Friday, April 20, 2012

A Writer’s Life

  Writing is easy, publicity is hard.

Today we talk with Rosemary Lynch, author and artist from Wiltshire, England. We asked her the trials and tribulations of the writing life and self publication.

When did you decide to become a writer? What made you do it?

I dabbled a bit when I was younger and then when my girls were small I wrote a few children's stories about the animals on my parents’ farm.  The main bug kicked in about 2 1/2 years ago when I was off work due to an injury, and rooting about I found a chapter I written about five years ago.  I read though it and thought “Hey this is good! Did I really write that?”  Then that was it; I’ve been hooked ever since!

We all need feedback. Do you have a writer’s group?

I don't have a writer's group, but I join in as much as I can with forums and have my contact email on my website for feedback. I am fairly new to this, having only just released my first book, Kainan, so I’m learning about new ways to reach out to people every day.

What, for you, are the important steps of the writing process? Will you change anything the next time around?

For me it’s the whole enjoyment of writing.  Establishing the characters and giving them real personalities so the reader can empathize with them and feel their joy and pain. As I don't have an agent yet, I am pretty much working at my own pace. I haven't really changed anything with the book I am writing now, the sequel to Kainan.  I enjoy writing it – I have laughed and cried my way through.  Still not 100% sure where or how it will end, but that's the excitement of writing each word, each page leads somewhere else.

What’s your daily routine like?

I have a family and a part-time job.  On a normal day – if there is such a thing – I drop my youngest at breakfast club and get to work at 8 a.m., half an hour before I am due to start. I sit in the peace and quiet of my car, and I write.  Sometimes a page, or sometimes I can scribble down ideas for a chapter.  In fact, a large percentage of my third book which I have finished was written in my Mondeo!  Then family – walking the dogs, picking up my youngest, dinner for kids.  Then I have about two hours whilst they do what kids do.  So I blog, write, tweet.  Then cook dinner for hubby. 7:30-ish:  Collapse in living room with family, whack out the lap top whilst watching TV and write ‘til I can't see anymore! Saturdays I write as much as I can, or I paint if the brain is not willing!

Do you have a daily word-production target? How often do you meet it?

I don't work to a target! That would do my head in!  However, I do try and write something every day, even if it is only a few words.

What authors inspired you?

As a child I loved Enid Blyton and C.S. Lewis.  Now it's people like Terry Goodkind and Terry Brooks. 

How can fledgling authors hone their talent?

Read, and then read some more.  I spent a lot of time reading books that I both did and didn't like, just to see how words are use to express feelings and actions.

How did you get the idea for Kainan?

It was on a trip up to Scotland to visit my parents. We were driving through the borders and I just had this idea for an epic fantasy as I looked out at the rolling hills.  My husband and I chatted about it, and he said, “What if you had this happen…?”  (I won't tell you what – that would be a spoiler!) And I thought “Yeah, what a good idea.”  Scribbled it all down and then did nothing with it for years.  I reread the chapter I had written and had this mega-dream afterwards. It was like a movie playing in my head, and it just went on like that for months.

Tell us a little about your journey to publication.

Initially I wrote Kainan just for my own pleasure – it was kind of like my baby!  My colleagues knew about it and started to nag at me that they wanted to read it.  I was reluctant at first, and to be honest, a bit embarrassed at it all.  Eventually I gave in and had 10 proof copies printed and sent out to willing volunteers to help me edit and proofread, by the time I had finished, it had been farmed out to their families, as well. I had such a good response that I decided to give it a go. I painted my own cover, as finances were short and that's pretty much it. I would like to be taken on by an agent, as I find all the publicity side of it quite daunting.  My heart is in writing and telling the story.  I have had 100 books printed, which are available on my website, and the first time I held one I cried.  It was such an exciting moment as I am sure it is for all authors when they see their book in print for the first time.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to publish to Kindle?

I would say go for it, it's free. The only problem is, it is very difficult at first to get the book noticed amongst the thousands that are on there. That's why sites like this and the others out there are so helpful. You learn a lot from other people. It can become a bit addictive looking each morning to see if you have sold any, and disappointing if you haven't.  Writing is easy, publicity is hard.
Find out more about Rose at http://www.rosemary-lynch.blogspot.com/

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