Authors are a pretty varied bunch; individuals pursuing the same end result in their own unique way. Some of them use their life experiences to enhance their work; others simply have amazing imaginations. There are those who have obtained a degree in creative writing or have had a career in journalism while others, having no academic qualifications, are simply great story tellers.
Similarly, writers go about producing their work in ways which work for them. You may be a plotter, or a panster, or a little of both.
From a personal viewpoint, I prefer to know only parts of my journey. The buzz for me is the unexpected. And the best time of day to find that unexpected and sought after spark of inspiration is first thing in the morning. I never usually sleep beyond five thirty and as the alarm goes off at seven fifteen it gives me time to think about where I am with my current WIP Watercolours in the Rain. It gives me a chance to run over what I’ll be doing today when I get in front of the PC. Currently I’m in a happy place, knowing exactly what scenes are needed for my next week of writing. With Post Its stuck to the office notice board it means I’m totally in control.
One thing which had been bothering me, however, was an important element at the end of the book. Now I know I’m not going to be writing that any time soon, but this morning when I woke up it was the first thought that came into my head. I’d already decided what is going to happen to the two main characters, but that left the antagonist. How was I going to deal with her in order to bring the whole book to its conclusion?
I hold up my hands as guilty to murdering past bad characters; on two occasions in fact. But real life’s not like that and although it worked before, when I wrote The Other Side of Morning, I wanted a more realistic fate for the scheming Therese D’Alesandro. This time round I’m travelling that same road. And in the early hours of Tuesday 8th December, I knew exactly what I was going to do with Lily’s character.
So you see, for me it’s those wee small hours which prove the most productive and offer up the answers to all those unanswered questions I have.
JO LAMBERT 