Before I can begin writing any story-whether it’s short fiction or a novel-I have to answer three questions. For me, though, the strongest stories are never about issues or events but, rather, how characters are affected by those issues or events. Don Aker:Īs I mentioned earlier, every story I’ve ever written has grown out of something I wondered about, which gave me a focus. Then I generally give it to one or two people (my husband is always one of these) before sending off to my agent or submitting to editors. I’m very slow at producing first drafts, editing as I go, so once I reach the end, the manuscript is mostly finished. In recent years I’ve found that I can only outline up to a certain point and then have to sit back and see where I’m taken. When I jot down an outline it’s really vague – a sentence or two per chapter which is subject to change when I get to know the characters better during the writing process. I normally have some kind of trajectory in mind, but I’m usually fuzzy on the details. Kelly Martin:Īt the start I make a lot of notes about the characters and plotlines. Her website is Susan Hughes:Ĭan you tell us something about your writing process? C. Cheryl is a lesbian feminist, incest and ritual abuse survivor and an avid reader and writer. Cheryl Rainfield is the author of several YA novels, including the award-winning Scars, a novel about a queer teen sexual abuse survivor who uses self-harm to cope and Hunted, a novel about a teen telepath in a world where any paranormal power is illegal.
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