Ask the Author: Joyce T. Strand
Answered Questions (6)
Joyce T. Strand
I get ideas for my mysteries from real cases. I totally fictionalize them, but it helps to have a core "crime" on which to base my plot. I create my characters from pieces of people I've encountered in my career.
Joyce T. Strand
What inspires me the most is a desire to tell the story. So what's most helpful is to envision the plot. However, I've been known to review my e-mail, check and re-check Facebook, and do research ad infinitum. Sometimes I just have to make myself do it. If I sit down to write, and know what I want the next ten pages to say, I love it. However, if I'm vague and haven't quite figured out where the characters are going, it's frustrating.
Joyce T. Strand
I am currently preparing to launch my fourth book HILLTOP SUNSET, a mystery, in early November. And I am writing my fifth book THE JUDGE, about a judge in 1939 Calif. which is outside my normal mystery genre, scheduled for June 2015 launch.
Joyce T. Strand
It may seem trite, but the best advice I can offer aspiring writers is "Just do it!" A first draft does not need to be perfect; just write it. Then make sure you have a great editor and go from there.
Joyce T. Strand
Writing results in creating a world from a blank screen or sheet of paper. It is fulfilling and fun. And sometimes we even get to deliver a message or two that might make a difference to our readers.
Joyce T. Strand
I avoid writer's block several ways (1) at the end of a writing session, I always leave a few points of what to write next so I have a clear starting point (2) I set a goal of a minimum number of words and write that amount even if they're bad (3) I start reading through what I've already written, which frequently leads to questions that need answering
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