Ask the Author: A.S. Harrington
Answered Questions (7)
A.S. Harrington
People ask me this all the time, and I never know how to answer. Books and characters, stories, places, times, have always come from inside. Occasionally I want to say, "It isn't me, really! It's just pouring out through me!" But then I realize what hard work it is to put stories and people and places to paper, and I smile and say, "I write because I can't not write."
A.S. Harrington
Almost done with Ordinary Secrets. In many ways the story is larger than I ever imagined it would be, but that's what happens when you let the story write itself.
A.S. Harrington
In first place would be Francis Crawford and Philippa Somerville in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. They waited so long for each other, went through so much deceit and mistrust. Their relationship matured over many years, with much heartbreak and separation, with misunderstandings and sometimes intentional hurt. But "they were meant for each other, and they knew it," we discover at the end. And yes, it was worth it.
But I also have to mention the protagonists in a more recent chronicle: McKayla Lane and Jericho Barrons in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Likewise, these two very distinct personalities, each with a story, fill the page when they are together.
But I also have to mention the protagonists in a more recent chronicle: McKayla Lane and Jericho Barrons in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. Likewise, these two very distinct personalities, each with a story, fill the page when they are together.
A.S. Harrington
I used to own an airplane, and with it, Baja California was an easy winter destination from northern California. There's a beautiful village south of La Paz called Punta Pescadero, "Fisherman's Point," with a quaint, lovely hotel that has its own little landing strip. On Christmas Day in the early 2000s, as I sat soaking up the Baja sun, basking in the peace and serenity of this idyllic place, I suddenly thought to myself, "How in the world could anything bad ever happen here?"
Ah. Bad can happen anywhere.
And suddenly I knew who would tell the story: Just off the beach, a man found dead of a gunshot wound in a half-deflated personal flotation device; a crooked Mexican cop; a charming, observant bellboy named Diego, and a beautiful woman caught in the middle.
A couple of years later, I wrote the general background and how I thought the story would be told, but I didn't bargain for my characters developing their own narrative. For years they sat dormant on my laptop, waiting patiently for me to listen, growing a whole host of friends and enemies, becoming stronger and louder, goading me into writing bits and pieces over a decade. About six months ago, the steady low hum of the characters became a shout, "Write this! Write this now!" I can no longer write anything else until I finish it. That's the way this book needs to be.
Ah. Bad can happen anywhere.
And suddenly I knew who would tell the story: Just off the beach, a man found dead of a gunshot wound in a half-deflated personal flotation device; a crooked Mexican cop; a charming, observant bellboy named Diego, and a beautiful woman caught in the middle.
A couple of years later, I wrote the general background and how I thought the story would be told, but I didn't bargain for my characters developing their own narrative. For years they sat dormant on my laptop, waiting patiently for me to listen, growing a whole host of friends and enemies, becoming stronger and louder, goading me into writing bits and pieces over a decade. About six months ago, the steady low hum of the characters became a shout, "Write this! Write this now!" I can no longer write anything else until I finish it. That's the way this book needs to be.
A.S. Harrington
Write every day. Set aside a time that you commit to writing. Maybe it's two sentences or two pages; maybe you'll skip ahead to some part of the story that's bursting out of you. It doesn't matter what you write, because you're going to rewrite it three or four or a dozen or a hundred times. It's the discipline of writing that matters. And, like any other skill, daily practice makes you better.
All of the books about writing, the classes, the writers' groups, the research tips -- all these have value, but none can take the place of this one simple act: Write daily.
All of the books about writing, the classes, the writers' groups, the research tips -- all these have value, but none can take the place of this one simple act: Write daily.
A.S. Harrington
All sorts of other places and people live inside every writer's mind. Putting those on paper makes them come to life. That act of creation, that freedom of construct -- sometimes agonizing, but always worth it -- is the absolute best thing about being a writer.
A.S. Harrington
When I find myself slacking off on writing, I go back and review the last part of the story. If the next bit doesn't flow, it's because I didn't tell the story the way it happened. It's odd, but even fiction has its own interior integrity, its own proper narrative. My characters tell the story. When they stop talking, it's because I've tried to take over.
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