Ask the Author: C.R. Stewart
Answered Questions (10)
C.R. Stewart
Thank you SO very much, Laura! I really appreciate your kind words & very well written review! And I am really grateful for the facebook shout out - we will make sure to follow & like Harvest Lane Cottage! Your site is quite nice!
Thank you for being a Friend of Britfield!
Blessings,
C. R.
Thank you for being a Friend of Britfield!
Blessings,
C. R.
C.R. Stewart
Fantastic! I do hope that you are on of the 50 winners! Your blog site is great and of course, I would be most honored if you chose to review Britfield! Thank you for introducing yourself!
C.R. Stewart
I wrote a book. Nobody read it!
C.R. Stewart
Middle Earth - Endless exploration & wonder!
C.R. Stewart
Ten years ago, when I was living in New England, I was working for a company and was down at a weekend seminar. It became extremely boring, and I began to drift. I started doodling on a piece of paper. I simply drew a circle with three lines coming down to a basket and drew a boy and a girl inside. The working title was The Boy & the Balloon. From that moment, I connected with the idea of a boy, Tom, and a girl, Sarah, who were both orphans at a terrible orphanage up in northern England. They wanted to escape, but the only way to outmaneuver an illustrious detective and his police force, was to commandeer a hot air balloon. I thought what fun, traveling throughout England, free for the first time in years, and seeing everything there was to see. This is how it all started, ten years ago. It took me 4 years and 2500 hours to finish Britfield & the Lost Crown.
C.R. Stewart
I loved reading as a child, movies and storytelling, so all these areas had a huge influence on my life. Some of my favorite books growing up were The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary; James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl; and the Hardy Boys series. As I grew older, I enjoyed Charles Dickens and his ability to take a Shakespearean cast of characters and seamlessly weave them through his stories (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations). I was heavily influenced by C. S. Lewis, his amazing depth and creativity as an author. Jane Austen captured the aristocracy, the intrigue, the forced etiquette and the psychological games and hypocrisies of the upper classes. The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, wrote mysterious, romantic gothic novels that are powerful, moving and deep, such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Thomas Hardy took simple characters living in a rural setting and created complex, multilayered stories. And Daphne du Maurier, such as her epic novel Rebecca. I have visited most of the places these stories took place or were based on.
With all that said, it really started for me in 6th grade. What a wonderful teacher and an amazing class. Our assignment was to write a book. Can you imagine an assignment like that, where do you start? I think there was a limit of 30 pages. I was 12 and loved the James Bond movies, so I wrote James Bond Eat Your Heart Out. I was a secret government agent working for the British government and had an assignment to track down a notorious villain. My partner was Jaclyn Smith (that should date me). We traveled all around Europe tracking down the villain and were involved in highspeed chases and plenty of combat. I had so much fun writing this and the experience never left me. I still have this book, wrapped in a leather binder with embossed lettering. This was when I knew I wanted to be a writer, it just took a long time to get there.
With all that said, it really started for me in 6th grade. What a wonderful teacher and an amazing class. Our assignment was to write a book. Can you imagine an assignment like that, where do you start? I think there was a limit of 30 pages. I was 12 and loved the James Bond movies, so I wrote James Bond Eat Your Heart Out. I was a secret government agent working for the British government and had an assignment to track down a notorious villain. My partner was Jaclyn Smith (that should date me). We traveled all around Europe tracking down the villain and were involved in highspeed chases and plenty of combat. I had so much fun writing this and the experience never left me. I still have this book, wrapped in a leather binder with embossed lettering. This was when I knew I wanted to be a writer, it just took a long time to get there.
C.R. Stewart
I finished Britfield & the Rise of the Lion, Book II (540 pages) last July. It was my final edit, and I already had it professionally edited. I had also piloted it with schools for feedback (my demographic). However, I wanted to take one more pass and see how it reads and flows, so on July 4th, I returned for one final edit—it’s been great. I have caught a few sections that needed a little bit more work, changed a few words, and tightened other scenes. I will be starting on Britfield & the Return of the Prince, Book III in the fall.
C.R. Stewart
Many things are great about being a writer. First, you can control what is written. You can write whenever you want and write whatever you are. Second, it feels great to create something out of nothing. You may start with a few ideas, an outline or a general sense of the story, but you have no idea what will transform from your thoughts—this is exciting. If you remain true to your story, your instinct, the characters and the flow of the narrative, it begins to write itself: everyone experiences this, athletes in their zone, an artist at work on a painting or sculpture. By allowing yourself to be free and trusting your instinct, amazing things can happen. Third, it’s wonderful to return to your manuscript for another edit. You have the ability to make what you have already created, better: tightening a scene, expanding a scene, making the dialog more authentic. Every time you return to a scene, you improve it—this provides a great sense of accomplishment, whether it’s an hour, a day, or months.
