Friday, December 22, 2006

Dear Carol Ann #1

It's Friday and the first day of my Dear Carol Ann column. Please leave your question as a comment on the blog.

Looking forward to "corresponding" with you.

Carol Ann

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the new blog today!
( Saw your note on SRN Yahoo loop )
The blog looks great, BTW:)

katherine

www.ballroomdancenovels.com

Anonymous said...

Hi Carol Ann, I have a question. How easy do you find it to let go of your characters when you've finished a story? Do they ever 'reappear' in other stories?
Whoops, that's two questions, sorry!
Jane


www.janerichardson.co.uk

Carol Ann said...

Good question, Jane. I never let go of my characters! Even the characters that are published (which I consider giving birth to) remain active in my brain. No wonder I sometimes get confused about who I am or where I am. I've been known to go off into a stare-like trance and not hear a word of the conversation going on in the real world around me. My family calls me eccentric quite often.

I haven't had a character reappear yet, but one has been nagging me to write his story, so I never say never.

Anonymous said...

Dear Carol Ann,

I have a problem. My cat keeps eating the tinsel on the tree and...well you know what happens after that! Any suggestions?

Anonymous cat lady

Carol Ann said...

Dear Anonymous Cat Lady,

I didn't know they still made tinsel! Maybe your cat is trying to tell you something...like update your decorations. As for what to do, well when the tinsel appears at the opposite end, be very careful when you pull it out. Not only could it harm the cat, but your fingers could get quite messy. Suggestion: Don't use tinsel next year!

Signed,
Carol Ann

Kara Lennox said...

Hi, Carol Ann! Happy Holidays to you, too!

Personally I love tinsel icicles. But I didn't do a tree this year.

Carol Ann said...

Hi Kara! You've just been too busy with all the remodeling to worry about a tree this year I'm sure. I love tinsel icicles, too, but I swear I haven't seen any in the stores in years. Maybe I just haven't been looking...but then...I do have three cats. LOL!

Scarlett Sanderson said...

Dear Carol,

Where do you find inspiration for your plots?

All the best and Merry Christmas!!

Scarlett x

Carol Ann said...

Dear Scarlett x,
I wish I could tell you the secret, but then I'd have to kill you...off in a book that is!

No, seriously, I usually have scenes that come to mind after seeing something, or someone, that just triggers a character and a snapshot of a moment in time. From there I begin to delve into that character, either using an "interview" process or just writing the scene and seeing what develops. From there a major plot usually comes to mind and the subplots from that. I'm really a pantster writer...although I work from a very loose outline of beginning, middle and end. The characters tend to write the story and quite frankly, I'm usually surprised as well.

Carol Ann