Ask the Author: Denise Rodgers
Answered Questions (6)
Denise Rodgers
I write in my journal about the block. I "talk" about it to myself on paper and start writing out some possible solutions. Before you know it, I'm back on the computer writing away. If I'm really in a funk and can't write at all, I do something else productive and return the next day. Of course, there's always a nap...
Denise Rodgers
I love writing and always have. It's a form of meditation and a gift in of itself. All you really need is a pen and paper. (Although I really, really like my Mac Air a lot!) It's a gift you give yourself that you can also share with others. And you can grow and change with it. I still get excited each time I buy a new thick notebook or a nice gel pen. It just never gets old.
Denise Rodgers
Read what you enjoy. Stretch and read in other genres. Read some more. Start writing in a "safe" place, like your journal. And also read all the how-to books by successful writers in your genre -- and in other genres as well. Part of the reason I chose to write a mystery is that I'd read Janet Evanovich's "How I Write." Another great book was "How to Write a Damn Good Mystery," by James N. Frey.
Denise Rodgers
I'm working on the edit of the second book in the Jeweltown Murder Mystery series, "Murderous Emeralds." As soon as that's done, I will return to the first draft of book #3, "Poison Pearl." It's been so long since I've worked on either book that getting familiar with the plot and the characters (the new characters) is a challenge!
Denise Rodgers
I've always been a writer... started keeping a journal at age 14. I still write in my journal and it's where I go to get unblocked, particularly about plot points. I don't wait for inspiration. The story takes place and the action happens while I'm writing. (But I absolutely do outline first; that's part of the writing process and part of the inspiration!)
Denise Rodgers
After reading a huge number of mystery books, it occurred to me that I might like to write one. That was some time in 2010. All the mysteries I read (and I enjoyed them all!) were about young women, aged 29 or 30. I thought it might be fun to write about a woman in her 50s. Up till that point, my genre was poetry for children --- with a twist of humor. So I started writing a murder mystery with a 50-something protagonist. You'll have to decide for yourself if it has a twist of humor!
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