C.R. Stewart
This is actually very common with writers. One way is when you are writing your story, you do not need to write in order, from scene to scene. It’s great when it is flowing and you know what comes next, but often you will write a scene and become stuck, not sure how to finish that section or bridge to the next scene. Remember, you can always leapfrog to another section—anywhere in your story. The most important thing to remember about writing is to keep writing, not to lose your flow or momentum: get your words out and down on paper (or computer). If you get stuck, just leapfrog to a section you want to write or already have an idea on how it will go. You could be off to a great start, then get stuck on page 50 or 70 or 100. Jump to another section that you have already thought about, write, then jump back and continue on or finish the previous section.
Another way to get through writer’s block is to start editing what you have written. Always be writing or editing. They say that writing is 10% writing and 90% re-rewriting (editing), which I agree with. When I was working on Britfield & the Lost Crown, I came to an exciting section at Windsor Castle—a major reversal (about the middle of the book). I was stuck; I could not figure out what came next, how to continue. So, I just jumped back to the very beginning of my manuscript and started editing everything I had already written. It was great. I was able to improve what I wrote and give myself time to figure out the scene I was stuck on. After a weeks, I jumped back to that scene and finished it.
It takes a tremendous amount of time and discipline to write. It is my estimate that it will take you around 4-5 hours for every finished page. If you want to write a 200 page book, it will probably take you around 800-1000 hours. Now you see why it is important to continue writing, whether you are creating something new or editing.
Another way to get through writer’s block is to start editing what you have written. Always be writing or editing. They say that writing is 10% writing and 90% re-rewriting (editing), which I agree with. When I was working on Britfield & the Lost Crown, I came to an exciting section at Windsor Castle—a major reversal (about the middle of the book). I was stuck; I could not figure out what came next, how to continue. So, I just jumped back to the very beginning of my manuscript and started editing everything I had already written. It was great. I was able to improve what I wrote and give myself time to figure out the scene I was stuck on. After a weeks, I jumped back to that scene and finished it.
It takes a tremendous amount of time and discipline to write. It is my estimate that it will take you around 4-5 hours for every finished page. If you want to write a 200 page book, it will probably take you around 800-1000 hours. Now you see why it is important to continue writing, whether you are creating something new or editing.
C.R. Stewart
Story is everything. It can be simple or complex, but it must be interesting and well-told. Find a unique story and start writing. First create your structure: beginning, middle and end. It’s easier when you think about the story in chapters: where’s the book going, what happens next and how will it end? Develop your characters and know them well—give them depth and obstacles that they must overcome. Do your research and master the subject you’re writing about. Also, read. Enjoy reading and understand what’s out in the market. Find writers you like and learn from them: how they tell a story, the way they structure or pace their narrative, how they describe things. Analyze these books and figure out what makes them interesting or compelling—why they’re successful or why they work as a novel. You never want to copy a style or another writer, but it’s essential to study the literary world you want to enter. If I were a painter, I would study other painters. If I were a composer, I would study other composers. It’s very important to develop your own style and what makes you unique, but this will come with time and experience.
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Remember, nothing happens overnight. It takes commitment, discipline and endurance to produce an engaging and inspiring novel. To write and finish a book, you must first begin and spend time with it. Don’t worry about your first draft; just get your ideas and words onto paper (or the computer). Challenge yourself each day to produce a certain amount, perhaps two or three new pages. If you’re stuck on the next chapter, but you know what happens in another section, then jump to that scene. Just keep writing. If you can’t think of anything new, then start editing what you’ve already written, but just keep writing. This is the discipline and commitment needed to finish a book. However, it’s one thing to create your story, structure, characters and a compelling narrative; it’s another to edit. They say that writing is 10% and editing is 90%. I find this relatively accurate. The more you edit, the better your story becomes; the more you edit, the more polished your writing becomes. Nevertheless, there is a time when you must finish and let it go, so you can move onto your next story. Most importantly, have fun. Write because you enjoy it.
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Remember, nothing happens overnight. It takes commitment, discipline and endurance to produce an engaging and inspiring novel. To write and finish a book, you must first begin and spend time with it. Don’t worry about your first draft; just get your ideas and words onto paper (or the computer). Challenge yourself each day to produce a certain amount, perhaps two or three new pages. If you’re stuck on the next chapter, but you know what happens in another section, then jump to that scene. Just keep writing. If you can’t think of anything new, then start editing what you’ve already written, but just keep writing. This is the discipline and commitment needed to finish a book. However, it’s one thing to create your story, structure, characters and a compelling narrative; it’s another to edit. They say that writing is 10% and editing is 90%. I find this relatively accurate. The more you edit, the better your story becomes; the more you edit, the more polished your writing becomes. Nevertheless, there is a time when you must finish and let it go, so you can move onto your next story. Most importantly, have fun. Write because you enjoy it.
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