together.
Anna Reilly
Over the years, I've compiled a folder of potential story ideas - some one liners, others pages of notes to draw from. Making the time to write had always been an issue in the past but once I started the practice of writing for an hour after dinner it became habitual very quickly. Now it feels odd not to write. When ideas aren't flowing I take a break - hike, paint, yoga, anything to distance myself from the blinking cursor on a blank screen.
Anna Reilly
I have two projects in the works. I've started my second book; it's not a follow up to Twist of Fate. I'm also cluing up a novella that I will publish under a pseudonym.
Anna Reilly
Write. Every day. It becomes a habit and you crave that time in front of the keyboard (or pen in hand if you're old school!).
I attended a writing conference and the pay-off was immediate and immense. Learn from the experiences of others. Seek out published authors and ask them the burning questions on your mind. I was fortunate to have several experienced authors in my network and they graciously answered my questions and offered advice.
I attended a writing conference and the pay-off was immediate and immense. Learn from the experiences of others. Seek out published authors and ask them the burning questions on your mind. I was fortunate to have several experienced authors in my network and they graciously answered my questions and offered advice.
Anna Reilly
I love creating characters and making them as believable and multi-dimensional as possible. When readers connect with those characters and feel invested in their lives and outcomes, it is simply the best feeling imaginable.
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