Ask the Author: M.I. Bulancea
Answered Questions (3)
M.I. Bulancea
I won't presume to give advice to aspiring writers, as I don't have a "recipe for success." If I had to though, I'd say follow trends and try to ride the wave of popularity. Most of the fiction being published today is genre fiction, fan fiction, graphic novels, manga… Zombies and vampires, for example, make perennially enduring subjects. Romance will never go out of style. If you can satisfy popular tastes and appeal to a wide audience, then that's a recipe for success! As for advice I'd give my younger self, I'd say think carefully about what you want to major in! ;-)
M.I. Bulancea
The girls! Also, the fame and fortune!
M.I. Bulancea
I don't sit down and try to write. That's a recipe for disaster. Instead, I think about what I want to write at other times, like on my morning commute. I let my mind wander, and sometimes I have a little help. ;-)
Then I take notes and map out the plot. Like a good screenplay, a good novel or play is best supported by a solid structure. When I'm finally ready to write, I just flesh out the skeleton. That's where the magic happens, and sometimes the creative process will take me in a different direction. Writing, being creative—that's the fun and rewarding part. But it's also short-lived.
Then comes the tedious, handwringing process of revising the text to get the finished product. Editing is where most of the writing actually takes place. Reading from a potential reader's point of view, you ask what works, what doesn't work, what gets cut, what must be reworded.
I honestly believe that writers who don't spend time learning how to edit will never reach their full creative potential. I might need to revise a text 2, 4, 8, 16 times…
Then I take notes and map out the plot. Like a good screenplay, a good novel or play is best supported by a solid structure. When I'm finally ready to write, I just flesh out the skeleton. That's where the magic happens, and sometimes the creative process will take me in a different direction. Writing, being creative—that's the fun and rewarding part. But it's also short-lived.
Then comes the tedious, handwringing process of revising the text to get the finished product. Editing is where most of the writing actually takes place. Reading from a potential reader's point of view, you ask what works, what doesn't work, what gets cut, what must be reworded.
I honestly believe that writers who don't spend time learning how to edit will never reach their full creative potential. I might need to revise a text 2, 4, 8, 16 times…
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