Ask the Author: G.B. Lindsey
Answered Questions (6)
G.B. Lindsey
My agent suggested the main plot device of foster brothers inheriting the house they grew up in from their recently deceased foster mother, and the three of us (me, Diana Copland, and Libby Drew) jumped straight into the deep end to tinker with what came next. We shared ideas and observations, filled in each other's holes, and basically co-developed a universe that has the power to expand or zoom in depending on who we choose to write about and when. It really was a great experience!
G.B. Lindsey
Look around you. No, seriously, observe. Listen to conversations. Be that lurker in the back of the bus or that mainstay in the cafe. Read the news for overarcing plot ideas. Take what you see and hear, and ask yourself, what if it had gone this way instead? Don't forget to draw on your own experiences. Emotions can be pretty universal, no matter who your character is, and you may be surprised at what readers can relate to.
G.B. Lindsey
I'm finishing up a draft of a modern Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde revamp. It's more thriller than horror, but it has elements of both. It's also got a nice romantic thread running through it, and has introduced me to some of my favorite characters yet.
G.B. Lindsey
Learn the craft. Practice the craft. Perfect YOUR craft, for sure. But if you want publishing to be part of the deal, then don't overlook the other part of it: the technical how-to of marketing. It seems so complicated because new writers tend to know so little about it. I know; I was there. Take a class in the mechanics of publishing alongside your writing classes, introduce yourself to an agent and ask questions, talk to published writers about how it all works. The more you learn, the less overwhelming it all is.
G.B. Lindsey
Half of it is being able to create worlds and personalities. Not so much being able to control them: you set up a series of parameters, and then things begin to snowball and you have to roll with it. But the discovery is the other half, so no harm done!
G.B. Lindsey
I usually work on two or more projects at one time. If possible, I choose projects in slightly different genres or tones. That way, if I get blocked on one, I work on the other one(s) for a while. Most of the time, that jars things loose.
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